When I was a kid, I was watching TV on the couch with my dad. In the movie, the protagonist gracefully lights a cigarette, and then defeats the villain with a set of gorgeous moves.
Wow, at the time I thought this plot was pretty cool.
My dad looked at me and asked, “Is it cool? Do you want to try it?”
Well, I was actually very happy in my heart at that time, and I really wanted to give it a try. But I still asked cautiously, “Can I smoke?”
My dad said: “It’s okay, you can try it, just don’t let your mother know. But there are no cigarettes at home, so I’ll go buy a pack now.”
Then my dad went out to buy cigarettes. After a while, my dad came home.
My dad handed me a cigarette.
I took the cigarette tremblingly with both hands, trying to learn the movements of the protagonist in the movie, and then moved to my mouth and took a big puff.
Then I started coughing, coughing violently. My nasal cavity felt like it had been burned. From my throat to my lungs, it felt like someone had pricked me with a needle. My dad patted me on the back, handed me a bottle of water, and comforted me: “It’s okay, it’s like this for the first time, it will be much better if I give you another one tomorrow.”
The next day my dad asked me secretly: “Do you still want to try?”
I gritted my teeth and said, “Just try it.”
Still coughing, severe coughing, the nasal cavity seems to have been burned, from the throat to the lungs, it looks like someone has stabbed it with a needle…
My dad looked puzzled: “Oh, this is the second time for you, shouldn’t you be like this?”
Suddenly he patted his head: “I know, some people’s throats are allergic to smoke and they can’t smoke. Others are fine with smoking, but some people’s throats are very uncomfortable when they smoke.”
I coughed and nodded desperately: “That’s how I am… cough…”
Over the years, I have always felt that I have a special physique and I am not suitable for smoking. I have always stayed away from smoking.
…
A long time later, my dad got drunk once. He told me that paprika had been added to my first cigarette.
Oh, my nasty papa.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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Photo credit: Reza Mehrad on Unsplash