Smoke Signals

    By Curtis

    Smoke Signals cover image

    04 Aug, 2023

    Simon Johnson was a man who appeared as though he'd walked straight out of a classic noir film. Living in the heart of a bustling city, he relished its chaotic charm. His name carried an echo of the mundane, but Simon was anything but.

    On this day, he found himself in his favorite coffee shop, hunched over in a corner. Dressed in a crisp white shirt, a blue tie with faint stripes and charcoal grey trousers, he formed an interesting contrast to the brown and beige surroundings.

    Simon, a man of around 50 years with salt-and-pepper hair, pulled out a cigarette. Striking a pose that mirrored his alluring mysteriousness, he seemed to move in slow motion.

    He held the unlit cigarette between his index and middle fingers, contemplating it almost profoundly. His gaze remained transfixed on the white paper tube, filled with finely chopped tobacco leaves.

    From his pocket, he produced a gold flip-top lighter. He was not a man who used matches. Matches burnt out too quickly, he often exclaimed. His lighter, on the other hand, was a permanent fixture.

    Flicking open the lighter, he ignited the flame. The soft orange glow danced in his deep-set blue eyes that held stories of their own. The lively flame then kissed the end of the cigarette, igniting it into life.

    As he took the first inhale, a sense of calm washed over Simon. The cigarette between his fingers acted as his personal stress remover, his solace from daily chaos. The smoke wafted around him, creating an ethereal halo.

    The smoke was like an incense to him - a cleansing ritual, clear his mind, and align his thoughts. Classy, composed Simon Johnson, in smoke-swirled silence, was a sight to behold.

    His eyes looked far off beyond the windows of the coffee shop, staring right into the soul of the city. It was a sight he never got tired of, watching the city with its never-resting soul.

    Simon had been a resident of this city for two decades now. Over the years, he’s seen the skyline alter, families come and go, and businesses boom and bust. Still, he stayed. Strolled the same streets and nursed the same coffee.

    The scene outside was one of vibrant life. People moving here and there, performing their daily tasks. As he observed, he took another long drag from his cigarette. This time, he allowed the smoke to linger a little longer in his mouth.

    Every day, he found a new subject to contemplate. He observed the shift in the traffic, noted the change in seasons, the fluctuating stock prices on the screens of electronics stores.

    Simon knew that every lingering pull from his cigarette was another moment to appreciate the world around him. Cigarettes were his excuse for a break, his excuse to observe. They were his companions in solitude.

    Simon finished his cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray set out on the table. The ember faded, leaving behind a smoky afterthought. He slid the lighter back into his pocket, lingering over the cool metal against his fingertips.

    Once his cigarette was done, so was his break. Simon settled his coffee bill and got up to leave. It was time to merge back into the flurry of the city. The city that he loved, that he felt a part of.

    Simon moved out of the coffee shop, adjusted his tie, and walked down the sidewalk. A new cigarette sat patiently in the pack in his pocket, waiting its turn to keep him company.

    Every step he took was in rhythm with the city’s heartbeat. The city never slept, and neither did Simon. There was always another cigarette to smoke, another sight to see.

    As he made his way through the city streets, he blended into the ensemble. An unnamed face within the city, not seeking acknowledgement or celebration, but simply seeking communion with urban life.

    Yes, Simon Johnson was just a name. But every day, with every cigarette he smoked, he breathed life into this name. With each inhale and exhale he took, he painted another stroke in the portrait of his life.

    The night drew closer, with the city lights sparkling in the dark like diamonds. Simon lit another cigarette, his last for the day. Tomorrow, new stories would unfold. But for now, this was his final scene.

    As the smoke rose and mingled with his breath in the winter air, Simon couldn’t help but feel a sense of peace. This was his city, his life, and his story. And cigarettes, like annotations, marked the chapters of his life.

    Simon Johnson, aged, wise, and content, disappeared into the cityscape. The glint of his gold lighter could be seen one last time before losing itself in the city's heartbeat. The aroma from his cigarette lingered, a quiet testament to his presence.

    The city moved on, unfazed, as another day ended. Simon, too, walked away, leaving behind the faint smell of tobacco and coffee, the echoes of his thoughts, and the memory of the man who smoked with such grace.

    Tomorrow, Simon Johnson would find himself again in the same coffee shop, lighting up another cigarette. He would watch the city, his city, take another spin around the sun. And life, as always, continued.

    His cigarette had burnt out, but his spirit hadn't. He was Simon Johnson -- a man of the city, a man of stories. Each day, each cigarette, another page turned, another chapter begun.

    And so, Simon Johnson, with his lighter and cigarettes, remained an enigma. A symbol of constancy in a rapidly changing world. Even as the smoke dissolved into the air, his legacy lingered.

    A mysterious man, a pulsating city, and the tale of a solitary cigarette – isn’t that something? Simon Johnson didn’t just smoke his cigarettes; he lived them. It was his way of being one with the city he loved.

    Even as time passed and the nights turned into days, Simon was a constant. His cigarettes, a rite, a companion, a confidant. A testament to the story, the enigma, that was Simon Johnson - a man who smoked his cigarettes with a charismatic allure.

    For Simon, the cigarette was more than just a pastime. It was a ritual, a reflection of his soul, an embodiment of his existence. He was, and will always be, the man who reminded the city of its innate rhythm.

    So goes the tale of Simon Johnson. A white man, a city, and a cigarette. Each puff he took was a minute lived, a memory etched. Each puff was a piece of his life, embedded in the smoke and the city's air.

    A common man defined by an uncommon perspective, viewed the world through the smoke of his cigarette. Unforgettable Simon Johnson, living in the heart of the city, and the heart of the city living in him.

    This was Simon's tale, a tale that revolved around a cigarette. A simple element that lent depth to his existence. A story that began and ended with the flick of a lighter, the spark of a life well-lived.

    Simon Johnson painted his life on the canvas of the city, with a cigarette in his hand and a lighter in his pocket. Each puff was a stroke, each exhale a shade, and together they composed the masterpiece that was Simon's life.

    While the white man named Simon Johnson is remembered best for smoking his cigarette, his story isn't about the smoke. It's about the man behind the smoke, the city around him, and the life he breathed into each puff.

    And so it goes, the tale of Simon Johnson. A living testament of a life lived with grace, dignity, and a pack of cigarettes. His legacy, like the smoke from his cigarettes, lingers on, defining the character and rhythm of the city.