My Retainer

Who knows what my motivation was today, when I decided to pull out the only piece of orthodontics that I ever did have and force it into my mouth. When I was in middle school I was prompted by my dentists rude remarks regarding my not geometrically perfect smile to get some minor orthodontic work done. Upon consultation with my mom and a real orthodontist we decided that all I needed was a retainer. I got to choose the color and picture to adorn it with- and naturally I chose hot pink-glow-in-the-dark with a frog sticker on it. This epitomized who I was in middle school pretty much-bizzare in a fun loving kind of way, yet still striving for perfection. I wore it for maybe six months...I don't remember really. What I remember most is that I liked it. It was something I always envied in other kids- the shiny sliver bar across their smile was a mark of maturity in my eyes. I also remember the day that I forgot to put it back in my mouth after lunch, and I accidentally threw it away. Then I was one of the kids I always felt sorry for. Each day at lunch there was always a kid who was digging through all the bags of pizza crusts mixed with fry sauce, mixed with warm milk that was way too close to its expiration date. Sometimes those kids would have friends helping them. I don't remember if anyone helped me look through the ominous mountain of black garbage sacks, but I think they must have because I found it- and put it back in my mouth today.