Hackner

     Simon never really knew his mother. She died when he was seven. She had been in a head-on collision with an eighteen wheeler. The doctors told them she had died instantly. Ever since then it had been an endless amount of nannies. Each one not lasting longer than a month. To say Simon was a handful as a child would be a big understatement. Constantly hiding, colouring on walls, and making noises. He was a brat to say the least. 

     When Simon was in grade eight he, like many others, fell into peer pressure and started smoking. At his school it was a normal thing, he promised himself it wasn’t going to turn bad and it was all going to stay the same. But one thing led to another and he got addicted, he got agitated when he didn’t smoke, and he would often leave class for a “bathroom break” to go outside.

     Eventually, his father did find out about it when their house cleaner found a box in Simon’s room and told him. The punishment was a three month grounding, where he wasn’t allowed out of the house on weekends; if he wanted to spend time with friends, they had to come to his house; and no more supposed bathroom breaks, Simon had to be escorted if he absolutely needed to go. It was almost painful for him having to quit cold turkey.

     Then one night during the last week of his grounding, his father was going to be home late from work and Simon took the chance he had. He got the pack he had hidden in the loose floorboard under his bed, and smoked. The relief he felt after the first cigarette in a long time made him feel happy, almost at home even. After he was finished he tried everything he could to hid the smells; air freshener, opening all the windows, lighting an incense, everything. He thought he did a good job, he couldn’t smell it anymore.

     His luck ran out however when his dad walked in and saw the ashtray that Simon had forgotten to empty. This time, Simon didn’t get grounded, instead his father put him in counseling to talk about his “smoking problem”. The counseling lasted until Simon graduated grade school, and that’s when his counsellor suggested he join a NA (Nicotine Anonymous) group. Which he did until he relapsed due to the stress of his fathers death.

     At the time Simon was one year and ten months clean. The group leader said it was normal for a relapse to happen under the stress, but Simon was disappointed in himself. He promised his father he was going to quit, and he failed him. He got the urge again when his lawyer informed him that he was going to take over the family business. He wasn’t ready for the responsibility of it. So he did what his uncle suggested; Attend Marceline.

     But now the stress of school life, and the new rules, and lack of sleep Simon has been wanting to start up his old habit again, he hasn’t though. And quite frankly he doesn’t really want too, it’s a nasty habit to have. He has also chosen to stay away from other types of addicting drugs.

     Before the new rules he had the option to smoke if needed, but now that it was against the rules he was feeling agitated more than ever. He almost felt as if he was trapped, like he had no escape if need be. But even with the trapped feeling he has with the no smoking rule, he still attends biweekly NA meetings in town because he does believe it’s helping him not smoke with hearing other people talk about their struggles, and get advice from them.