Note: You can change font size, font face, and turn on dark mode by clicking the "A" icon tab in the Story Info Box. Please consider leaving feedback on issues you experience or suggest improvements. I arrive early for the summer party at the leading Copenhagen law firm where I've been toiling away for the past three years. It is my return from three weeks of absense -- a time during which a lot of changes have occurred to me personally.
I scan my card at the turnstile in the lobby, take the elevator to the top floor and continue via the staircase to the roof terrace where I can smoke my cigarettes.
I don't want to go directly to the canteen where the buffet dinner is to be served, as I am more than a little nervous about the comments I will receive from my colleagues about the changes in my appearance. I walk slowly, carefully putting each foot in front of the other in my new stiletto sandals.
I'm clearly more comfortable in flats. But I look nice and sexy in these. Outside in the warm breeze on the empty terrace I fish a King's Blue cigarette from a hard pack in my handback and light up, protecting the lighter's flame with both hands. I inhale deeply and slowly walk toward the railing, enjoying the breathtaking view of the Copenhagen North Harbour just below the firm's high-rise building and the Swedish coastline in the distance some 20 kilometers away.
I ponder the many things that have changed lately, sucking the smoke from my cigarette. I only started smoking about a year ago, mainly to get rid of the unpleasant taste and smell of my bad teeth.
