invasion of privacy issue

Charlotte with Cigarette

I find a picture on the floor in her bedroom. (“What were you doing in my bedroom?”)  It’s of Charlotte and her friend Sarah taken during our recent trip to Costa Rica.  Charlotte is smiling. In her left hand she has a drink.  It looks like a fruit slurry to me.  In her right hand is a cigarette. A cigarette! A cigarette in my daughter’s hand looking oh-so-natural! My stomach turns. I am a radical ex smoker.

When she would come home and occasionally smell of cigarettes it was always from everyone else’s smoking.  When I smelled her breath it was sweet and tobacco free.  Now as I think back, maybe it was too sweet. Maybe she brushed her teeth, or took a breath mint.  Now I have to confront her on this. I know she will have an explanation. What I don’t know is whether it will be a lie or not.

Her explanation of the picture with the cigarette:

“I was just posing. It was actually Sarah’s cigarette”

“Sarah smokes?"Sarah is on the tennis team.

“No, not really. See it’s a full cigarette.”

“It’s lit,” I point out.

“I don’t smoke. I never smoked. I’m not a smoker.”  End of story.  And I believe her. Or more precisely, I want to believe her. Oh, boy did I ever.  And then out of nowhere apropos of nothing she says:

“ I may want to major in early childhood development and teach elementary school." This is the first time she’s even mentioned a major or even college for that matter.  I tell her she would be a wonderful teacher.  And she would. She would also be wonderful undercover agent. She seems to demonstrate a knack for throwing people off the trail.