Stogie Commentary: Fraternal Order of Cigar Smokers

The airport in Providence, Rhode Island, is remarkable in at least one way. You can stroll out the front door, walk for just a few minutes, and find yourself at a commercial highway with bars, restaurants, gas stations, and other enterprises. With the weather too chilly and damp for outside smoking, I decided to use the time I had during a stopover there to eat a quick meal.

I went to an Irish pub and sat at the bar, dropping my briefcase on the adjacent stool. The bag I use is an old one emblazoned with the name of my former employer. The bartender noticed it and asked if I was reporter. I told him I’d retired a few years back and complimented him on his sharp eye. He said he was particularly attuned to it because a former Washington Post reporter had stopped in between flights recently, and they’d talked about a book he’d written. I laughed and said about the only thing I wrote about these days was cigars.

“Oh, you smoke cigars?” he said. “I do, too.” He went on to tell me he enjoyed Fonsecas, sometimes worked at a local shop, and was impressed with the selection at a local cigar store chain. I gave him one of my Stogie Guys business cards and told him about the site. He said he’d check it out.

As I left, I laid a cigar down with the tip. I was glad I had a couple with me because it seemed just the thing. I hope that when he got a chance to smoke, it brightened his day as much as he did mine that gray, wet afternoon. Is there anything else that can create instant camaraderie like a cigar?

-George E

photo credit: Flickr