The transition to having a 13-year-old girl as a major aspect of her life did not get off to a smooth start for Nikki. After a few weeks, Stefania began to quickly realize that anything she had been told about Esposito wasn’t true. She was still, however, icy to Nikki.
Stefania held a grudge against Nikki for stealing her away from the only life she had known. Even though her mother’s alcohol and drug problems caused her some misery, Stefania also held a grudge against Nikki because it was reality that her parents would never be together.
She was a bright girl, and in many ways, mature for her age, just as Nikki had been and still was. Nikki respected that, but Stefania couldn’t see the similarities yet. She constantly gave Nikki a hard time, mostly for her smoking. Any time Nikki lit a cigarette in the house or the car, Stefania would make a comment or a facial expression to express her displeasure.
As for Nikki’s part, she hadn’t cared what someone thought of her in a long time. This was different than the past and it was an adjustment. Of course, she was going to stop smoking, but she wanted to Stefania to see that she was good for her father. Also, because, if Stefania didn’t like her, it would eventually put a strain on her relationship with Esposito.
When her semester ended and her summer vacation began in May, Nikki could devote more time to her business — which had been ridden of its problem — while also getting the chance to spend more time with Stefania. She tried to do a variety of girly things with her, but still no luck.
On one cool May afternoon Esposito had a meeting, so Nikki picked Stefania up from her new Catholic school. Nikki was, of course, wearing her gold jewelry, along with what she would call casual attire. She had on a white Harley Davidson tank top, tucked into a pair of light blue bootcut jeans, a thick black leather belt through the loops and a pair of black leather high-heeled boots, along with her black leather blazer.
As Stefania climbed into Nikki’s Mercedes, she was greeted with a smile.
“How was your day?” Nikki asked as she pulled away from the school.
“Fine,” was all that Stefania could muster.
“Do you have a lot of homework?” Nikki asked.
“No,” Stefania replied bluntly.
“What do you want for dinner?” Nikki again inquired.
“I don’t care,” Stefania said.
Nikki began to get a bit frustrated that the teenager would not let her in, but she was careful not to blow up on her so she decided it was best to let her be for the rest of the ride home. Nikki cracked her window and lit a cigarette, drawing the ire of her passenger.
“Do you have to do that with me in the car?” Stefania muttered in disgust. “You’re so gross.”
Finally Nikki had had it. She couldn’t take it anymore and obviously being nice wasn’t working for her.
“It’s my car, so yes, I do,” Nikki snapped. “I’m sick of you making comments about me and my smoking!”
“Then quit!” Stefania shouted back. “Or better yet, just leave!”
“Look, I love your father so I’m not going anywhere,” Nikki screamed. “I have done everything I can to get you to see that, but you won’t even give me a chance. I don’t expect you to kiss my ass, but if I didn’t bring you here, you’d still be stuck in that dump taking care of your drunk of a mother while she hit you. You have all the opportunity in the world here and all you’ve done is act like an ungrateful little bitch!”
This was the first time that Nikki had bitten back at Stefania, and it sure felt good to her. She was sick of the snide comments. Stefania didn’t know quite what to say so she sat there in stunned silence for the rest of the ride home.
In the next month, the screaming match proved to be a turning point in their relationship. Stefania no longer made rude comments to Nikki, even about her smoking. In fact, she began to warm up to her, asking for advice and even spending time with her, as the two particularly enjoyed shopping together. Nikki wished she didn’t have to scream at her, but it worked out in the end.
Stefania was still not quite used to the ability to buy expensive clothes, but she was coming around. In some ways, she began to model herself after Nikki. Stefania liked high heels, jewelry and makeup, while also having an affinity for leather coats. So, on one Saturday afternoon in June, Nikki took her shopping in New York.
While Stefania was wearing a floral sundress and a pair of wedges, Nikki was wearing a tight navy blue tank top, tucked into a pair of straight-legged white pants that fell to her ankles, a thick brown leather belt through the loops and a pair of dark blue open-toe shoes with a six-inch stiletto heel. She also had on her jewelry and a pair of full shield Louis Vuitton sunglasses that rarely left her face, even in stores.
Since there were no more complaints from the peanut gallery about her smoking, Nikki was free to smoke at her usual pace without annoyance. After a day of lunch and shopping, Nikki and Stefania headed back to New Jersey.
When Nikki got into her Mercedes, she rolled down the top and buckled her seatbelt, freshly lit Marlboro Red Label 100 dangling from her lips as she pulled out. She pulled up to a red light, taking a huge drag before dangling her left arm over the side of the car, cigarette burning between her fingers as her gold Rolex slid down to her palm.
Just before the light turned green, Nikki took another drag and as she exhale a large stream of smoke she noticed Stefania eyeing her out of the corner of her eye. So a few minutes later, she took another drag to see if she was, then a third.
“Shit, this little booger is watching me smoke,” Nikki thought to herself.
Finally, Nikki took one more drag and then decided to approach Stefania head-on.
“Is my smoke bothering you?” Nikki asked as she spoke through an exhale.
“No, not at all,” Stefania said. “It doesn’t bother me anymore.”
“Oh?” Nikki asked quizzically. “Why’s that?”
“It just doesn’t,” Stefania replied. “My mom smokes, so I think I used to just think of her when you did, but it’s different.”
“How so?” Nikki asked.
“My mom was such a mess,” Stefania said. “You are so fancy and elegant.”
“Thanks,” Nikki said with a smile as she flicked her cigarette aside.
“Why do you smoke?” Stefania blurted out.
“I guess I just enjoy it,” Nikki said, clearly taken aback. “It makes me feel good.”
“Can I ask you something?” Stefania asked.
“Of course, babe,” Nikki said. “Anything.”
“Could I have a cigarette?” She asked innocently.
“Since when do you smoke?!” Nikki asked as she nearly swerved out of shock.
“I don’t,” Stefania said.
“And you want to start?” Nikki inquired.
“Well, I have actually tried it before,” Stefania admitted sheepishly. “I tried my mom’s before and I’ve actually been sneaking some of yours for a couple weeks. I liked my mom’s better. They weren’t as strong.”
“You made it look so much cooler than Mom,” Stefania followed up. “You are just so confident and cool.”
Nikki had to pause for a minute to collect her thoughts. She knew how her experience had been and nothing would stop Stefania if she wanted to smoke. At the same time, she was 13 years old. Esposito would kill her if she let his daughter smoke. Finally, Nikki went with her instinct. She would be a major hypocrite if she said no.
At the next exit, Nikki pulled off and found the nearest convenience store.
“What kind of smokes did your mom have?” Nikki asked with a nearly spent cigarette bouncing between her lips as she grabbed her purse.
“Marlboro Lights,” Stefania said. “The long ones.”
Nikki got out of the car and flicked her cigarette away as she walked, exhaling even as she entered the store. She bought a pack of Marlboro Lights 100s and went back to the car, packing them as she approached the passenger side.
“OK, let’s see,” Nikki told Stefania.
Nikki lit a cigarette of her own as Stefania got out of the car. Nikki stood, watching as Stefania took out a cigarette from the new pack and put the all-white cylinder between her lips. Nikki had her left hand free to smoke, while her right was resting on the thick brown leather belt around her hips.
Stefania flicked the lighter Nikki had given her and put it to the tip of her cigarette. Immediately, Nikki could tell Stefania was not a novice as she blew out a slick stream of smoke.
“Well, I guess you are a smoker,” Nikki said as she walked around to the driver’s side and got back in, cigarette between her fingers.
“Are you really going to let me smoke?” Stefania asked excitedly. “Wait...are you going to tell my dad?”
“Nope. You are going to tell him yourself,” Nikki said, cigarette dangling from her lips as she put the key in the ignition. “You are going to grow up to be a strong woman and that means doing things that may not be easy.”
During the rest of the drive home, Stefania had two more cigarettes and when they got to Esposito’s house, Nikki ushered inside and instructed her to tell him right away. Esposito was standing in the kitchen when they came inside.
“Ah, my two favorite girls,” He said as they entered the kitchen.
Nikki walked over and gave him a kiss before sitting down at the counter. Stefania, clearly nervous, approached her father.
“Daddy, I have something to tell you,” Stefania said.
“What’s that, sweetheart?” Esposito asked.
“I smoke,” Stefania said quietly. “I started a couple weeks ago.”
“You what?” Esposito exclaimed in surprise. “Did you know about this?”
“She told me on the ride home,” Nikki informed him.
“Stefania, you are only 13,” Esposito pleaded. “You can’t smoke. I won’t let you.”
“But Daddy, I like it a lot,” Stefania cried.
“No,” Esposito said firmly. “I forbid it. It’s a disgusting habit.”
“Hey!” Nikki interjected. “So I’m disgusting now?”
“That’s not what I meant,” Esposito backpedaled. “She’s just too young.”
“Babe, I think you are fighting a losing battle,” Nikki told him. “I’ve seen her. She’s a smoker. And either of us saying no isn’t going to stop her. I know that from experience.”
“So, I’m just supposed to let my 13-year-old daughter smoke?” Esposito asked incredulously.
“It’s not drugs or alcohol,” Nikki said.
“Fine,” Esposito said. “But only around the house.”
Nikki just shook her head. “Just let it go.”
“Well, I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?” Esposito said. “You can smoke.”
“Oh thank you, Daddy!” Stefania screamed in excitement.
“Well let’s see you smoke,” Esposito said begrudgingly.
Stefania lit a cigarette and Esposito couldn’t believe how easily she exhaled for being so young and inexperienced as a smoker. When she was done, Esposito told her she was free to go and Stefania went to her room to try on the clothes she bought with Nikki earlier in the day.
“I can’t believe my daughter smokes,” Esposito said as he sat at the counter with his head between his hands.
“I smoke all the time,” Nikki said as she lit a cigarette of her own. “What’s the big deal?”
“This is a little different,” Esposito said. “You don’t call me daddy.”
“I can call you daddy later if you want,” Nikki winked and smiled mischievously as smoke drifted from her nostrils before patting him on the head and taking her shopping bags up to the bedroom.
____________________________________________________________________________
Esposito slowly got used to Stefania’s smoking as the summer moved along, her habit steadying at half a pack per day, not nearly as much as Nikki’s two packs.
By early August, things were going swimmingly for Nikki in her relationship with Esposito and his daughter, while her business continued to boom. One hole in her life that had not been patched up yet was with her family. Nikki had gotten a phone call from her mother saying that her parents were getting a divorce.
Things had evidently not been going well for them in the year she had been away, and her mother had caught her father cheating. She was now staying at their lakehouse so Nikki decided it was finally time for her to visit. So, she arranged the trip before school started again and decided to bring Stefania along with her.
Nikki and Stefania enjoyed the six hour ride, top down with their hair blowing in the wind and smoking cigarette after cigarette. When they finally arrived, Nikki stepped out of the car wearing a white tank top, tucked into tight black Capri pants and a thick black leather belt, with a pair of black stiletto heels.
It was strange being back, especially knowing it would be just her mother. She didn’t know if their relationship would change now that her parents split. Nikki had no desire to speak to her father, but her relationship with her mother had not been ideal for the past two years either.
Nikki’s mother was waiting for them on the porch when they pulled in the driveway and she immediately hugged her daughter. Nikki introduced her to Stefania and they made small talk for a bit before deciding to head down to the water to enjoy the sun.
They each went to their rooms to get changed. Nikki slipped into a pink bikini that would assuredly draw a negative reaction from her mother due to the amount of cleavage it revealed. She put on a pair of white Daisy Dukes with a thick black leather belt around her hips and headed back downstairs.
Sure enough, her mother made a comment as soon as she saw Nikki’s bathing suit.
“Nicole, you can’t wear such skimpy clothing with Stefania around,” Her mother scolded. “You’re a role model now.”
“Mother, just relax,” Nikki said in an annoyed voice.
As her mother gathered her belongings to head down to the lake, Nikki stepped outside onto the porch with Stefania and both lit a cigarette. Her mother was shocked when she came outside to see the pretty 13-year-old smoking a cigarette with her daughter.
“Nicole, you really let her smoke?” Her mother whispered as they walked.
“Mom, do you not remember how it was with me?” Nikki said. “We’re not going to be able to stop her. Just leave it alone. She’s a good kid.”
Her mother dropped the subject, which was much different than how things had been in recent years of dealing with Nikki.
Once they got to the dock, Nikki unbuckled her shorts and laid down on a towel. After napping for about an hour, she woke up and lit a cigarette. Needing to cool off, she carefully walked down the steps into the water and walked until she was waist-deep, not wanting to get her expensive watch or sunglasses wet, plus she still had her cigarette burning between her fingers.
Throughout the week, Nikki enjoyed spending time with her mother, something that had not been the case since in a few years. She had reduced the nagging to a minimum and they enjoyed watching Stefania splash around in the water and how exhilarated she was to go on a boat for the first time in her life.
On the final night before they went back home, Nikki step out onto the porch with a glass of wine to join her mother and Stefania. She was wearing a tank top and yoga pants, but still had on all of her jewelry. Nikki found her future stepdaughter curled up in a chair dozing off so she tapped her on the shoulder gently.
“Stef, why don’t you go to bed?” Nikki whispered.
“OK,” She said. Stefania said goodnight and meandered back inside to go to sleep.
“She’s had a blast,” Her mother chuckled as she watched Stefania leave. “You were right. She’s a good kid and I’m impressed how good you are with her.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Nikki said with a bit of a surprised tone in her voice.
Nikki plopped down in a chair across from her mother and pulled out a large Cuban cigar to go with her wine to complete her relaxing night.
“So Mom, how are you doing with everything?” Nikki asked as she puffed on her cigar.
“Well, I’d be lying if I said it was easy,” She responded. “I was crushed when I found out about your father. We were together for so long.”
“So there’s no chance you can fix things?” Nikki asked.
“No,” Her mother said firmly. “We’ve been drifting apart for a while now. He’s changed. You know that I don’t agree with everything you do, but the way he treated you when we came to visit was ridiculous.”
“So what are you going to do now?” Nikki inquired, taking a puff on her cigar.
“I don’t know,” She said honestly. “Try to pick up the pieces, I guess. I can’t really go back to work because of all the rumors and whispering. What you put us through in high school is nothing compared to this when it comes to people talking.”
“Why don’t you come live with me?” Nikki asked. “When we get married next summer my house will be empty so it’ll be yours.”
“I don’t know,” She said. “This is my home. I don’t know if I could leave it.”
“Mom, you won’t have a job,” Nikki said. “You are going to lose your retirement when you quit. You can work for me. I could use someone to help Al run the business while I’m in school. You can keep the books and make sure everyone’s on schedule.”
“Nicole, if you want to involve yourself in that lifestyle, I can’t stop you,” She responded. “But, I’m not going to be a criminal just because I’m getting divorced.”
“So what are you going to do?” Nikki shot back. “Just sit here by yourself for the rest of your life?”
Her mother didn’t have an answer.
“Mom, there’s a reason I am as successful as I am already,” Nikki continued. “I’m a strong, intelligent woman and I get that from you.”
“Thank you,” Her mother whispered as she wiped tears from her eyes.
“I know it’s hard, but you are going to have to figure out how to move on,” Nikki said. “You can be successful and happy on your own. Plus, you are still a hot piece of ass.”
Those words got a chuckle out of her mother. Nikki left the conversation there, allowing her mother to think about things for a while. Her mother got up, kissed Nikki on the forehead and went to bed.
The next morning, Nikki and Stefania got dressed and ready to drive back to New Jersey. Nikki dressed casually for the ride home. She was wearing an orange Harley Davidson tank top, tucked into black bootcut jeans, with a thick black leather belt and a pair of black cowboy boots. She had her shoulder-length brown hair straight on this day, tied in a ponytail and an orange bandana in her hair to act as a headband to keep hair out of her eyes when they drove with the convertible top down.
Nikki was playing with her necklaces while she sat at the counter waiting for her mother to come downstairs. Stefania, of course, was a ball of energy. Noticing Nikki was wearing a Harley tank top, it naturally brought up some questions.
“How come you haven’t taken me on your motorcycle?” Stefania asked. “Are you ever going to take me.”
“No,” Nikki laughed. “If you want to ride someday, you aren’t going to ride on the back, you’re going to drive. You have to wait a few years though.”
Just then, her mother entered the room and it was time for them to leave. They three women exchanged goodbyes, and Nikki’s mother began to cry again as they hugged.
“Mom, think about what I said, OK?” Nikki said to her. “You are always welcome in my house...Oh, and just remember...We aren’t all that different.”
“Thank you for coming,” She weeped.
They waved goodbye as they pulled out of the driveway and as soon as they got to the stop sign at the top of the hill, Nikki lit a cigarette.
“Do you think your mom will come live with you?” Stefania asked.
“I don’t know,” Nikki said as her sunglasses hid the emotion in her eyes.
“Uh, Nikki,” Stefania blurted out.
“What, Stef?” Nikki asked softly, not really wishing to talk.
“I forgot my smokes at your mom’s house. It was my last pack,” Stefania admitted. “Can we stop for some?”
Nikki just laughed at the young teenager, taking a drag on her own cigarette. “Yeah, we can stop.”
Cool :)
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