She is unaware of the lingering glances she is garnering from some of the male patrons. She takes a final drag, and goes to remove the cigarette from her mouth, but it sticks to her moist lips. Her fingers slide up the cigarette and she burns her fingertips. She opens her mouth in an O of astonishment and pain. Sparks fly from the cigarette and she finally manages to remove the cigarette from her lips.



She looks around embarrassed, wondering if anyone has seen her mishap. No one is looking. Not even the male patrons. Some are trying to hide their snickers behind their hands. Some have just turned away in disgust.

Now have a look at Chad. He is just a regular guy. Slightly thick around the middle, works full time and has thinning hair. Late at night, when the lights go out, he often worries, that he will be single forever.

However, he has managed to work up the nerve to ask a co-worker out on this particular day. He has decided to do so on his next lunch break. It is a nice day outside, and he knows that the co-worker he is interested in likes to eat at the picnic tables set up just outside the office building.

It is now lunch time and he tries his best to saunter up to the young lady, eating her lunch. He lights a cigarette along the way to ease his nervousness. He sucks at it greedily and the young lady, upon seeing him, graces him with a smile.

He smiles back too, showing off his nicotine stained teeth. The girl looks away in embarrassment for him, and the conversation does not go as well for him as he had hoped.

He lies awake that night, wondering if he will be alone for eternity, and tries to figure out why the girl turned him down.

Both Shirley and Chad are regular, everyday people. They could have avoided the things that happened to them today, but smoking is very important to them. They love it, and they use it to help ease them in tense situations.

Shirley loves having a cigarette with her coffee, and Chad likes having one when he is nervous. Both are common enough hooks for a smoker as you probably know.

Both Shirley and Chad are alone tonight. Maybe they would not be if it had not been for their cigarette mishaps. Are you alone?