Today was a nice, quiet, relaxing day. Corey was at work, the kids were at school, and I had the house to myself. I got a load of dishes done, futsed around on the computer, watched a movie on Lifetime. As the time neared for Corey to get home, I slipped into a little something sexy, shaved, and lotioned up.

Corey walked in the door and said his usual "Hey, Babe," then did a double take and said, "Heeeey, Babe!"

Things proceeded beautifully from there.

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Now, for the last couple of weeks, I've thought I'd smelled nicotine on his hands, or tasted it on his breath. I don't know if I was in denial, or trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, or just trying to avoid confrontation.

Today, after our little rendezvous and lunch, he confessed. He started smoking about two months ago.

I'm so mad. I want to call him pathetic and weak. I want to make him choose between drinking and smoking. I want to go have a cigarette. I want to cry. I want to call him an idiot. I want to call him a hypocrite. I want to just scream at him.

You know, it's not like I'm not tempted. Every week, I go out for coffee with Christine, and I watch her smoke, but I never cave. And it's not like it isn't hard for me, too.

I guess I should send back the water cooler. That was our reward for quitting smoking. And since he's back to half a pack a day, that's more than what the water is costing us.

You know, I was going to start on another subject, but I'm still just so goddamned MAD. Great, he was honest. I'm thrilled. I'm pissed that it took him two months to get around to it. And I can't help but wonder, did he tell me JUST so he can smoke when he's at home? Because what do you think he did as soon as I took off with the kids to get the car washed?

I've already told him I don't want him smoking around the kids or me, and that it had better not cut into our time at home.

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Anyway, on to that other subject.

I'm going to be taking a class over the next few weeks. I'm going to be trained to run an EKG machine. There are a couple of advantages to this. One, if the hospital makes changes to make us like other hospitals, the phlebotomists will be required to do the EKGs. Second, I've been exploring another aspect of my profession. Paramedical examiners are phlebotomists that go from home to home for insurance companies. They take vitals, do EKGs, draw blood, and collect urine specimens. If I have this new knowledge, it opens up new opportunities for me. Since the hospital is offering the class for free to employees, it just seems stupid to not take advantage of it.

the last trail...the next path