My wife and I met in high school. We became friends, went to a few school functions together, and enjoyed our freshman year. That summer, I went to Georgia to help my grandparents on their farm. I missed spending time with Cindy, she was a lot of fun to be with at school. Cindy was a shy girl, and did not have very many friends. She was very smart, but somewhat on the plain side. My friends always thought she was kinda ugly, but we weren’t going steady, just doing things together at school. Sometimes my friends even teased me for being around her. We wrote each other a few times over the summer, just to say hello, and get the latest news.
With the passing of summer, I returned to my home in Ohio. I was looking forward to seeing all my friends, and starting school. I was going to play football, and thought I could make the first string team. The week I returned home, I started football practice. Before long, school started, and it was great to be back. On the first day, I saw Cindy. It was really good to see her again. During the summer, she got braces. It was hard not to stare. She could not speak clearly, and seemed to spray as she spoke. It was really bad. As the day went on, some of my friends asked if I was still seeing Cindy. I told them that I really didn’t have time for a social life with school, and football. I had no plans of dating, just school and football. My friends, most of whom were also on the team, were really into the idea of dating the cheerleaders. I knew that I would like to go to the Home Coming dance, but didn’t have a date. My friends suggested that I ask one of the cheerleaders. I felt that I should ask Cindy, but they had already made several negative comments about the way she looked, and made fun of her lisping with the braces. I gave in to the peer pressure and asked Amy, one of the cheerleaders. I felt kinda bad, but didn’t want to deal with the teasing.
I continued to say hello to Cindy as we would pass in the hallways, but that was about it. All my friends made jokes about her braces, and the way she looked. I knew that I was wrong to let my friends push me away from Cindy, but I did. I knew that Cindy had a crush on me, and I really liked her, but I was afraid of the teasing that I would get if I dated her. I dated Amy all through high school. Cindy always made an effort to say hello as we passed in the hallways, she was a really sweet girl. Her braces had become a killer by senior year. She wore a headgear most of the time. It really looked strange, and all the kids teased her.
Most of us were off to college, I got a scholarship on football to Ohio State. I played all four years. It was a great time. I didn’t see Cindy again until the last game of my senior year. I saw her in the stands. After the game, we talked for a while, I asked her out on a date. Cindy had just transferred to OSU for her senior year, she had been accepted to dental school starting in the fall. It was really great to see her again. Her braces were gone, and she had a great smile. She was still less than attractive, but had a rich personality. I continued at OSU for the next two years working on my master’s degree. Cindy and I dated as often as possible, but we were both working really hard at school. The next two years passed quickly. Upon graduation, I entered the Navy. Cindy and I wrote a few times, but eventually stopped after a few years. I finished my career with the Navy after six years, and returned to Ohio. I began a new career as a teacher at OSU. I wanted to get my Ph.D. I was surprised when I ran into Cindy again at OSU. She was at the library looking for some information when we met again. We were both happy to see each other. I asked her out, and we did the town. Being with Cindy was great. After a few dates, we both knew that we were falling in love. Life was great. I had a good career, and Cindy had become an orthodontist. She had a very successful practice in Columbus.
As the weeks passed, we dated almost every night. I found myself totally involved with her. She was the most refreshing person I had ever been with. During the day, all I could think about was being with her. I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. We enjoyed Thanksgiving together, it had been the most terrific day of my life. I knew that I had to have Cindy for my wife. That evening, I sat down with her, held her hand, and ask if she would be my wife. I knew in my heart that she would say yes. I was totally shocked when she said that she needed time to think about it. I agreed to give her all the time she needed.
The next two weeks were like torture. I didn’t ask, as I was waiting for her to tell me in her own way. I felt I would explode if she didn’t say yes soon. We were at dinner when she opened the subject. She told me that she would marry me, but I had to do one thing just for her, and ask no questions as to why. I wanted her so badly I would agree to anything. I told her that I would like to get married Christmas Eve, she agreed. I ask what she wanted me to do just for her. She smiled in her usual gentle way and said that she wanted me to become one of her orthodontic patients. I immediately asked why, and was promptly reminded that I had agreed to ask no questions. I dropped the subject, and we continued our evening together. At the end of our date, I agreed to be at her office first thing in the morning.
As promised, I reluctantly entered her office at 9:00 am. I was told by the receptionist to fill out the standard forms, and that the doctor would be with me soon. After about fifteen minutes, I was taken back to her examination chair. She greeted me as if I were a stranger. She quietly informed me that the staff had no idea we were involved, and she wanted to keep my treatment on a professional basis. I agreed. The next thing I knew, x-rays and impressions had been taken, and she called me into her office for a brief conference. She shut the door, and we kissed. I felt like making love on her desk. After a brief period of time we left the consultation room, and she asked her assistant to take me back to the chair. She informed the assistant that I had decided to proceed with treatment, and was in a hurry to begin. She told her assistant to apply a complete series of spacers, and that I would need to return in one week for appliances. Cindy left the area where I was at, and began working on another patient. I wanted her to work on me, but I guess that was her normal procedure.
After getting the spacers, I made the appointment, and returned to OSU for my afternoon class. My teeth felt really strange. It was as if nothing in my mouth fit as it did before. As the hours passed, my teeth began to hurt. I could not bite down. That evening, I met Cindy for our usual date. I told her that I was in pain, and she immediately told me that she was my future wife, not my orthodontist in the evenings. She once again informed me that the braces were to be treated only in a professional manner at the office. She reminded me that she was my future wife, and wanted me to consider my orthodontist as a totally different person. She further informed me that if I was in pain, or needed something related to the treatment, I should call my Orthodontist during normal office hours.
Cindy and I continued to make plans for the wedding. We were both excited about the big event. As the days passed, I remembered Cindy’s braces in high school. I wanted to ask her what the braces would be like, but I knew she would refuse to answer. After four days, I called her office and asked to speak with her. She answered my call. I asked her about the braces, she said I would get clear brackets, and bands on all my back teeth. I asked how long I would have to wear the braces, she informed me that it would take about two years for treatment. Cindy then informed me that she had another patient in the chair and really had to return to her patient. She treated me as if I were a new patient. Finally, the dreaded day had come. I went to Cindy’s office at 9:00 am. Her assistant called my name, and walked me back to the chair. Cindy came over, informed me that the procedure would take about two hours. She said that it can be very tiring on a patient, and suggested that I relax, listen to some music, and enjoy the gas. Her assistant gave me a set of earphones, then put a mask over my face. I knew where I was, but I lost all senses. I had no idea what was happening. I guess I really didn’t care. I knew that this meant I would be able to share the rest of my life with Cindy. When I opened my eyes, Cindy was there. She asked how I was feeling. I started to answer, but immediately found it almost impossible to talk. She told me to relax.
We were the only ones in the office, everyone had gone to lunch. She told me not to talk, just relax. I could feel the pressure of my lips pushing against the sharp edges of my braces. I started to explore the braces with my tongue, and immediately felt a sharp object stick the tip of my tongue. Cindy watched in total amusement, smiled, then told me that she had given me a rake, just like the one she had in high school.
Cindy told me that it would take some time to learn how to talk with the new appliance, but I would get used to it in a few days. Every time I tried to feel the braces with my tongue, the result was the same. Instant pain in the tongue. She then handed me a mirror, I thought my heart would fall out when I saw all the silver. All my teeth were in full bands. I could see three prongs slanting down from behind my front teeth. When I moved my lips, I felt the huge brackets, and wires tearing against the inside of my lips. I looked at Cindy, and tried to ask why, but could only make a sound like “y.”
She stood up and said that I was finished for the day, that I should go home and relax. She told me that if the braces started to bother me, to rinse with warm salt water. She then handed me an appointment card and said that she would see me in two weeks. She asked me to stand up, then walked me to the door. I felt like a total fool. I knew that I had to do it for her, but still didn’t know why. It was a really good thing that it was Friday, and I had no classes until Monday. I went home, looked in the mirror a few times in total disbelief, then laid down. I woke to the doorbell about 7:00 PM. It was Cindy. I opened the door, she came in. We sat on the couch. She asked if I was sore. I tried to answer, but only nodded.
She asked if I remembered her braces when were in school, I tried to say yes, but it came out like “es.” Cindy said that my braces were exactly the same as hers in high school. She told me that she’d cried every night, because she wanted to be with me. That she dreamed of the day I would hug her, and kiss her. More than anything she needed a boyfriend who would love her, and not be ashamed to be seen with her. All the teasing and being avoided really hurt her. She told me that she thought I would ask her to the homecoming dance, and that it tore her heart out when she saw me with Amy, kissing. I felt like the biggest failure in the world, I knew she was right. She told me that wearing the braces would be really hard, and that I would hate it every day. She said that it would be impossible to talk normally with the rake, and I would slobber, and spray every time I tried to talk to someone. For the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to do or say. I just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. How did I get into this? I loved Cindy more than anything in the world, and for the first time, I realized how much I had hurt her in school. I didn’t know what to do. I felt and looked like a freak. Cindy gently smiled and told me that she wore her braces for almost five years, and never had a guy kiss her. She was never even asked to date. She told me that the whole time she wore braces, all she could think about was being loved, and kissed by me. I saw tears rolling down her cheeks.
Cindy then told me that she wanted me to wear the braces, just as she did. She would marry me, and love me as she wanted so desperately to be loved in high school. She told me that she would remove the braces in the morning if I wanted her to, and that she would still marry me. She just wanted me to understand her deep feelings. She told me that if I chose to wear the braces, she would be my wife all the time, but, my orthodontist monthly. There was one other thing she had to say. She dreamed of being kissed by me the whole time she wore braces, and that she would not kiss me as long as I wore braces. She then got up and told me to call her in the morning if I wanted my braces taken off. She returned to her house.
I spent the remainder of the evening in total pain. I was going nuts, and the braces had been on less than a day. I wanted my braces off, and normal teeth back. When I tried to talk, or open my mouth, all I saw was silver. I wanted to call Cindy on the phone, but knew how bad it would sound as I tried to talk. Several times, I tried to talk, thinking it would get better. Each time, my tongue was reminded of its new limitations by the three sharp prongs of the rake. I began to think about Cindy’s high school days, and how terrible they must have been. I was faced with a huge decision. I knew what she wanted, and either way, we would be married. I decided to go to her house, and talk. I needed her more than anything in the world. When I arrived, I knocked at her door. She opened the door and asked me in. I held her in my arms and told her that I loved her more than anything in the world. I told her that I had a very special wedding present for her. She looked up and I smiled. She started to laugh, then asked, “how long do you have to wear those dumb looking things?”
I told her that my orthodontist had just put them on today, and that I would have them for a very long time. She politely informed me that she could barely understand a word I said, and asked that I stand a few feet away because she was getting wet. She asked if I really expected her to marry me. She told me that it would be embarrassing to be seen with me in public. I told her yes, that I did expect her to marry me. She looked into my eyes, all I could see was her gentle smile and teary eyes. I slowly leaned my head toward hers. Gently, I touched my lips to hers. I kissed her beautiful lips, and suddenly felt her tongue exploring my new braces.