Ethan was lounging outside, enjoying the warm morning sun, when he heard the patio door open. He opened his eyes, and turned to see Bruno stomp out with a mug of coffee, and proceed to collapse into one of the outdoor sofas with a long sigh.
"Phew! I'm so glad it's the weekend," Bruno mumbled after taking a sip of coffee. "Who knew that having a job could be so tiring."
"You're the top executive in your company, how can you be tired?" Ethan questioned accusingly. "All you do is sit at a desk, and hold meetings. Nothing like me..."
"Hey! I also do other stuff!" Bruno growled, rubbing at the back of his neck, working out a kink. "It's just tougher at my age. Being in your fifties can be such a drag... Not that I'm complaining!"
"Well, you did make that decision yourself, you know."
"Yeah, yeah..." Bruno smiled wistfully. "But I could still do with an extra day to relax." Suddenly, he snapped his fingers, his leathery face stretched into a grin. "Hang on, I'm basically the boss! From now on, we're going to have a four day week. It's the future, you know."
"I don't think that's how-"
"And there's only one way to celebrate such a momentous decision." He grinned as he leapt to his feet, and reached for a humidor hidden inside of an outdoor cabinet. Inside were a selection of fine cigars.
He took one from the top, then turned to Ethan and held the box out to him. "Don't think I forgot about you."
"I don't know if I should, it's not even noon..."
"C'mon, just one little cigar. I know you want to."
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"Just one, and you'll understand everything..."
Ethan looked up to the gruff, middle-aged man who was goading him on. The man who used to be the same age as Ethan until he smoked the enchanted cigars he was pushing onto him. The man who was Ethan's best, and closest friend. And maybe he still could be. All he had to do was smoke the cigars, and join him in maturity.
He rolled the cigar between his fingers, and licked his lips. It was tempting, jumping straight into adulthood. He could finally be free of his controlling parents, and do the things he wanted to do without fear of upsetting or disappointing anyone. But then he would also have to get a job, and figure out how to live independently. And the men in his family weren't exactly prone to aging gracefully. Everyone over 30 had more hair on their backs than on their heads, and he wasn't exactly eager to join them. He was already shaving his face every other day, and was still a few months shy of his sixteenth birthday.
Finally, with a bit of hesitation, Ethan made his decision. "I can't," he said with a weary tone, placing the cigar back on the table. "I can't throw away my life so easily. Not without proper support."
Bruno looked crest-fallen, his rubbery face pulled into a disappointed scowl. He snatched the cigar back, and turned around to pour another glass of whiskey. Finally, he turned back and sighed. "I understand. It's a lot to ask. Just because I knew it was a good decision for me, it doesn't mean you can make the same call."
"I'm sorry, bud," Ethan said, reaching out to stroke his arm. "You come from money. Your parents probably have 'connections' that would get you a million dollar job with minimal effort. But my family, they wouldn't be so understanding..."
The two sat in silence for a few minutes, each knowing things between them may never be the same. Eventually, Ethan stood up, ready to say his farewells. With that, Bruno suddenly cried "Wait! Before you leave, I want you to have this." He handed Ethan a wooden box. Inside were a few cigars, each with the Decades branding on it. "In case you change your mind."
Ethan took the box from him with a quiet thank you, and that was the last they spoke to each other. He tried contacting Bruno, of course. But he didn't show up online, he didn't answer his texts. Ethan even went to his house, and his family kind of brushed off his concerns. They acted as if they didn't have a son, and implied he wasn't good enough for their daughter. Which made his skin crawl a little. It was as if Bruno had vanished off the face of the planet. It was a conundrum.
Meanwhile, Ethan's life had taken a turn. Without his best friend by his side, he began to struggle at school. His grades were slipping, he couldn't bring himself to keep attending his extracurricular activities, and then classes altogether. Eventually, he was caught red handed vaping in the school restrooms. His parents were fuming, of course. They locked down everything they could. Grounded for a year, no more TV or video games. His internet usage was surveyed harsher than ever. Yet all it did was make Ethan feel more isolated than ever. He found himself spiralling without Bruno there to support him.
Finally, things came to a head. It was a quiet afternoon, and Ethan came home from school to an empty house. Those brief moments after school were the only time he could be himself without his parents looming over his shoulder. Knowing his time was brief, he ran up to his room, reached for his secret vape cartridge, and brought it to his lips, hoping to get a hit of nicotine to destress. Yet he only received a puff of tangy air. To his dismay, it was empty. With his parents keeping track of his every move, he hadn't had a chance to buy another.
This was the last straw. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Ethan dropped to his knees, and stuck an arm underneath his bed. He rummaged about for a few moments, until his fingers brushed along solid wood. He yanked his arm back, and held aloft the small humidor Bruno had gifted him all those weeks ago. He opened it, an intoxicating aroma filling his nostrils. There were three cigars, a cutter, and a lighter. He picked one up, studying the brown cylinder with intrigue. All he had to do was smoke it, then he'd be an adult just like Bruno. No more surveillance, no more curfews, no more cages...
He followed the ritual to proper cigar usage, trying to recall everything Bruno had told him that fateful day. His hand trembled as he held a lighter beneath the cigar clenched between his teeth. He inhaled, doing his best not to breathe too deep. Smoke lingered in his mouth. It wasn't like anything he'd ever tried before. He was a frequent vaper but this was in another league. The flavor was so intense and complex, it was clearly made to be savored. As he exhaled, he felt a little leap in his chest. He was actually doing this, he was going to grow up. Even now, he could feel a tingle throughout his whole body, changing him in ways he was anxious to witness. His clothes felt tighter as he inhaled, his body felt itchier as he exhaled.
In time, Ethan came to reach the end of his cigar. He stubbed it out on a coaster, taking note of his hands. They were larger, the backs smeared with dark hairs. He smiled at the sight, following his gaze up along his furry arms, and straight to the sleeves of his tight shirt. Without a second thought, he gripped the front of his shirt, and tore it straight off his torso. His eyes widened, Bruno really wasn't kidding. The cigar had added a decade's worth of maturity to his body, and it definitely showed. There were thick, curly hairs all across his beefier chest and flat stomach, even spreading up towards his shoulders. He scratched his face, shocked to discover his sparse, day-old scruff had entirely filled in to cover his lower face with a gritty, sandpaper-like stubble. Ethan jumped to his feet, and ran to a mirror, gaping at the fully grown man before him. With his overly hirsute body, his dense stubble, and his noticeably receding hairline, he looked older than his 26 years, that was certain.
But having reached that first hurdle, the fear of growing up didn't feel so bad anymore. In fact, Ethan was curious about going further. So he didn't waste any time lighting up another. He sat in silence, aside from the occasional puff of his cigar. He watched as more hairs bloomed across his widening body, his stomach slowly bloating out into a small belly. He tracked the movement of his hairline as it crept further up and over his scalp until only a wreath of hair remained around the sides. He lit up the final cigar, the wispy smoke staining his dense stubble gray. His chest expanded with every breath, his stomach bloating further outwards into a soft ball. Each cigar added another 10 years to him. Each shortened his lifespan and made him more mature.
With the final cigar stubbed out, Ethan leaned back against his chair. The air was hazy, showing the thirty years of youth that had gone up in smoke. He scratched at his hair-soaked chest, which were beginning to make the transition from dark to white hairs. His pecs jiggled with his scratch, having sagged from age. Then he dragged his hand down to the rounded belly that rested atop his widened lap. It felt warm and soft beneath his calloused grip. But he felt no regret or shame. He was enlightened, bold, free to be the man he could have been weeks ago if he hadn't been so cowardly. He grabbed his phone and took a picture, a genuine smile on his rugged, 46 year old face. He scrolled down to Bruno's name and sent him the photo with a message. "I changed my mind."
As he rubbed the top of his smooth scalp, thinking about how he'd have to invest in some baseball caps, his eyes fell onto the time. It wouldn't be long until his parents came home. They would arrive to a house that smelled of tobacco, and a half-naked beefy, middle aged man in their son's bedroom. As the realisation of what he'd done to himself began to dawn on him, Ethan heard his phone vibrate. It was an unknown number that left directions to somewhere outside of town. Yet despite the anonymity, he knew who it was.
There was no time to waste. Ethan ran to his parents' room, and raided his dad's wardrobe for clothes. To his lack of surprise, he was a far bigger man than his dad. Even his largest shirt clung tight to his gut like a second skin. And while his sweatpants thankfully had an elastic waist, they still left very little to the imagination. But it would have to do. In a panic, he scoured the house for anything useful, stuffing it into a travel bag, and bolted out of the back door.
One Uber ride with a slightly perplexed driver later, and Ethan found himself in front of a modest, modern house. He checked to make sure the address was right, then knocked on the door. Then there he was. Bruno. He'd grown a short beard since they last met, but he still looked as craggy and lively as the day he last saw him. Ethan couldn't help himself, he pulled his older friend into a big bear hug, who squeezed him tight in return before leading him into the house.
"Why don't we catch up over a cigar or two?"
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"Ahh, that sure hits the spot..."
"And to think you didn't want to join me at first."
Ethan cracked a smile through his bushy, wiry beard. "I just needed time to reflect on what was best for me." A few months had passed since he'd smoked himself into middle age. Bruno had welcomed him into his house, and back into his life with open arms. While catching up over a whiskey and cigar, he'd come to find his friend had a rocky relationship with his parents. They weren't too pleased with his decision to prematurely age himself into his fifties. They had plans for him, they said. His future was already mapped out. Until they realised his new maturity could be of use to them after all. Within days, he'd been appointed to the board of their company as a promising selection with decades of experience under his belt. None of it was true, of course. But Bruno took it in his stride. He knew he'd become their patsy, but if it allowed him to forge a path of his own with minimal effort, he didn't seem to care.
As for Ethan, he had no idea how to confront his own parents. He ignored their calls with increasing anxiety until they managed to track him down using his phone's location. The resulting confrontation did not go well, to say the least. After hours of angry yelling and accusations, they essentially disowned him, unable to understand how their controlling demeanor led him to seek out such a drastic change. Yet with his family completely out of the picture, Ethan felt that chip on his shoulder disappear. He didn't have to put up with them any longer. He was finally free!
Those first few weeks were like the best vacation. Ethan quickly embraced his middle-aged appearance, learning to shave his head, and letting his beard grow wild. He got a whole new wardrobe to suit his burlier body, and wasted no time on the dating scene. And without school or a job, he spent his days relaxing in the sun with a cigar in his lips. But while Bruno was more than accommodating, Ethan didn't want to be a leech. With a bit of help, he'd managed to find work on a construction site. He didn't earn much, and it was rough labor, but it was honest work, and it allowed him to appreciate his newfound maturity even more. And it made it all the more worthwhile coming back to the luxurious house owned by his ultra-rich roommate and best friend. While not everything had gone as planned, they did manage to achieve what they wanted all those months ago. Somewhere they could live and smoke together in peace.
Great continuation! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteNo, thank you 😁
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