After nearly 20 years of smoking cigarettes, I quit. That was 40 years ago. In a high school sorority and wanting to fit in, I began smoking Virginia Slims. Later I married and switched to my husband’s brand, Marlboro. I remember my father, on seeing a Marlboro billboard, once asked, “Where is Marlboro Country?” I switched brands again, this time to Phantom. They were British. They came in a sleek box, deep blue with a gold oval-shaped label, pure tobacco, no chemicals no additives. I loved Phantoms—handling the box, lifting the lid, sniffing them and smoking. Yet I gave them up. It wasn’t easy. At work, I was a bit of a wreck but kept busy. What got me through at home was building jigsaw puzzles at night. I don’t smoke anymore but I do enjoy a puzzle now and then.
