On a gray and drizzly afternoon, two elderly women found themselves sitting side by side at a quiet bus stop, their conversation light and easy as they puffed on their cigarettes. The weather was typical for the season—cool, damp, and increasingly rainy—but the two women didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.
As the drizzle turned into a steady, soaking rain, something unexpected caught the attention of one of the ladies. The first woman, without fuss or complaint, reached into her handbag and pulled out what looked like a small plastic sleeve. With casual precision, she snipped off one end and gently slid it over the lit end of her cigarette. She then resumed smoking as if nothing had changed, her cigarette perfectly protected from the falling rain. The second woman, now completely intrigued, couldn’t help but gape at the simple yet effective solution her friend had just demonstrated. “That’s brilliant!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide with admiration. “What in the world is that thing?” Without missing a beat, the first woman smiled and said, “Oh, it’s just a condom.
Keeps the cigarette dry. You can grab a box at any pharmacy.” There was no embarrassment in her tone, no awkwardness—just a matter-of-fact response that made perfect sense to her. The second woman nodded slowly, clearly impressed. “Well, I’ll be sure to get some when I stop by the pharmacy for my pills this week!” The two women continued their conversation, the rain falling steadily around them, their spirits undampened by the weather. A few days passed, and the second woman made good on her word. Dressed in her Sunday best and carrying her purse with purpose, she walked confidently into her local pharmacy.
She made her way straight to the counter where a young man stood, scanning inventory on the computer. With a warm smile and the same polite tone she might use to ask for a bottle of aspirin, she greeted him. “Hello there,” she began cheerfully, “I’d like to buy some condoms, please.” The pharmacist blinked, caught off guard but trying hard to maintain his professional composure. It wasn’t every day that a sweet elderly woman walked in requesting condoms, but he wasn’t about to let his surprise show too much.
“Uh… okay,” he stammered, then recovered quickly. “Good for you! That’s not a request I hear every day. Do you, um… have a particular size in mind?” She paused, her brow furrowed in thought for a moment before she answered with absolute seriousness, “Whichever size fits over a camel’s nose.” For a second, the pharmacist stared at her, unsure if he had heard correctly. Then it clicked, and he struggled to keep a straight face as the image formed in his mind. The sincerity in her voice made the moment even more hilarious, and he realized this wasn’t some elaborate joke—at least not from her perspective.
She was simply trying to replicate what her friend had done to protect her cigarette from the rain. The entire scene was a comedy of innocence and practicality colliding in the most unexpected way. This heartwarming and humorous tale spread quickly around the neighborhood, bringing laughter and joy to anyone who heard it. It became one of those cherished community stories that people told at coffee shops and family dinners, a reminder that wisdom doesn’t always come from age, and that humor often springs from the simplest places. And while the elderly woman may not have realized the double meaning of her request, her earnest effort to adapt and learn something new—no matter how unconventional—earned her a place in everyone’s hearts. It also left one young pharmacist with a story he’d probably tell for the rest of his career, starting with, “You’ll never believe what happened one rainy Tuesday…”
