Anita concluded her interview and started to write the story on her laptop. Suddenly, she hit writer's block. She headed to the convenience store for a Diet Coke. That's when the idea hit her. She would buy a pack of cigarettes. Maybe Marlboro Lights. She had stopped often at the store. The clerk knew her by sight. He spoke to he even though he never knew her name. His name tag said George. Anita worked up nerve, stepped up to the counter and bought a 20-ounce Diet Coke and a then uttered "a pack of Marlboros, please." "Pack or box," asked George. "Er, pack," Anita said. "Long or regular," George asked. A five-dollar bill covered the drink and cigarettes. Anita wanted to at least get a reaction from George. The only reaction she got was to ask for her ID. Instead, she left with a pack and no reaction. As she left the store, she looked back confused. Was smoking so commonplace that George was not surprised by her buying cigarettes? She wanted a reason to go back inside. Suddenly it hit her. A sign near the door said a Cigar Magazine was now being sold there. Anita returned. She picked up a magazine from the rack and then stepped to to the counter. "Oh," said George. "Are you tninking about taking up cigars, too." No, I wanted to read about cigars. I smoke cigarettes." I never saw you buy them. Let's see you smoke one," George said, producing a lighter under the counter. Anita nervously opened the packing by pulling back all the paper. George laughed. "Just as a thought." He held one side of the pack and opened it for her. "This is how you should open it," George said. "OK, I really don't smoke," Anita said. "I'm doing research on smoking and I wanted to see if you noticed that I bought a pack for the first time. Yo did. End of research." Anita picked up her pack, the magazine, the Diet Coke and the lighter and left. When she arrived in he apartment, she remembered that she had the store's lighter or was it George's lighter. Oh, well," she thought. "I'm to embarrassed to return it. I may return it later. When she got back to her apartment, Anita found the words flowing again. She would have to thank George personally. --end of chapter 2--
