Thursday. You know what that means! Time for our weekly smoke. And guess what I brought over. No. Not another cigar. I left some maduros for Mable the last time I came. So, no. Instead, I brought the next best thing. Mother flippin’ hot jam donuts! On my way back to the South-East today, the good ol’ Dandee Donuts truck was parked on the highway. So, I knew I had to make a quick stop.

I think Sis had forgotten that I was coming over today. When she found me at the door, she didn’t seem so impressed. I did show up unannounced, so that could have been it. I thought Thursdays was already set as ‘Me’ day. Or maybe because today she was busy helping young Azuluna create her first resume. Damn the little girl had grown. I used to ‘breastfeed’ her when she was a baby. Now, she was looking for a job. Goodness, time had passed. Apparently she wanted to work at Safeway. A strong establishment. So, a good place for a first job. I think.

As usual, Ruthless had grown dramatically. He wasn’t a puppy no more. Kunt was huge! We checked photos from 3 weeks ago. Definitely wasn’t the same dog. I can’t wait for once he’s full grown. He’ll be a handsome hound for sure. And more annoying too.

Mable was quite insistent on pizza today. He’d ask us if there was some other takeout we’d preferred. Clearly didn’t want to cook today, it seemed. When he asked what I wanted, I told him,

“Every other day all I eat is oats, eggs, beef slices, and rice. So, Thursday is my favourite day, because it’s the day I get to enjoy your fine cuisine.”

“Oh, bro. Now you’ve put the pressure on me!”

“Don’t worry! Whatever we order is still better than what I eat everyday.”

We decided on Thai food. Sis made the call, And so, me and Mabs went to Springvale to pick it up.

On the way to town, Mable told me that we should pick up some cigars, as well. I found out he smoked the sticks I left him. He must have been stressing out again. I could feel it in the air, back at the house. So, fair enough.

There was a new, shady, little Vietnamese restaurant with a bar upstairs. Mable suggested we chill out there. I thought he was joking because the place looked run-down and shady. Not that that was a problem for us. We weren’t fancy folk. We’re South-East Asian! Dirty establishments were our element! He was sincerely curious, so I turned around and headed straight into the upstairs bar. The place looked just like the old Vietnamese bars we grew up with in our younger days. Black painted walls, old disco lights, dusty curtains blocking out all natural light, leather couches, greasy coffee tables, a greasy little dance floor, and a little stage area for karaoke and performers. Home, in other words. No one was upstairs, so I thought it best to grab the cigars before all the tobacconist shut shop.

There are countless places that sell cigarettes in Springvale. But for cigars, There was only 4 tobacconist to choose from. I’d checked two of them before, and those joints didn’t know how to look after their sticks. Their humidors were as dry as a desert. And their sticks were too crumbly to even consider. One of the remaining two tobacconist was real dirty and shady. Like a full ghetto side shop. No thanks! I liked my cigars healthy and well. So we checked the last option.

Surprisingly this tobacconist had a humidor as tall as I was. I never expected that from a shop in Springvale. But when I opened the box, all the cigars were draped in that ugly dull Australian health authorities packaging. The kind that wasn’t appealing and made you not want to buy any tobacco products. That really deterred me from looking further. I’d gotten used to the enjoying the originally packaging and brandings you could get from established online cigar shops. Not this regulated crap! But then Mable asked if there was anything good. The humidor did look good, so I had a check. Straight away, Mable said “Hey! That says maduro.” I had a look. There were actually several lines of Macanudos. Marvellous! What he pointed out was the Macanudo Café Hyde Park Maduro. I checked the stick. Absolutely fine. Cigars? Done!

We still had to wait for our food to cook. As we waited, Mable pointed out how he loved chilling in the heart of Springvale at the end of the day. Said there was something comfortable about it. I knew why. It was where we grew up. We both knew how to complete our chill while we waited.

We went back upstairs to that shady bar, then grabbed ourselves a seat. Beer. The perfect remedy for a wait. It was true nostalgia. Kicking back on some dirty leather couches, in a place deprived of natural light. Beers on the table. English not being spoken. And yes, I said ‘beers’ Note the plural! Just the way we liked it! We eventually had to leave. Because you know. We had food to pick up.

Thai food was always delicious. Stir-fried noodles, Thai salad, red curry, coconut rice. Fine cuisine for a Thursday night. A good fill before we enjoyed our smoke. The girls were eager for dessert so we reheated the donuts. Might as well!

And what a good start to our Macanudo maduro. I’m telling you, there is something about jam donuts that truly open up the palette perfectly for smoke. The flavours were real dark, just like the cigar’s wrapper. The first third had a dark woodiness, roasted coffee hints, and a very slight earthiness. The burn was sensational! This stick was chuffing out smoke like a steam train. So it was easy to embrace all its goodness.

Mable wanted to enhance the mood, so he got some drink and some tunes. Crown Royal filled our cups. Always a delight. The liquor was always smooth, mild, and sweet. I never found it to fail a cigar before.

Mable began to play some Final Fantasy tracks for our chill. Orchestrations we always enjoyed. These were the background soundtracks to our childhood. Always welcome to us adventurers. As we explored more old RPG soundtracks, Mable showed me tracks played in symphony. He had chosen a track for Sis, for when she would finally walk down the isle to him. A truly fitting soundtrack. It was elegant, with a feeling which encouraged all to behold what stood before them. Perfect for a bride and her entrance. Apparently she wanted a cliché soundtrack that was common to plenty of other ceremonies. How untasteful! But we now know Mable had other plans.

We got to enjoy the end of our smokes with the rest of the donuts. A nuttiness was dominate from the second third on. Also a decent pepperiness made itself evident, especially on the retrohale. I could say that was the first time I truly experienced the pepperiness of a cigar. It was more pleasant than I expected. The smoke was surely medium to full body. I’d never had a full body stick before, but the Macanudo maduro was the strongest stick I’ve had yet.

Overall, it was a good smoke and a good day. I think the usual stress was getting to him. So, I could tell Mable really looked forward to this day. I know I did. I wonder what we’ll smoke next.