“The best things in life are the simplest; the sunrise after a night full of storms, snow falling on a cold winter night, and the first drag of a cigarette after going three months with out one.” Tom said with a cloud of smoke.

  “Man you should really quit those things,” Harry replied. “they’ll kill you yet.”

  “I quit them all the time.”

  “Yeah, just long enough to get that buzz back when you start again.”

  “So, I’m a man of simple pleasures, and that is one of the simplest.”

  “I just wish you wouldn’t smoke ‘em around me. I haven’t touched one in six years, but seeing you smoke ‘em gives me the itch.” Harry remarked while reaching for Tom’s pack.

  “Sorry Harry,” Tom said as he moved the pack out of reach. “but you know I won’t let you have one. I’m not helping you start up again.”

  “You could at least not smoke ‘em around me!”

  “It don’t seem to bother you when other people do, why am I so special?”

  “Well, no one seems to enjoy ‘em as much as you do.”

  “That’s because no one gets the experience of starting up again like I do.”

  “No one but you is dumb enough to stop just so they can start again” Harry quipped.

  “Ouch, I’m wounded!” Tom remarked with a hurt look.

  “You know sarcasm is not a good look for you” chuckled Harry. “Besides why go through all of the pain of stopping just so you can start again?”

  “Because that’s the buzz I’m really after”

  “You mean you enjoy getting the shakes and craving one of those cancer sticks more than anything?”

  “Yep.”

  “I think some one dropped something on your head when you were a child.”

  “You did drop a full can of beans on my head from the second story of your house when we were kids. I still have the dent in my skull, want to see it?”

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “No, you’ve showed it to me before. Besides you told me to drop it down to you so you had a snack because you were going fishing. You were the genius who caught it with his dome”

  “Touché. By the way I don’t like the cravings.”

  “Then why did you tell me you did?”

  “Well because they play into the buzz of quitting. You know how you feel after you accomplish something really hard and challenging?”

  “Yeah kinda.”

  “I know you do. Remember when you finally finished that puzzle that took you months to complete?”

  “You mean the all black one, with one thousand pieces? That thing took me all winter to finish, I started in November and didn’t finish until March!” Harry animatedly replied.

  “Yeah that one,” Tom said with a sigh. “It was all you talked about for three weeks straight you were so excited about completing it.”

  “Yeah I was ecstatic. I was proud and felt like I could conquer anything afterwards.”

  “Exactly! That’s the feeling I’m talking about. Successfully quitting cigarettes makes me feel that way. After I beat the shakes and the cravings quit being so strong I feel just like that”

  “Then doesn’t starting again make you feel like a failure?”

  “Nope. I quit knowing I would start again. Plus even if I did that first drag would fix that.” Laughed Tom

  “That actually makes an odd amount of sense.”

  “Besides I only start smoking again so I can quit, the quitting buzz is what I really crave”

  “You’re weird man” Harry informed Tom.

  “Don’t I know it” Tom deadpanned.

  “Any-who we’ve just spent the last” Harry checked his watch “ten minutes talking about smoking for the sake of quitting. Anything new going on in your life?”

  “Not a whole lot, just got my fishing license so I’m planning on using it this weekend. You?”

  “Well I bought a ring”

  “You’re finally going to ask Nancy?” Tom asked incredulously “You two have been going steady for what, five years now?”

  “Six come Monday.”

  “Well what’s the plan?”

  “Sunday evening I’m taking her to a nice Italian restaurant in the city.”

  “Which one?”

  “Casa di Roma. Then after dinner I’m goi-“

  “ng to have the waiter bring out a special dessert with the ring sticking out of it?” Tom asked hopefully.

  “No, now quit interrupting me and I’ll tell you.”

  “Sorry I got a little over excited.”

  “It’s ok. Anyways where was I?”

  “After dinner you’re going to….”

  “Right! After dinner we’re going to go for our nightly walk through the woods behind my house, and I‘m going to make sure that we walk to the pool.”

  “That’s the one that the little spring feeds, right? It’s always super clear and cool?”

  “Yep that’s the one. By the time we get it the pool the sun should be almost down. As the moon and stars come up, I’m going to ask her then.”

  “That is a great plan! What are you going to say to her?”

  “I’m not completely sure yet but it will be some thing like ‘Nancy, as I’m looking at you in the light of the moon’s reflection and the stars high overhead, I know that I don’t want to live this life without you in it.’ Then I’ll get on one knee and pull out the ring and ask her.”

  “That’s a ringer. If you said that to me under the stars like that I’d say yes.” Tom joked.

  “Not funny man, I’m nervous enough as it is” Harry replied.

  “In all seriousness I know she’ll say yes, I mean she’s crazy about you.”

  Thanks man, that makes me feel better”

  “No problem. Anyways I got to run, I have some errands I need to get done yet. Let me know how it goes.”

  “Will do man, take it easy.”

  With that they both went their separate ways.