Page 72 of Two Marlboros

“So what?”

“I have to buy them again!”

“Do it in the morning, right?”

He turned to me and began to rant in a desperate tone.

“But I only have four! I can’t be without them! Come on, let’s go out! There must be one of those all-day open places nearby, right?”

I stared at him earnestly and sighed, letting him know that his withdrawal problems did not affect me. But after playing the desperation card, he used the pleading eyes card. Finally, I held back no more laughter and he raised his arms in victory.

“One point for me. Come on, put your shoes on.”

I did as he ordered.

Nathan walked one step ahead of me. As soon as he noticed, he slowed down a little to get back beside me, but it didn’t last long; he was so impatient that he immediately started walking a little faster again.

That abstinence made me smile. A bomb might as well have fallen beside him, but his only thought was to buy his pack of cigarettes. He really needed to hold it in his hands, like a child who needs his teddy bear to sleep. I couldn’t understand how he could depend so much on something, but maybe it was just another way to have some certainty in life.

We entered a small supermarket and Nathan shelled out twelve dollars for the wanted package. Once we left, I watched him in that expression of adoration for what he held in his hands, and wondered how many more times I would have to witness a scene like that. I came to the conclusion that it was just yet another meteorite that from Nathan’s universe hadplunged into mine after the collision. I continued to find that phenomenon quite interesting and wondered how much more I could learn from being with him.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked.

“As long as it’s not a strange question, it’s fine. Once a guy stopped me on the street and asked if he could take pictures of my feet. Fetishists, strange people.”

I burst out laughing. I had no difficulty imagining the scene.

“No, no. No feet.”

“Alright. Shoot.”

Next to us a couple passed by, and I waited until they were far enough away. Nathan turned to look at me, waiting for me to ask my question.

“Do you only smoke cigarettes?”

He stopped suddenly and I did likewise, one step in front of him. His look was surprised, and I had no trouble understanding it. Perhaps it seemed a strange question to him - and who wouldn’t have thought so? - but mine was simple interest.

“What is this, a trick question?”

“No, I’m just curious.”

He continued to stare at me with those eyes somewhere between serious and facetious, only to see them lean toward the first option.

“Do you want to know if I also smoke joints? The answer is no. Only cigarettes. And I’m not interested in hard drugs either. That stuff fries your brain, and I’m already feeling pretty reckless myself.”

That answer relieved me, even though I thought we would remain friends no matter what he smoked.

“A joint never killed anyone, anyway,” he added. “Now it’s my turn for questions, right?”

“Sure.”

“Why did you ask me that?”

I giggled. I was pretty sure he was still convinced I was spying on him or conducting some investigation on him.

“Simple curiosity, I told you. I just wanted to know more about you.”

“Oh, right. You’re the good one and I’m the bad boy to look down on.”

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