Flash Fiction: First Toke
Yuneisy and the menthol cigarette, 2005, Havana, from the series Beyond History (Havana 1998-2006) © Vincent Delbrouck
Image by Vincent Delbrouck
Written by Emma Elizabeth Mathes
Ernesto was there that afternoon, and I wanted to impress him; I was always trying to impress him. So, when he pulled out papers and ground flower to roll his own joint, my next move was predictable.
“You smoke?”
“Sí. ¿Tú?”
“Claro que sí.”
I didn’t, but I wasn’t going to let Ernesto know that. When he passed the joint to me, I fingered it like I knew what I was doing and held his eye contact as I dragged. When his eyes widened, I stopped, and blew the smoke as seductively as I could. He smiled at me, and I suppressed a cough as I smiled back.
To view more of Vincent’s work, visit his website
