Here's another one. I left the ending open for more chapters, and if I feel like it, I may add to it. It is meant to only be one chapter long.
Sparkles - The Bet
By Braceface2015
Chapter 1
A bunch of fratboys were sitting around playing poker when one of them said, “Have you seen some of the ridiculous things people are doing on the internet lately? Trying to see how many crackers they can eat without taking a drink of water or things like that.”
One of the others said, “Yeah, and they’re doing it for nothing. Why aren’t they betting on it?”
And that was how “The Bet” started. They each put in $10.00 and came up with something to bet on. It wasn’t just a simple one-time bet. They used the betting system from poker, and each could fold, stay or raise the bet each time it was their turn. If they raised the bet, it had to be accompanied by increasing the challenge. The winner would be the one who made the last bet and managed to complete the challenge. Bluffing or raising the bet too high for anyone else to match wouldn’t work, because to win the money, the one who made the bet had to do it.
As the value of “The Bet” grew and the challenge became more complicated, other people heard about it and wanted to get in on it. Their girlfriends were the first to join and added a feminine twist to it. The original challenge became lost as the pot grew. Eventually the challenge became to apply for a job at the new restaurant and be accepted to work on the floor as a waiter or waitress and keep the job without getting fired. It seemed pretty simple to win the bet, and the value of the bet grew as more people joined.
Most people didn’t do any research into what was required to win, and just figured it was an easy way to make some extra money. Almost everyone who tried to win the bet lost as soon as they applied for the job.
I did my research before I gambled my money. The people who were losing their money didn’t have the right attitude to start with. When I went in to pick up the application form, I smiled at the lady handing out the forms and introduced myself. Her eyes went to my mouth briefly and returned my smile. I did my best to keep my eyes on her face, but her smile was too interesting to resist looking at.
She had just a slight lisp, and most people wouldn’t have noticed it, but I did because of my hearing aids being sensitive. They are the new inside-the-ear kind and are hardly noticeable. When she handed me the application, I knew I had made it one step closer to winning “The Bet”. I sat at one of the tables and ordered a drink so I wouldn’t be taking up space that a paying customer could use. The waitress was a girl not much older than me, and when she smiled at me while taking my order, I saw she was the second one in the restaurant wearing metal braces. It seemed my research was paying off.
I read through all the information included with the application form, and left a tip underneath my glass before returning my application to the hostess. This time I let my eyes stray to her mouth and examined the braces on her teeth before returning to her eyes. It seemed as if her braces were new, and her smile got bigger when she saw me looking at them. I knew I stood a chance of winning the bet when she called the waitress over and asked her to take over at the hostess’ station while she took me for an interview.
The first part of the interview was pretty standard and covered my work experience. While my resume wasn’t very long, I did have a little experience as a waitress and had a letter of recommendation from a previous employer attached to my resume. As the interview progressed, I smiled more because I knew I was getting closer to winning “The Bet”.
I seemed to do well, because she asked me if I had time to wait for a second interview, this time with her boss, or if I would prefer to return another day. As far as I knew, I had managed to get further than anyone else had so far, so I said I would be happy to stay and wait. She made a phone call, and a few minutes later, a guy in a chef’s uniform knocked on the door and entered.
I smiled at him as he introduced himself and his eyes seemed to light up. After escorting me to his office, he explained what was going to happen in the next part of the interview. After reading through a short greeting that all the staff were expected to follow, he had me stand in front of a camera and read it again. The greeting was easy to remember and I smiled at the camera and recited the greeting from memory. It felt a bit odd to be watching myself projected on the wall across the room from me, but it gave me a chance to make changes to my posture and smile to maximize the look I wanted to present.
I must have done well, because he asked me a few questions about my work experience before beginning to ask me a few personal questions. When he asked if I enjoyed wearing or seeing braces, I responded by saying I had never worn them, but I didn’t have a problem with the idea of having them and some of my friends had worn them when I was younger.
A few questions later he asked what kind of treatment I would like if I was going to get my teeth fixed. I paused to think about it, then decided not to directly answer his question. I started by explaining that I had seen pictures of some of my older relatives when they had braces and how I had been fascinated by the bands going around all their teeth, then by the heavy wires on the retainers when they got their braces off.
While I hadn’t actually answered his question, it seemed to satisfy him and he asked if I would be willing to wear a retainer or some other orthodontic device if I was hired to work in the restaurant. The question caught me off-guard and I blushed a little. My teeth weren’t bad, but I had never been completely happy with them. Having to wear a retainer at work would draw more attention to them than I was used to and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.
While he waited for my answer, he explained about the benefits package that all the employees would receive when they passed the probationary period. My blush deepened a little as I gave him my answer to his last question. He wrote a few comments at the bottom of my application form and asked if I could stay a little longer.
When I said I had the rest of the afternoon, he picked up his phone and made a call. After a brief conversation, he escorted me to an office down the hall.
In my wildest dreams, I never dreamt I would be sitting in an orthodontist's office during a job interview, but that is where I found myself. After introducing me to the girl at the desk, he asked me to wait until the doctor could see me.
While I sat there, I looked at the people sitting around me. It was no surprise to see so many people with braces sitting in an orthodontist's office, though it seemed as if they all had metal showing in their smiles. What did stand out was the number of people wearing restaurant uniforms. They all looked as if they were either on their way to work, were taking a break from work or had just gotten off work.
The girl at the front desk interrupted my perusal of the patients to say the doctor was ready to see me now. My gaze turned to her smile and I saw she had braces too, not at all surprising for an orthodontist's office. After I sat down, the doctor looked up from my file and smiled at me. It seemed as if everyone in the place was smiling.
He explained that he was doing the final step in the interview process and his job was to determine if I had the look they were expecting of their staff. As part of the application process, all prospective employees were being given a full orthodontic exam free of charge. I didn't have to accept the exam, but if I didn't want it, my application would be added to a list of people to call later. I understood right away that they wouldn't be calling any of those people.
I was determined to win the bet, and if I had to get my teeth checked, so be it.
Before I knew it, I had X-rays taken and was in a chair with my mouth wide open as he checked my teeth. He seemed pleased with what he found and asked if I had ever had impressions of my teeth done. After he explained what was involved and what to expect, he inserted the filled trays into my mouth, one at a time, and I found out what it was like. The worst part was when the stuff oozed out toward my throat, but he used his finger to move it aside before I began to choke.
He suggested I brush my teeth and rinse thoroughly before returning to his office. He was looking at the scan of my mouth and my digital X-rays when I returned. Following compliments on my fine oral hygiene, he asked if I still was interested in a job in the new restaurant.
I hadn’t gone through everything I had just to stop now, so I said I was. He passed me a sheet with a list of requirements the staff was expected to meet or exceed, then drew my attention to clause four, which read, “All employees in the restaurant must wear some form of orthodontic device at all times while on the floor. A Hawley retainer is acceptable and will be provided free of charge at the time of hiring. No exceptions will be made and failure to do so will result in immediate termination of employment.”
I smiled when I saw that. I had just found a way to make winning the bet harder while giving me a better chance of winning more money. All I had to do was add another condition to the requirements of the “The Bet”, and raise the stakes by a small amount.
I said I was fine with the requirements and signed and dated the bottom of the sheet. Then he surprised me by asking if I wanted to start working in the restaurant now, before the new one opened. They were offering the opportunity to a few people and I fit the requirements for the offer. It would start my probationary period earlier and I would be eligible for added incentives. I wasn't expecting to be hired so soon, but if it meant being that much closer to winning "The Bet", I didn't see any reason to delay, so I accepted his offer.
Before he sent me to the front desk, he opened a cabinet and pulled out a drawer with different types of retainers. I didn’t know there were so many types, and he explained that they weren’t all retainers, some of them were for active treatment and could be worn before the braces were put on. He asked me which type of retainer interested me, and after looking at them, I pointed to one with a heavy wire with bends that followed the contours of the teeth on the model. His smile got bigger as he made a few notes in my file.
The receptionist had me sign a few forms, then made an appointment for me to return a few days later to pick up my new retainer. Before I left, she smiled at me and said. “If you want to move up on the seniority list faster, wear your retainer at work all the time, and when you get a chance, get braces and extend your treatment as long as you can.”
