Nice work! I hope her treatment is similar to the dream she had!

That would really be VERY unrealistic and destroy the whole story

Everyone has their own ideas as to what they want to see in a story. Sparky will write what he feels the story should have in it. Feedback is always appreciated by any writer and can help to shape a story.

I always encourage other people to write their own stories and share them with us. It is interesting to see what other people come up with. I don't just collect stories, I also write them for myself and share them with others. I always enjoy what Sparky writes and have most of his stories in my collection.

Oh no, Jane stopped lisping!

It sounds very complicated, she will need expanders on both jaws, slipping plate on her bottom front teeth to help her upper incisors to get forward, elastics on your canines and of course headgear but it is on you, you are her "father", so do what you think she needs

I hope she gets invisalign

Chapter 17

Simon and Jane are sat at a small table opposite each other at the pub, looking at each other.

It's really the first time that Simon has properly looked at Jane close up. He can see that Jane doesn't wear much makeup, which doesn't really matter, because, even close up, her skin looks nice. Simon's eyes continued to scan Jane's face. He noticed that her nose was not perfect: it was possibly a little to big for the rest of her face, but that didn't really matter... nor did the tiny bump in it. Jane had slightly bushy eyebrows, which I guess some guys woudn't like, but they were really just part of who Jane was. Little did Simon realise how Jane felt about these tiny imperfections.

Simon's eyes were drawn to Jane's eyes. Simon thought Jane's eyes were quite stunning, with or without her glasses: Jane wore a tiny bit of eye-shadow, and a little mascara, which actually highlighted their lovely dark blue colour nicely. Jane's glasses weren't all that strong, so didn't distort the look of her lovely eyes at all.

Of course, while Simon's eyes were looking at Jane, they have been talking... nothing special, just general chat. But they both felt amazingly relaxed in each other's company: Sarah had told them they needed to be honest and open with each other. So that's what they were doing, and it was quite an inspirational feeling for them both.

"You know, I DO like your new hair style! And the colour too!" said Simon. The fringe really changed the shape of her face, and Simon thought it actually worked a lot better for Jane

"Thank you, Simon! I had long hair for SOOO long, it's actually nice to have it shorter... although I still find it odd at times" said Jane. "The colour was a bit of a 'spur of the moment thing', but yeah, I like it too!"

Whilst Jane has had her 'new' haircut for a couple of weeks, she was still getting used to it, and kept playing with it. As she pulled her hair back, Simon could see Jane's ear, and saw something he'd never noticed before: a tiny thin tube that came over the top of her ear, and went into her ear.

"Jane..." said Simon quietly - he didn't want to embarass Jane by asking this too loudly - "erm, I'm not wanting to be nosey, but.... is that a hearing aid I just saw?". Whether Sarah knew that Jane wore hearing aids, Simon didn't know, but she'd certainly never mentioned them to Simon.

Normally, Jane might have found that question to be a bit awkward, embarassing even. But Simon and Jane were specifically trying to learn about each other, and her hearing problems, and thus her hearing aids, were a part of her, just as her glasses were. Since getting the hearing aids, she had thought several times how it was odd that having glasses was absolutely 'normal' and 'ok', but there was still quite a stigma attached to having hearing aids. Kinda like how kids used to hate braces ten or twenty years ago, but now they were almost 'cool'.

"Yes, I have two of them.... you're the first person who has actually noticed them"

"Well, they are pretty well invisible: your hair normally covers your ears, so it was only when you pulled your hair back a second ago that I noticed that tiny tube. How long have you had them?"

"Just over a month ago now, I guess... just before we started getting closer...".

So, a bit of history: Jane has known Sarah for a few years now, through work, but as we know, Jane isn't the most sociable of people. Yes, she's ok with people she has got to know, like the 3 others in her band.... and when she's on stage, well, that's not Jane, it's more of a facade, so that doesn't really count. Much of Jane's life had centered around the love of her life: her brother Peter. So it was only when Peter died that Jane and Sarah started to get to know each other properly. And over the last year, Jane had met Simon on several occasions too, so had started to consider him as a friend too. Jane was very appreciative that both Simon and Sarah had been there for her, unconditionally. The day they had gone on the bike ride, and she had started crying up the top of the hill was typical of their selfless friendship. Also the evening that Simon met with Jane at the park. In fact, I would say that was the day that Simon and Jane 'started getting closer'.

"I never realised you had a hearing problem...."

"It's not too bad when it's quiet, and there's no background noise, it's more when the people themselves are talking softly, and there's a bit of background noise... or they are over the other side of the office"

"And do the hearing aids really help?"

"A lot of the time they are really amazing: in the office I can hear people so much better, so I can join in the conversations more easily. It odd, noone at work has actually commented that I'm joining in more. And out in the countryside, like when we were out on that bike ride, as long as they're not catching the wind, I can hear so much more - for example, I can hear birds again!"

"I'm guessing they must be pretty comfortable, because I've never seen you play with them"

"They are amazingly comfortable! Let me show you...". Jane pulled one of her hearing aids out, and showed it to Simon: not only was the tube that went from the hearing aid into her ear tiny (only 1 or 2 mm in diameter), the hearing aid itself was too - something like only 2 or 3 cm long. On the end of the slim tube that went into her ear there was a tiny and delicate 'umbrella'.

"Wow, it really is tiny... my grandpa wears hearing aids, and they are at least twice the size, with thick plastic tubes.... , I mean, this one is almost invisible by comparison. So what's that bit for" asked Simon, pointing at the umbrella.

"The idea with these hearing aids is that they just add in just the high frequencies, so can use a thin tube... I hear the lower frequencies naturally.  So, as I understand it, as well as holding the tube in place in my ear, that bit helps to stop any high-pitched whistling, by blocking the sound."

"So doesn't that stop you hearing?"

"No, it just stops the high frequencies, lower frequencies don't seem to be affected. But they are so light and so comfortable... I often forget I'm actually wearing them now I've got used to them". Jane put the hearing aid back into her ear.

It was strange: Simon was the first person that she'd had any meaningful conversation about her hearing aids, but she actually felt completely at ease talking to him about it.

"So any idea what caused your hearing problems?"

"We think it was loud music: I used to love standing next to the guitar amps when we were practising! I never realised I was messing up my hearing...."

As Jane was talking, Simon's eyes were attracted to her mouth, and more specifically her teeth. Jane actually has nice teeth, it's just that they were crooked, and her top two teeth went inside her bottom teeth. oh, and her 4 canines were all in the wrong place. But that didn't really matter to Simon, but he knew it mattered to Jane.

"So, you have glasses and now you have hearing aids... you ever going to get the braces to complete the set?" he asked her with a huge smile.

"You know, the other night I had a bit of a scary dream about braces..."

"In what way?"

"Well, I was at the orthodontist, and I was getting braces - far too many braces! I think it's the same dream I had as a teenager, when I didn't want braces... I'd actually forgotten about it, but when I woke up from it, it seemed very familiar, and I think that was part the reason I didn't want braces. But you're right, I think it's about time I actually DID something. So, a question for you: you said you'd come along with me, and I'd still very much like that, so... when's a good time for you?"

"In principle it doesn't matter - like you I do flexible hours, so as long as I have some notice it's usually ok."

"In that case, I'll call a couple of places and book appointments"

I'm wondering what treatment she'll get. I'm hoping for expanders and headgear.

Hello I just finished reading the last chapter of your story.
As a woman I find her really interested, I assure you that it is not easy to show your flaws in front of the man you like ..
Because it is evident that Jane will fall in love soon right?
Still great job.
Good boy.
Hello Francesca