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A Bloody Nose for an Illicit Cigarette
When brutal authority figures were par for the course
I quit smoking over twenty years ago, but as a youngster, smoking on the sly caused me no end of trouble, mainly after I had been caught in the act by parents or teachers. But the most serious incident that happened to me regarding illicit smoking, occurred while I was living within the confines of a residential children’s home, where I’d ended up as a result of persistent truancy. On that occasion, smoking really was bad for my health.
At sixteen, I was the oldest, for want of a better word, inmate, and I was legally allowed to smoke. This didn’t mean that I could simply light up during a maths lesson at school, rather I was allowed one solitary cigarette in the evening, after my supper.
I had to take my daily legitimate smoke alone in the reception area, so I couldn’t share it with my friends. A staff member would give me a cigarette, an ashtray and a light, and then leave me to it. I felt a little strange at first, smoking in front of staff, but I soon got the hang of it, and I always looked forward to my bedtime smoke.
At the rear of the reception area, there was a huge door with a leaded glass window. I would turn my chair around to be almost facing that door, because I knew that some of my gasping…
