_73. Habit

This is how slowly it happened. One whole day holding the pack, noting how satisfying its corners felt, how certain. It never stopped being surprisingly light, something so sturdy and rectangular should be heavier. But how sturdy was it? That whole first day it shuffled from pocket to pocket, upsetting the normal ordering and placement of pocket-dwelling articles (standard issue: wallter, notebook, pen, change, paper scraps). The next afternoon the wrapping came off, a long ten minutes beside a sidwalk trashcan. Out comes the first of 19 Class A cigarettes, which are known to cause cancer, emphazema, and loss of virility. Two afternoon hours with a cigarette unlit smoldering between fingers walking in and out of department stores and clothing boutiques and down the crowded streets. And every time the pace quicked no, no. Slow the legs down. Don’t walk too quickly, as if there was a rush, or anywhere to go. Savor it.