Many times we tell ourselves, ‘I have no reason to quit smoking.’ We enjoy the habit, we accept the risks, and we ignore the ‘Ferrari’ speeches. But a simple conversation in a doctor’s waiting room might change how you see your bank account—and your car…
A little later, you go out for a walk. As you finish another cigarette, you flick the butt onto the ground without a second thought about the environmental impact. You check your watch and realize you’re cutting it close for your doctor’s appointment. You’ve had this muscle pain for weeks, and yesterday you finally called the clinic to schedule a visit:
«Good morning! You’ve reached the Health Center… If you’d like to schedule an appointment with your Primary Care Physician, press 1. For a nurse practitioner, press 2. For Pediatrics, press 3. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please hang up and dial 911 or proceed to the nearest Emergency Room…»
«The ER? I’d be waiting until next Christmas,» you think, pressing 1 without hesitation. You’ve been popping Advil for a while, but the pain is still there, nagging at you. It doesn’t feel like anything life-threatening—you could probably wait—it’s just annoying. What is annoying is trying to go to Urgent Care; those places are always packed. Not enough staff, and way too many people in the waiting room.
In that clinic, Urgent Care is a total mess. There are people who are genuinely sick, and you wonder why they waited so long to come in, but then there are others who definitely could’ve waited or just let things clear up on their own: people with four hours of diarrhea who hadn’t even tried a bland diet of white rice and toast yet. Or people with pain just like yours—sometimes lasting for months—who, instead of making an appointment with their regular doctor, suddenly decide today is the day it’s a «maximum emergency.»
But that was yesterday. You got lucky, and the doctor had an opening for today. You pass by your place and run upstairs for a quick bathroom break. On your way back out, you run into Marta, your neighbor.
«Hey! Off to work?» you ask.
«Not today!» she says with a smile. «My boyfriend and I both have the day off. We’re going to spend the day out with his brother and his girlfriend. I’m just grabbing a few things while he gasses up the car, then we’re hitting the road.»
«Oh yeah? Where are you headed, if you don’t mind me asking?»
«Up to the mountains! I love it up there.»
«It rained all night, though. You sure you won’t get caught in a downpour?»
«Positive. We checked the forecast; clear skies for a hundred miles in every direction.»
«Well, perfect then! Enjoy!»
«Oh, we will,» she smiles again. «Plus, I love the smell of rain on the pavement and the wet earth. Even here, with the little bit of nature we have, you can really smell it.»
«Really?» you ask, since you can’t smell a thing.
«Yeah, it’s so strong! How can you not smell that?»
«I don’t know,» you mutter, unsure of what to say. «Some things I smell, some things I don’t…»
«Maybe you’re coming down with a cold…» Just then, Marta’s boyfriend pulls up in his car and honks the horn while waving at you. «Well, take care of yourself!»
«But I don’t have a cold…!»
Hearing this, Marta leans her arms on the roof of the car, looks at you thoughtfully, and says…
«That’s so weird! Because the smell is right there… I don’t get it. Hey, is it the tobacco? Do you smoke?»
«Yeah, but…» you respond, trying to dodge the subject. She notices and quickly changes the topic.
«Well, maybe I just have a super-sensitive nose, who knows?»
«You can say that again! You’ve got a better nose than a bloodhound!» her boyfriend shouts, laughing. «Alright, catch you later!»
You watch them drive off, overthinking the conversation. You do have a sense of smell and taste, right? Or do you have less than you should because of the cigarettes?
Maybe you’re just so used to it that unless someone—like in this case—points out a strong scent or a bold flavor at dinner, you don’t even notice. Like the other day with your friend; he thought the fries were amazing, but you thought they were bland.
These thoughts are already out of your head by the time you reach the clinic. Before heading inside, you smoke one last cigarette. Since there aren’t any ashtrays nearby, you toss the butt on the ground, joining dozens of others scattered around the entrance… the wait times are long, and for many, the urge to smoke doesn’t care about the rules.
«Got a spare cigarette?» asks a man walking into the center. He looks calm and has an air of happiness about him—the kind of guy you like instantly just by looking at him.
«Yeah, sure, man.»
«Thanks a lot!»
«No problem.»
Once inside, you head to the waiting area in front of your doctor’s door. There are five other people: a couple in their early 60s, a woman in her 30s, and a mother with her young daughter, maybe five years old.
The little girl is playing with toy cars on the bench, but after a bit, her mom tells her to put them away because she’s making too much noise and needs to behave. Grudgingly, she hands over the toys and starts looking around for something else to distract her… and she spots you.
«Hi! I’m Laura!»
«Hi, Laura,» you say, smiling.
«Why are you here?»
«Uh… well, my back hurts. How about you? Why are you here?»
«My mommy is sick… and I am too. Mommy says it’s Daddy’s fault because he smokes a lot. You smoke too, don’t you? You smell just like him. And Daddy has yellow teeth. Do you have kids?»
«Eva?» Fortunately, the doctor calls the mother at that exact moment, saving you from having to answer.
«Bye-bye!»
«Bye, little one.»
«I’m not little! I’m a big girl!» she responds energetically.
«Hahaha, sorry about that. You are definitely a big girl.»
The Honest Truth: «I Have No Reason to Quit Smoking
The scene hasn’t gone unnoticed by the older couple waiting nearby. The husband speaks up.
«Kids, right? They’re something else.»
«Yeah. Did you hear her tell me I smell like her dad? They just say exactly what’s on their mind.»
«Yep, pure innocence. Sometimes we should listen to them more. My son kept nagging me to quit since he was a little kid…»
«And did you?»
«He finally quit when our son was 30 years old, and only because he spent a week in the ICU,» his wife interrupts, sounding indignant. «God, the way you made us suffer that week. Twenty-four hours! They told us if he didn’t improve in twenty-four hours, he was gone. They said there was nothing more they could do. But luckily…»
«And you quit smoking then?»
«Yeah. I was in bad shape. All that smoking had left me skin and bones. I had no appetite, food tasted like nothing, I was so weak… and of course, I ended up crashing. When I woke up, my son didn’t even have to say a word. It was crystal clear: I had gone too far.»
«You were smoking a pack a day,» his wife continued to reproach him. «We gave you every reason in the world, and you didn’t care…»
«How many times do I have to tell you?» he sighed. «The one who decides to quit is me, nobody else. If I don’t want to, it doesn’t matter how much people push… I smoked because I liked it!»
«Just like me,» you chime in. «I like smoking, and I’ll be the one to decide if I ever quit. No one should be telling me what to do.»
«Exactly!» he replies. «You’ll be the one to decide. But I’m just going to say one thing and then we’ll drop it, because I’m sure you’re tired of the subject already»—you’ve got that right, you think. «The day you decide to quit and actually do it, you’ll realize everything you’ve been missing.»
«Sure…»
«My niece noticed it in how clear her skin got. A friend noticed it in his overall look. An old coworker noticed he didn’t get winded anymore during workouts. My neighbor noticed it in his bank account…»
«You’re not going to give me the ‘Ferrari’ speech, are you? Everyone says that. Like, ‘If you didn’t smoke, you’d have a Ferrari.’ So where is the Ferrari for all the people who don’t smoke?»
«Hahaha,» he laughs, giving you a knowing look and pointing his finger at you. «I used to say the exact same thing. And you know what?»
«What?» At this point, you’re wishing it was the little girl and not this couple who stayed to talk to you.
«It’s not enough for a Ferrari, but it’s definitely enough to cover a car payment.»
«Oh, come on!»
«I’m serious!» he insists. «Think about it. I bought a little Hyundai Accent. Total was about $18,000. I put three grand down, and the rest is $250 a month for five years… I used to smoke a pack a day. Think about what a pack costs today—about nine dollars on average, more if you’re in the city. Multiply $9 by 30 days in a month. What do you get?»
«$270?»
«Exactly! I even have twenty bucks left over for gas. It’s like the car is free.»
«I… well… yeah.»
«And that’s it. Subject dropped. Look!» he says, pointing to the doctor who just stepped out. «You’re up.»
«Wait, aren’t you guys next?»
«No, no. We’re seeing Dan, the nurse,» the wife responds.
«Well, goodbye then.» You head toward the doctor’s office, thinking…