He has lots of white hair. Good looking guy - he's up early every morning standing on the deck in front of his room - smoking.
The guy downstairs is also standing in front of his room in his stocking feet - he's standing right where his car should be parked - smoking. He's a happy cat - loves watching the world - the planes taking off, the dogs heading out for their walk - the gardener with his hose.
The woman is big - a big good looking woman. Blond hair, white shorts, blue shirt. She's standing behind a parked car - smoking.
The tough guy is standing beside his truck with a cup of coffee. Big work boots, heavy pants, bit of a belly. He's smoking in a hasty sort of way and gulping his coffee as if he were late.
The woman's guy appears. Long white hair - surprisingly beautiful white hair. He holds out his hand to her and then lights his cigarette. Next time I look she's gone, and he's taken her place. Just standing quietly - smoking.
Now this is a nice place we're in. Perhaps a bit blue collar. But immaculate, well managed, beautiful gardens, happy staff, often full to the brim of a summer evening. So where does all this smoking come from?
And they all seem to know that under the stairwells leading to the second deck, there is a secret place for the cigarette butts. I wonder how come they know this?
The beleaguered smoker. "This room has been serviced for our non-smoking guests. A $200 cleaning fee will be assessed if anyone smokes in this non-smoking room".
It must get cold standing outside in the winter time. They must feel as if the teacher had told them to go stand in the corner for mis-behaviour. And they all hold their cigarettes in a furtive sort of manner, as if they were trying to hide it, as if they weren't really smoking -
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Great post, Bernice. Your writing really brings a clear scene to mind. I can just see these people and their clandestine-out-in-the-open smoking activities! Reminds me of my Dad, when he had a terrible health emergency and ended up in the ICU at Wascana Hospital in Regina. We went to visit him and when we arrived to his room, he wasn't in the bed. He had pushed his IV tree down the hall and into the smoking lounge (they had them back then) and was puffing away on what he said was one of his last cigarettes. What an addiction smoking is. I always used to say, "the best thing I ever did was quit smoking" and then Rob said one day, "I should start and then stop just so I can feel that good!"
ReplyDeleteAbout the golfing wishlist for the real estate adventure, remember that on the East side of Vancouver Island - the Sidney side, there is less rain. On the West side, over by Royal Roads and Colwood, it is rainier and "darker" because of the landscape. In the middle of winter this might be a factor.