Off and On
“Guess what, baby,” said Kyle. “I’ve got a surprise for you.” He was sitting on the couch, smiling proudly.
Kayla, who just couldn’t seem to get enough of that smile and other parts of him lately, joined him on the couch. “What do you got?”
He opened his hands to reveal a little box with a switch on the top.
“What is it?”
“Well, you know how I’ve been seeing that hypnotist to quit smoking?”
“Sure.”
“And you know how I always go outside to smoke?”
“Sure again.”
“Well, for the last week, I’ve just been going outside, not smoking.”
She punched him playfully on the shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted to see if it was really going to work first, and it has, but let me tell you how.”
She found it hard to contain herself. She was so happy for him, way happier than she would have thought. “Okay, tell me.”
“Well, he took a few sessions to hypnotize me and install something in my subconscious. Then he gave me this box. It contains my craving.”
“It contains your craving?”
“Well, no. Not really. It only works because my subconscious has been trained to think it does. I just flip the switch to the ‘off’ position to make the craving go away. Then, once a week, I flip it to the ‘on’ position.”
“Wow! That’s so cool!”
“Yeah, but he said my craving has kind of stored up in there and that when I turn it on I need to satisfy it with a couple of cigarettes.”
“No big deal. I mean, two cigarettes a week is much better than the pack a day you were smoking.”
“That’s exactly what he said, and I agree.”
She hugged him and held on for about a minute. “I love you so much, probably more than I ever have.” She had to fight herself to let him go. “And now you’re going to turn it on, right?”
“Well, he did say to.”
“Do it. This doctor seems to know his stuff.”
He smiled his beautiful smile again. “Okay.”
He kissed her and then flicked on the switch.
“Wow! That is intense.”
“Yeah,” she said.
He got up. “I’ll be on the back porch.”
He left her there. She looked at the little box.
She whispered, “Hypnotist, my ass. Witch doctor is more like it.”
Today wasn’t the first time she’d seen it. Six or seven days ago she’d noticed it on the counter. Curious as to what it was, she had flipped the switch on and off. He had been asleep at the time and probably hadn’t noticed.
She knew now why her mild craving had gone away. She also knew why it had just come back so intensely. Knowing these things was not going to stop her, though. She went back to the bedroom and got his hunting rifle.
She walked to the back door, but before she went outside, she announced, “Guess what, baby. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
