A day in the life of an oral fixation #3

11:45 am - She removes her glasses, goes outside and lights a menthol cigarette. She places it between her lips and inhales deeply. She softly bites the spongy filter between her front teeth. She moistens her lips and takes another languorous drag. She puckers her lips to exhale slowly as her chest drops. She talks to a woman that just walked up to her. She feels the woman staring at her lips as she talks. She feels self-conscious and wonders if she has banana stuck to her lip or at the corners of her mouth. She takes another nicotine pull and feels her body begin to relax. She takes a last, long drag and the filter presses hot against her lips; she’s smoked too close to it. She stubs out the cigarette and walks back inside.

1:00 pm - She goes to a cafe for lunch. She orders tuna with baked potato and a salad. She sits by the window and contemplates her lunch. She crunches some lettuce between her teeth and it tastes like water. She mushes some tuna and potato against her fork and mushes that against her tongue. She repeats this process, three or four times. She takes a tiny sip of water and it tastes like tuna. She takes a large mouthful of lettuce as she looks out the window. She mushes more tuna and potato into her mouth, but does not eat the potato skin. She crunches on a slice of cucumber, which releases it’s juice between her teeth. She puts a tomato wedge into her mouth. She thinks this tomato is old. She pushes the other tomato wedges to the side of the plate. She mushes more tuna potato into her mouth, then wipes it clean with a paper napkin. She wipes off all her lipstick and her lips feel raw. She takes a big gulp of water and leaves.