The Unforgivable Sin: A Cigarette​

Summary

At the 70th birthday gala for Mr. Sterling, the wealthiest man in Crestwood, I casually lit a cigarette.

My wife's assistant slapped it from my hand with a furious crack.

"Nina, for God's sake!" he cried, turning to my wife. "This is Mr. Sterling's gala! How could Julian do something so classless?"

His voice was a stage whisper, loud enough to turn heads. "If you don't take a drag for five minutes, you won't die. But if people find out this crude nobody who crashed the party is your husband, how will you ever show your face again?"

My wife, Nina Bouquet, shot me a look of pure disgust.