1. Goals
Hi, my name is Tim Meyer and I am twenty one years old. I live in the southern part of Germany. All my life I have always been a high flyer. I finished university when my friends were still in school. Being the best at whatever I do has always motivated me.

I have always made plans to achieve certain goals. Goals like graduating from high school early and being the best at university while being the youngest. But the most important goal for me was to appear as normal as possible to my peers. I didn't want to be that weird outsider that no one wanted to talk to.

So far, life has been good to me. The downside was my parents' jobs. They had to move all over Germany all the time. I went to so many schools that I cannot remember them all. This prevented me from having friends for a long time. I had to meet new people all the time. What helped me was that I always started with a plan to make new friends. And most of the time it worked.

After graduation, I started working for a computer consulting company. I like working there because there is always a new client with another challenging task. Because I was so young, my colleagues were skeptical at first. However, I soon convinced them that I was a very good consultant and programmer.

I haven't told you what I look like. I am 1.80 m tall and have a muscular body due to countless hours in the gym. My eyes are blue and my hair is blonde. You can call me a typical German. Almost a little too kitschy, but I like the way I look.

I haven't stopped making plans and setting new goals for myself. This strategy worked for me and there was no reason to change it. Sticking to it has landed me a high paying position as a consultant. And it felt good to always have a plan and not waste time in life.

Being the best at something has always driven me. So I decided to become a world champion at something. I looked at different disciplines like weightlifting, track and field, or dancing. Eventually, I found a way to combine this goal with another hobby of mine.

I like to go to the sauna and I recently found out that there is a competition for sauna enthusiasts. The competitive part is to be the best sauna master. The competition is called "Aufguss WM" and the winner is the one who has the best sauna infusion technique and style.

So far I have competed at the national level and won some regional competitions. My chances of winning the world championship are good. The only thing I have to do is practice a lot. I do not mind practicing because I like to go to the sauna and perform in front of others.

Besides being a consultant, I work part time at a local sauna. This gives me a lot of training opportunities and you have to work as a sauna master to participate in the championship. They do not pay very much, which is perhaps a disadvantage of this part-time job. But I don't mind. I am happy that I can practice there and that it is not far from where I live and work.

The next goal is something most boys want. I want to have a good-looking girlfriend with a good character. I dream of marrying her and having children with her. And I want to give my kids a childhood with less moving around the country. This is the most important goal for me, but it is far away.

My relationship with girls has always been difficult. I had a lot of trouble talking to girls. Especially the girls I liked the most. Something seems to block my brain when I am around them. And my parents moving didn't help at all. I lost two nice girls to moving.

If you see me at work or in the sauna, you wouldn't think I was shy. But I am very shy around girls. I have to work very hard on that. I want a girl and I want to spend time with her. This will be a difficult task for me, but I hope it will be worth it in the end.

I have seen some nice girls at my job. But most of the girls have partners or have not shown any interest in me. There is Lisa, the receptionist, and she is quite good looking. As far as I know she does not have a boyfriend and I need to make the first move on her. If only I could find the courage to talk to her about more than just the weather.

I have to practice talking to girls. I haven't done that enough because of my shyness. But the first step of my plan to get a girl is to talk to girls as often as possible. I think that'll help me to talk to the right girl when I finally meet her.

For the last goal, I was inspired by my colleague Peter. One day after the Covid pandemic was nearing its end, he came into the office with fixed braces. Seeing him with those braces reminded me that I had noticed some small flaws in the way my teeth looked. They seem a little out of place. I want a perfect body and perfect teeth. Seeing that misalignment upset me.

I was talking to Peter that day about his braces. He was very confident talking about them and showing them off. He told me how he had gotten them just before his vacation and that he was doing quite well with them. In fact, I think he smiled more with them than without.

I told him that I had noticed this little shift and that I was thinking about fixing it with these clear aligners. It turns out that his girlfriend is also his orthodontist and he had given me her business cards. That may be one of the reasons he got braces. Probably his girlfriend wants to have a boyfriend with perfect teeth as an orthodontist.

Peter had told me that his friend gives free consultations. He confirmed that she also does aligners or removable braces. According to him, she is very friendly and he strongly suggested that I book a consultation with her and that I will not regret getting my teeth straightened.

Shortly after speaking with Peter, I called the orthodontist's office. They informed me that there was an adult only consultation coming up very soon. After confirming that they did in fact do aligner therapy, I booked the appointment. They sounded very friendly on the phone and as a perfectionist I want perfect straight teeth. I have always achieved my goals and this will be no exception.

3. Peter
The front door opens and I see the face of a completely broken man. His beard is out of control and his hair looks dirty. The whole man looks like he hasn't showered in days. And the smell of alcohol is in the air. He greets me a blank face, "Hi Tim." I say to him, "Peter, let's talk inside. I have some questions for you.”

I do not wait for his answer and make my way into his living room. The room is filled with empty beer and liquor bottles. The whole room is screaming for help. Peter has followed me and is sitting on his sofa. After removing some trash, I sit on the couch. So far neither I nor Peter have said a word.

It is my turn to start the conversation, "Peter, I know you and Lynn are separated and I think you need help." Peter immediately starts to cry and takes a big gulp from one of the beer bottles on the table, "She left me and it is all my fault." I don't know if this is the right thing to do, but I slap him in the face. He looks confused, but says, "Thanks."

I tell him we have to clean his house, but first he has to take a shower. Still drunk, he agrees and I lead him to the bathroom. First I give him a hot and a cold shower. I help him cut his beard and wash his hair. The last step is to give his teeth a good cleaning. His braces look like they need cleaning. I can see that plaque is starting to build up on them.

The last time I saw him in the office, his braces looked flawless. It takes him some time to clean them and I watch as he does it. Is this my future with braces? Then he adds rubber bands to his braces, but he still doesn't say a word.

Then we start cleaning his house. It took us several hours. Towards the end he starts to talk. He tells me the whole story of how he cheated on Lynn with Ann and how he met Lynn in the first place. The story is enlightening to me and I get the whole picture. I have to help Peter get over their breakup, but first I have to excuse myself to the bathroom. There I text Lynn, "He's alive, but I have to help him. Don't worry, I'll do it." The reply comes immediately, "Thank you for helping him. I really appreciate your help."

I address Peter directly, "Peter, you have to stop drinking. It's not going to bring her back." Peter cries and says to me, "You are right. Please help me." We walk through his house and start emptying every bottle of alcohol into the sink. To my surprise, Peter happily helps me with this task. At least he is not completely addicted to alcohol, he just drank way too much in the last two weeks.

Peter asks me to stay the night and tells me that he is afraid of falling back into misery if he is left alone. I immediately agree and spend the night on his now clean couch. I also want to talk to him about braces, but I think that will have to wait.

Peter is the first one up the next morning. He wakes me up and offers me a cup of coffee. I accept and after the coffee we eat some muesli and get ready for work. I tell him that he has to go to the office and that I won't leave him alone in his home office. Peter thanks me for my help and gives me a hug. He still has a sad expression on his face, but at least his physical appearance is less intimidating.

Our day at the office is a normal one. Peter behaves as usual, and I think no one but me has noticed his sadness. I have a nice chat with Lisa, the receptionist. I want to get better at talking to girls, and Lisa is nice. Maybe I should ask her out sometime.

I had already decided not to leave Peter alone. We agreed to spend the evening at the local sauna. It was a win-win situation for me. I can keep an eye on Peter and observe the technique of other sauna masters.

Peter and I were alone during our first sauna session and I began to question him, "Peter, I went to the orthodontist yesterday for a consultation.” I do not mention Lynn's name, but I think he knows which orthodontist I am talking about. I continue, "I went there to get aligners to fix my crowded teeth. But it did not go so well, they say I need fixed braces and expanders. What would you do in my situation?"

Peter does not think long, he just says, "Go for it. It will be worth it in the end. I am a little shocked by his advice and he adds, "I told you my story. I was very afraid at first. But now I think it was absolutely the right thing to do. You will love the results and the treatment is not as painful as you might think." Then he gives me a big smile and gives me a good impression of his braces.

His positivity really surprises me and I ask, "I'm worried about what others will think. Do you think they will still take me seriously?” Peter looks at me and says, "Don't worry about what others think. I will show you the positive effects of braces tonight." I don't know what he means by positive effects, but I think I will find out sooner or later.

We spend our next sauna session in a more popular and therefore more crowded sauna. Peter and I sit next to a beautiful girl in her early twenties. Right at the beginning of the session Peter starts to smile at this girl. It looks like he always makes sure to show off his braces. His braces with the dark blue rubber bands.

Throughout the session she keeps looking at him and smiling. And he looks like he is really enjoying it. They leave the sauna together and sit on some neighboring recliners. I watch them from a safe distance. Is this the same man I met at his door yesterday?

Soon Peter begins to talk intensively with the girl. And the girl looks so happy next to him. Soon they begin to kiss each other intensely. This can't be the same man I met yesterday. It is unbelievable, he looks so confident and he really wants to get this girl for the night.

Peter and the girl are leaving the sauna. And Peter gives me a quick sign that he doesn't need a ride home. I think Peter wants to show me that you can still get a girl with braces. He wants to help me with my decision to get braces after I helped him yesterday. But this is so unbelievable, what I have just seen. The confidence he showed and his determination to get the girl. I hope I can be half as good as him in the future, it would really help with my goal of getting a girl.

5. The decision
The treatment plan arrives three days later. I had hoped it would arrive later. With some hesitation, I open the letter and read it. Most of the information does not come as a big surprise. I will have fixed upper and lower braces for three years. And upper and lower expanders for about half a year. Due to the urgency of my treatment, both will be placed in a single session. Later in the treatment I can expect to get rubber bands to correct the position of my jaw. And of course, retainers after the active phase of my treatment.

I have spent most of my free time in the last few days researching braces. So I can understand the treatment plan quite well. It mentions self-ligating braces because they promise a faster treatment time and less pain. I really hope this is true because I am expecting a lot of pain during my treatment. However, one fact in the treatment plan catches my eye. It is marked as optional, but it is still in my treatment plan and I know exactly what it means. The plan mentions nighttime extraoral traction with a Delaire face mask.

I decide to text Lynn about the face mask in my treatment plan. She didn't mention it and I think she should have. Her reply comes quickly, "Sorry, you owe me. I should have mentioned the device during your consultation. That was an error on my part." I somehow accept her apology and at least the device is marked as optional. A second text message appears on my phone, "I hope we can move your upper jaw forward using only rubber bands. The face mask is there in case the rubber bands fail. And I had to add this device so that your insurance company would cover it." Using it as a Plan B does not sound optional to me, but I reply, "Apology accepted, but we need to have a discussion if this device is needed.”

I know how eager she is to treat people who need treatment. She wants to push people in what she thinks is the right direction, and that is to become a braces wearer. When Peter told me the story of his fixed braces and a sales representative suddenly appearing with just the right braces for him. I was a little skeptical as to whether this sales representative had appeared by chance and hadn't been arranged by Lynn. Peter doesn't seem to doubt it, and he's doing really well with his braces. It is just that I think she arranged this direct bonding demonstration. And in my case, she may have inadvertently forgotten to mention the face mask during my consultation.

I still trust Peter, who thinks she is a fantastic orthodontist. And I know that he happened to have a really bad orthodontist in his youth. So the main point for me is to decide if I want treatment now. I can ignore the fact that I need treatment and hope that everything goes well. And that I will not have excessive tooth wear or jaw pain. However, I have read online about many cases of people who had treatment in their mid-forties. But only after they had experienced a lot of pain. Those treatments also required surgery and took forever and I think my suggested three years is already a very long time.

Oh shit, I completely forgot I have an important online meeting in 5 minutes. I quickly boot up my laptop and get it ready to connect to our corporate VPN. Just in time, I am in the meeting and the first question is already being asked by my boss. Fortunately, it is a fairly simple question and I am ready to answer it. The rest of the meeting deals with issues I am not directly involved in. However, I have to stay alert because the discussion may come back to my area of expertise.

Peter also happens to be in the meeting. As usual, I am slow to hit the disconnect button. I think Peter was waiting for me to do that. So we are alone in the call. He immediately asks me how I feel. I tell him that I feel fine, but that I am really worried about the treatment plan I have been given. He acknowledges that this must be a big decision for me and offers to talk about it. We agree to meet at a bar that evening for a beer or two.

The rest of my day at the office is packed with work, but rather uneventful. So I am happy when I finally arrive at the bar to meet Peter. He is not there when I arrive, but he arrives just five minutes later. We both order a large lager from a local brewery. He then asks me about the details of my treatment plan. He knows all the equipment I am getting, including the optional Delaire face mask. He tells me that he has fitted many patients with their headgear, but that he has only seen a face mask in real life once or twice. As he talks, I can see his shiny braces with the dark blue elastics bands and the two rubber bands he has to wear. He doesn't seem to mind them at all.

"So are you going to start the treatment?" he asks me directly. "Well, if you can do it, I can do it," I am surprised by what I just said, but my subconscious seems to have already made the decision for the braces. Peter looks very happy and says, "You will not regret this. After the first few days you will hardly notice them. I have to constantly remind myself that I have them, otherwise I would forget to change my rubber bands." Then he quickly takes off his old rubber bands and puts on new ones, "See, I had to change them hours ago.”

I think I will notice the braces, "Maybe that is the case with your braces, but I have to get these expanders and I am sure I will notice them a lot.” Peter thinks for a moment, "You may be right about the expanders, but it will only be for a short time and then you will have regular braces like mine.” I don't know where my courage comes from, "That's right and I think I have to do it anyway. I just had hope for these clear aligners. But now let's talk about something else.”

We order a second round of beers and the bar gets fuller as the evening goes on. We talk about girls and my upcoming world championship. I learn that Peter enjoys his freedom and meets many girls. Sometimes he takes them home and has fun overnight. Although he tells me that he is happy with this, I am not completely convinced. I think he is trying to compensate for the loss of Lynn. During our conversation, he keeps smiling at the girls next to us, giving them a good view of his braces. I know what he is trying to do. He wants to show me that I can still get a girl with braces. He knows I am not good with girls, but I really want a girlfriend.

I sleep very well that night. Maybe the two beers helped. My decision to get braces didn't affect my sleep at all. This is a surprise to me. I decide to call Lynn's office right after breakfast. They tell me that I can come in the next Monday morning to have the spacers fitted and to bring the signed treatment plan with me. So I barely have a weekend without braces interfering with my life.

On the weekend, I spent all my free time training for the sauna competition. I go to the gym, I go jogging, I practice my towel technique, I practice in the spa, and I do extensive video studies. Partly I do this to distract myself from the upcoming braces, but I also have to practice a lot. After all, I still want to be world champion, so I have to prepare really well. The weekend flies by and I do not think much about my appointment on Monday.

Monday morning I arrive at Lynn's office. Of course, I brushed and flossed my teeth thoroughly that morning. The receptionist Ann tells me to go to the waiting room and that they will be ready for me shortly. There are two other people in the waiting room, a young boy and a teenage girl. They are not talking or showing their teeth, so I do not know if they already have braces or not. There it is again, my habit of scanning people for potential braces. Of course, in the waiting room of an orthodontist I have a high chance of finding one. Soon I am called into the treatment room.

Lynn greets me happily, "Tim, you are doing the right thing. I am thrilled that you have decided to get braces. And that you chose my office for your treatment." I stayed calm all weekend, but suddenly I feel the excitement, so my quick reply is, "Thank you, Lynn.” I am then instructed to sit in the chair and open my mouth. She inspects my teeth thoroughly and tells me that I am ready for the spacers. Her new staff member Tamara will do the job.

Tamara is still the good looking young girl I met at my first consultation. She introduces herself and smiles as she shows me her perfectly aligned teeth. She must have had treatment in the past. She tells me that I need eight spacers in my upper jaw and four in my lower jaw. That sounds like a lot to me. She shows me the blue rubber rings that she will place between my teeth to make room for the molar bands of the expander.

The twelve spacers go in fairly quickly and I think she is doing her job to make it as painless as possible for me. However, I do not like the way the spacers feel. I have read that some people think they are the worst part of braces. And I already do not like the constant feeling of food stuck in my teeth. Of course there is no food stuck, but the feeling is exactly the same and I will have them for a while.

Lynn quickly checks Tamara's work and tells me to make an appointment to have the braces fitted. She tells me that she has a lot to do this morning, but that I can text her if I have any questions. Ann looks a little confused as she tries to find an open slot for my appointment. She mumbles a lot and tells me that the only open slots for my rather long appointment are the first Monday morning of next week or Friday of next week. I already find the spacers deeply annoying, so I choose Monday morning, which only gives me seven days with spacers instead of eleven. Finally Ann smiles at me and I can see her retainers. I didn't notice any lisping, so she must have been wearing them for quite a while.

When I leave the office, I try not to think about my upcoming treatment. I am scared to death and the spacers are a constant reminder. The next week and the weekend are again packed with work and training. And of course I decided to take Monday off. There is no way I will be going to the office or working from home with my newly installed braces and expanders.

I'm enjoying your story and it's great to hear about Peter and Lynn again.

7. Unexpected
After lunch, my phone rings. It is my boss from the spa where I was training for the sauna championships. I wasn't expecting a call from him, he doesn't usually call me. He is upset and tells me that many of my colleagues had called in sick. They need me for the last shift today. I try to tell him that I can not speak properly because of my new braces. He doesn't care and I finally agree to work from 4pm to 8pm.

There is only half an hour left before I have to leave for work. I quickly pack my things. But one thought is in my head, "Is it really a good idea to talk with my braces in front of a lot of people?” But I have no choice, I have already agreed to go to work. Still, this decision is very scary for me. I decide to use this as training for situations where I am very nervous, like at the World Championships. My body still trembles slightly as I leave for work.

At work I am greeted by my colleague Claudia. She knows I got braces today and is very supportive: "Tim, I hope you are feeling well. If you need any help, please let me know." I reply, " Thanks, Claudia.” I had to concentrate to form those two words with my mouth. It somehow worked, but I had to fight the saliva that was building up in my mouth. I have to avoid slurping saliva during my shift, otherwise I wouldn't consider myself a professional sauna master.

Claudia says, "You're so brave! When I got my braces as a kid, I couldn't talk for days, and you're already rocking those braces." Maybe she is exaggerating a bit, but other than feeling humiliated, I think I am still able to fulfill my duties.

Claudia is really nice, she made sure I do not have to talk much during my shift. Most of my shift I just have to clean things or prepare something for my colleagues. Because of our limited staff, she couldn't avoid working for me in front of the audience. I have to do two sauna infusions during my shift. One is a meditation infusion where no one is allowed to talk. The other is a more active one where I cannot avoid talking to people. Still, she has done a tremendous job of making my work day as easy as possible. I owe her something.

For the meditation sauna, I decide to make it a really quiet one. I enter the sauna with a bucket and a towel. I place the bucket in front of the sauna stove and gesture to the audience to be quiet. Then I use the towel to bring some fresh air into the sauna. After the preparations I start the sauna infusion. As usual, I do three rounds of about 12 minutes in total. Since I do not have to talk, everything goes well. However, during the second round I notice that a girl with blonde hair is watching me closely. She is a very beautiful girl, so I do not mind her watching me. And I think she noticed my braces.

After the three rounds, everyone leaves the sauna. Some guests thank me for the sauna infusion, but most of them just leave quietly. The girl is one of them who thanks me, and her thanks are the loudest and most enthusiastic. I feel relieved that I managed to perform under such complicated circumstances. Maybe I can manage with my braces, but I still have to work on my lisp.

I feel that my braces are starting to hurt. I expected this, but it is still a very uncomfortable feeling. Something I am not used to. I take some painkillers in the hope that they will ease the pain. After all, I am proud of myself. I managed to work the first day with my braces and so far I am doing well.

The biggest challenge for today is yet to come, the normal sauna infusion. This time I cannot avoid talking in front of the guest. I stand in front of the guest and say, "My name is Tim and I am your sauna instructor for today.” I feel the massive accumulation of saliva in my mouth. I try to get rid of the saliva as discreetly as possible, but I think I only partially succeed. I have to finish my speech, "I'm going to do three rounds and we'll be done in about 12 minutes.” The girl from the last round is among the guests and again she looks at me closely. I still have to work on my saliva and am happy when I finish the third round and can leave the sauna.

The girl approaches me and I notice that she looks really good. She asks me, "Is this your first day with braces?" I am shocked that she noticed, but I reply, "Yes, I got them this morning.” She says, "That is really brave of you to come to work on your first day with braces.” She called me brave, which makes me kind of happy, and I reply, "A bunch of colleagues called in sick and I had to step in.” She nods in appreciation and then says something that surprises me, "Would you like to have dinner with me after your shift?" I am completely shocked by this invitation, but being invited by a beautiful girl also makes me happy. I reply, "I don't think I can eat very much, but thanks for the invitation.” She replies, "Don't worry, I have a solution for that.”

I accepted her invitation and we went to the soup kitchen that had opened a few weeks earlier. This turns out to be more exciting than I expected. I was expecting a hard day of work with my new braces and now I have a dinner with a beautiful girl. She tells me that her name is Tessa and that she works as an accountant for a large company. I tell her about my work as an IT specialist and how I made the decision to get braces at my age. She tells me that she had braces as a child and that she likes people with nice smiles or people who work on their smiles. I guess I fall into the second category. She keeps looking at me during the meal and I feel somehow connected to her. She is very beautiful and I like talking to her.

After dinner, she asks me, "Would you like to have coffee with me?" Again I wasn't expecting this, so I say, "I would love to have coffee with you, but I don't have my braces care kit with me. She smiles at me and says, "No problem, we can go to your place.” Of course I agree to this suggestion and so we go to my apartment.  Taking a girl to my apartment is just an amazing feeling, something I haven't done in a long time and it all happens on my first day with braces and expanders.

At my apartment she immediately pulls me in and gives me a kiss on the cheek. It feels so good and I look forward to the rest of the evening. I return the kiss, but this time our lips touch. I really like our kiss and I want more. Our first kiss is soon followed by our second. This time our tongues explore each other's mouths. I haven't kissed a girl for a long time and it feels really good. But there is one thing that bothers me, I haven't brushed my teeth after dinner. I tell her, "Sorry, I have to brush my teeth.” She just nods, "Sure, maybe I can help you.”

We are both in the bathroom and she has already finished brushing her teeth. I gave her a spare toothbrush and some toothpaste. For me, this is only the second time I have brushed my teeth with braces. It really takes me a while to clean my teeth and braces and Tessa helps as much as she can. In the end, my teeth are clean and I am ready for the rest of the evening. Tessa teases me and I already know that we are going to do more than kiss that night.

We haven't quite left the bathroom when she already starts kissing me. She pulls me close and her tongue begins to explore my mouth with braces and expanders. She knows what she wants, but she is still trying to avoid causing me any pain from my new braces. This girl is amazing and I love everything she does. Wow, this is an intense day.

Soon our clothes are on the floor and we are completely naked. We agree to use a condom and start exploring each other's bodies. She puts the condom on me and guides me inside her. I have never gone so fast with a girl and I really like it. Both our bodies are covered in sweetness and I am quite sure that my neighbors can hear us. But I do not care. I want this girl and she wants me. What an amazing night.

9. Focusing
The next morning I wake up and the pain is unreal. I have never felt so much pain in my life. The first thing I do is take strong painkillers. The thought of having to turn the expanders soon almost causes me to panic. My breakfast is some yogurt that I luckily found in my fridge. After the painkillers have taken effect, I turn my expanders. I try not to think about how many turns I have left.

Then I look at my calendar and realize that my next sauna competition is this weekend. I've been so overwhelmed with these braces that I haven't thought about the competition. I really need to focus on this competition because it is the last one before the World Championships.

In the last few weeks of training I have been concentrating on towel waving techniques. But there are other things that are important for the competition. I decide to focus on heat management. This is perhaps the most important part of a sauna infusion. The theory behind it is simple. The first round must start at a low temperature and the heat must be increased with each round.

Of course, both the guest and the sauna master must be able to withstand the heat. It is not a good sign for heat management if half of the guests leave during the first or second round. The sauna master must also be able to stand the heat. He should look as relaxed as possible and not like he is about to collapse in front of the guests.

To stand the heat there are two important things. First, it requires good personal fitness. Second, it takes a lot of practice in the sauna. For personal fitness I go to the gym. There I mostly use the bicycle ergometer or the rowing machine. I get practice thanks to my second job at the sauna.

The last two days before the competition are pretty hectic. I spend some time in the gym before I start working in my home office. I haven't had the courage to go to the office with my new braces yet. I know I have to do it soon, but I am trying to avoid it this week. After work I go to my second job at the sauna place.

My colleagues at the sauna are very welcoming. They try to help me prepare for my upcoming competition. Especially Claudia helps me a lot. She is in her late thirties, so she is not on my list of girls, but if she were younger, she would be one of my top candidates.

The day before I leave for the competition, Claudia asks me, "Tim, how are you feeling? Do you think you can handle all the braces?” It's funny that she refers to my braces in the plural, but maybe she's right, "To be honest, when I went for my first consultation, I wasn't expecting this amount of braces. My plan was to get these clear aligners. But I ended up with these massive braces."

She is curious and asks me, "I know that, but how do you feel about these braces as an adult?" The last week has been a whirlwind of emotions and I try to come up with a truthful answer, "I trust my orthodontist and I know I need them. But to be honest, I am still scared about the three years of treatment. I have managed to speak without a massive lisp with some practice, but there is still a lot of pain I have to deal with and I will have these braces for a very long time. That kind of scares me a lot.”

She says, "I think you are doing really well. In fact, I admire you for the way you handle the braces. And your other colleagues think the same thing. They look up to you and think how brave you are." I don't know what to say, so I just say, "Thank you." The fact that my colleagues talk about my braces surprises me. It feels strange that my medical treatment is part of their daily small talk.

Then she tells me, "My oldest son is going to get braces soon. And his orthodontist has recommended headgear for his treatment." I think about Peter's headgear and my optional face mask, "I think it is good for him to have treatment as a child. My treatment would have been so much easier if I had started as a child. As for the headgear, I do not have to wear one, but I know a guy who does.”

I pause a moment, thinking about my next words, "And I am not sure if I should tell you this, but there is an optional face mask on my treatment plan. My orthodontist is trying to avoid this by using rubber bands, but there is still a possibility that I will have to wear a mask. I have to tell you that I am really scared about this possibility. I do not want to wear a device like that as an adult."

Claudia looks at me and says, "Thank you for telling me this. I didn't know about the face mask. I have seen some in the past and it really is a massive device.” I tell her, "Tell your son that he should be happy to be treated as a child. It is so much more intense as an adult and it takes so much longer. He should be happy to have his teeth straightened now and I am sure he can handle the headgear.” She ends the conversation by telling me, "I will tell him that.” Then she gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and leaves.

Talking to Claudia about my braces had been a confusing experience. On the one hand, it felt awkward to talk about my massive dental equipment. There is something humiliating about talking about my adult braces. And I also mentioned the face mask, which hopefully will never be used.

On the other hand, it is a relief to be able to talk about it and to feel Claudia's support. And she felt comfortable talking about her son's treatment. I am sure she wanted to talk to me about it, just like I talked to Peter before I got my braces. Still thinking about 'my braces' is something I have to get used to. Especially the 'my' in 'my braces' is something I have to get used to.

These braces, my braces, are going to be an integral part of my life for the next three years. I have to deal with them and I cannot let them take over my life. There are other goals I need to focus on. I'm not going to let these braces take control of my life.

To my surprise, I can do the sauna infusions really well, even with my braces. The guests like my performance, as usual. And I feel quite confident during the performance. My focus on heat management is also paying off. I notice that I have really improved in this area. And combined with my improved towel waving technique, I think the next competition can come.

11. The competition
I take a shower and change my clothes. Then I go to the meeting with the judges. When I enter the room, I see a lot of familiar faces. All of my toughest competitors are in the room. It looks like everyone is taking this as their last chance to prepare for the World Championships under competition conditions. They had the same idea as me and I am actually looking forward to competing with them. They are all nice guys and we enjoy meeting each other.

After greeting my opponents, the judges start explaining the rules. The rules are the same as in most competitions. They tell us that they will focus on the time limit. The time limit will be 14 minutes for a sauna round like at the World Championships. And anyone who exceeds the time limit will have a point deducted from their score. A round between 13 and 14 minutes will be considered optimal. It is hard to meet such a tight time limit, but I have been training to meet this requirement.

Most of the other stuff they say is pretty basic. They tell us which sauna will be used for the competition and where we can get our supplies, like water or towels. And they announce that I will be the last one to compete. I was expecting this as I am the highest ranked competitor, but it is still an honor to be in that position and of course it adds a little pressure.

I still have a lot of time before the competition starts. I wonder what Sandra has in store for me. This girl was amazing last night and I am really looking forward to meeting her again. Besides Sandra, I really have to concentrate on the upcoming competition. I go over my planned performance several times in my head. It's not like I haven't done this before, but I really need to focus on all the details, especially if I want to meet this tight time frame.

Finally, the competition starts and we are gathered in a room together. We are not allowed to look at our competitors performances. And we also won’t know what their scores are before we compete. Since I am the last one in the competition, they will tell me if I have won right after the competition, but I still do not know the scores of the others until the end.

My round starts and I really want to express the judges. The sauna here is very good for the competition. They have an almost perfect stove and the size of the sauna is almost ideal. My performance will be three rounds like most of my competitors. And three rounds is considered optimal in the sauna community.

With my new braces, I also have to concentrate on my speech. I have to avoid lisping too much. My other focus is on my saliva. I really have to avoid making a disgusting sound when I swallow my saliva. Or even better, not to swallow at all. So far I think I am doing well with this task.

I am very satisfied with my first round. The heat in the sauna increases, but it stays at a level that everyone can bear. On the other hand, it is not a lame excuse for a first round, because the heat has increased just to the right level. The second round also meets my expectations and hopefully those of the judges. For the third round I want to go all out. The heat should go to a sweat spot where everyone can stand the heat, but no one thinks it is too hot or too cold. It is hard to hit that exact point, but I think I did it.

After my performance, I meet up with my fellow competitors. They have seen my routine on camera and are already congratulating me on my performance. I am confident that I have won this competition, but you never know until the judges decide. The minutes before the final decision are difficult. I hate waiting and today it feels extra hard.

All competitors, spectators and judges are now in one room. It is the room where we will get the final decision of the judges. An old friend of mine, Jeff, is in third place. Second place goes to Werner, he is one of my toughest competitors. With Jeff in third place and Werner in second, I really expect to win this competition. But the judges haven't announced the first place yet. They make a dramatic pause before telling the audience who has won the competition. And yes, I am the winner of this competition. I am really happy that I won this competition, but I know that there is still a long way to go until the World Championship.

All my competitors are congratulating me right away. They all tell me that I really deserve to win and that they expected me to win. Now I am the top favorite for the World Championships and I think that my opponents somehow like that I am in this position. At the World Championships they can only win and I can only lose. But this is what I wanted. I know that I am the best and I want to prove it to them and to all the judges. I know there is a lot of pressure, but I think I can handle it.

I am sure that all my competitors and the judges noticed my braces. However, none of them asked me about them. It seems that they are too polite or too shy to ask me about them. It is good to know that I can compete with braces. I was worried about lisping and if the braces would distract me from my performance. Now I know that I can still focus on a competition with braces.

I am more nervous about what Sandra has in store for me. My goal to get a girl looks a lot easier than I thought. Maybe getting a girl will be my first goal before fixing my teeth or becoming a world champion. I cannot believe that this could happen, but I am still looking forward to having a girl. I want to marry her and have kids. I want what most men want for their lives. And that goal is really so close.

Before I go to Sandra, I take a quick shower. After the performance in the sauna a shower is obligatory. In the bathroom of my rented house I brush and floss my teeth and braces. After only one week, brushing and flossing feels almost normal to me. I am really getting used to my braces and sooner than I expected. However, I do not love my braces as much as Peter does. I love that they are correcting the problems with my bite, but I am happy to have them removed as soon as possible. And I am not looking forward to the next turn of my expanders tomorrow morning. I know I have to do it, but I still do not like it at all. I really look forward to the day when I can stop turning the expanders, and even more to the day when I can have them removed.