13. No more home office
After I got my braces, I worked completely from home. Today is the day I finally have to go to the office and face my coworkers with my newly acquired braces. I talked to Peter last night and he agreed to support me on my first day in the office with my braces. It is good to have someone as supportive as him as a friend, though I am still a little nervous about meeting my coworkers.

Before I go to the office, I make sure that I clean my braces thoroughly so that my coworkers will not be able to see any food left in my braces. It takes me a while to clean them. Even though I know it has to be done, it is still a lot of work. Finally, I am happy with the way my teeth look and go to the office. During the drive, I think a lot about the reaction of my colleagues. What reassures me is remembering Peter's first day with braces. That day, no one seemed to care about them. I may have been the only person who talked to him about his braces.

I walk next to Lisa, the receptionist, and greet her, trying not to show my braces. I think she noticed them, but she does not say anything about them and just greets me. Peter is already in our room. When I arrive he smiles at me and gives me a good look at his braces with the blue elastics. I smile back and try not to show too much of my braces. Then he gives me a hug and says, "Welcome to the braces club. You look good with them." I know he is trying to be supportive, but I don’t think my braces look good.

I do not care much about the look of my braces. But what really bothers me are the expanders. They make it hard for me to talk and they are so obvious when people look at me. I want to talk to Peter more about them, but he has some important work to do. So we will have to talk later. And I have to admit that he looks so confident with his braces.

I start the day by going through my mail. There are not that many important mails in my inbox. Yet one mail sticks out, it is from my boss and it is an invitation to a meeting this afternoon. Normally, my boss does not invite me to meetings, especially not on short notice. I am curious about what he has to tell me. My first day in the office and I already have a private meeting with my boss. This is pretty unusual, but I will see what he wants to tell me. I get along pretty well with him, so I am not expecting any trouble. The only thing is that my meeting with him on my first day in the office with braces and expanders is bad timing.

My thoughts about the meeting with my boss are interrupted by Peter, "Tim, sorry I did not have time to talk to you. How are you doing with the braces?" I was hoping Peter would talk to me and reply, "I think I am doing well with the braces. But the expanders are next level. They make my mouth feel so full. And they cause a lot of pain. And cleaning them is another story.” Peter hugs me again and says, "I feel for you. You know I got my braces in small steps. First I started with removable braces, then I got fixed braces for only two weeks, and then I decided to have them for longer. I even got my TPA on another day. You, on the other hand, got them all at once, plus these expanders.”

Knowing his story, I know what he is talking about, "Thank you Peter, that really is a lot to handle. I hope I can handle it all. And I am really lucky to have you as a supporter and Lynn as my favorite orthodontist.” As soon as I mentioned Lynn, I knew I may have done something wrong. When Peter heard that name, his face turned almost pale white and he looks really unhappy now. That was my fault, I shouldn't have mentioned that name. Peter sees the expression on my face and tells me, "Sorry, it is not your fault. I am still not over losing Lynn as a girlfriend. I liked her so much and I was such an idiot." Now I hug him and tears stream from his eyes.

After a while he calms down and I am able to talk to him again. "Peter, I met her and she is a wonderful person. I know why you miss her so much," I tell him. Peter turns to me, "Thanks Tim, it was all my fault. I don't know why, but I slept with Alex and cheated on Lynn. I am the dumbest person on the planet and I do not even know why I did it. This is so humiliating.”

I know he is telling the truth, so I reply, "Peter, I know you are deeply regretting this, but I think you may have hurt Lynn in a way that is beyond healing or will take a long time to heal. He hugs me and cries again, "Tim, you are right. I think I need to focus on other girls. You know, it is kind of easy for me to get other girls thanks to my braces, but I still want Lynn back. Maybe that will not happen and I should really think about other girls.”

Compared to Peter, my problems seems minor. My only problem is the pain caused by my expanders, tough Peter has to deal with the breakup with his favorite girl and their relationship looks like it is beyond repair. This does not help me deal with my expanders, but I also want to help Peter, but I have no idea how to help him. I know he has spent many nights with other girls, but the only girl he wants is Lynn.

On my first day in the office with braces, I met only a few of my coworkers. I saw most of them at dinner in our canteen. I was there with Peter and no one talked to me about my braces. They all seemed to notice them, but were too polite to mention it. Peter had told me this would happen, but now I was experiencing it first hand. Peter had told me about the empty toilet in the basement, so I went there after dinner to brush my teeth. It was good to do it in private because I didn't want anyone to see me.

After dinner, my mind focuses on the upcoming meeting with my boss. I don't know what he wants from me, and I am a little nervous. He doesn't know about my braces, so they will be a surprise for him. However, I am not sure what he is going to tell me. This is not good for me because I usually plan ahead. This time, however, it will be a surprise to me.

I walk into my boss's office and he greets me, "Hi Tim, nice to meet you. Please have a seat." I do as I am told. He continues, "Tim, you are doing such a great job. I think you are one of my best employees.” Okay, at least he is not going to fire me. But why did he ask me into his office? I will find out very soon.

Then he tells me about a project our company is doing in a city 200 kilometers up north. The project is not going very well. And he thinks they need additional support to complete the project. He then tells me that I am the ideal person to fix this project. I will have to stay there for at least six months. I immediately realize that this would interfere with my training for the Sauna World Championships. On the other hand, I know that this is a great opportunity to show my true potential and that being successful in this project would be a great boost to my career.

With some hesitation, I agree to help this project. The company would pay for my accommodation and I will be able to go home on weekends. At least I will be able to train a little at home. Of course, this project would interfere with my job at the local sauna. I knew my boss there will be not very happy, but I still do not want to lose the opportunity this project gives me. If only this project was offered to me after the World Championships. Before that, it causes a lot of trouble.

As I am leaving, I notice that Lisa, the receptionist, has already left the office. As I reach the parking lot I see Peter's car pull away and I think I could spot Lisa on the passenger seat. Looks like Peter is trying to make up for losing Lynn with another girl. I felt sorry for him, but I am also a little jealous. I really like Lisa and she is also a candidate to be my girlfriend. But Peter was faster and took her first. Peter has again used the power of his braces to get a girl. I am not angry with him, but I am jealous and reminded myself that I have to be faster next time.

On the way home I think a lot about the new project and about Peter. The new project will have a huge impact on my training. And it will give me a great a chance to show my full potential. The downside is that I will not see Peter a lot, I am used to him and like his supportive attitude. And I plan to pack my things, because my shift on the project will start in two days.

15. Adjustment
The next two weeks are a crunch time that usually only happens to game developers. It basically means that all you do is work, sleep, and eat while you work. I even worked on weekends. I worked mostly with Sarah and I think we have identified the biggest bugs in the system and are working on a plan to fix them.

The plan we presented to the team can be described as waiting for the real plan. Of course, it is a bit more than that. We have identified three major problems in the project. The team will work on those issues while we work on a more comprehensive plan. To address the communication issues, the team also needs to write a glossary. This will help with the communication issues in the project. Everyone will use the same term for the same thing.

The only free time I spent was at the local sauna. I wanted to watch the performances of their sauna masters and see if I could learn something from them. Other than that, I didn't find any time to practice. If I really want to become a world champion, I have to change that. The biggest and most important competition of my life is not far away.

Because I was away from my hometown, I had to postpone my orthodontist appointment. I am the first patient on Monday morning. I drove home Sunday night and will be driving back immediately after the appointment. I have never had an orthodontic adjustment before, so I am excited to see what will happen today. And there is this elephant in the room. The treatment plan mentioned an optional face mask. I really hope I can avoid that fate. I have seen pictures online and they look pretty scary.

I walk into Lynn's office and am greeted warmly by Ann, "Welcome Tim, I hope you are doing well. I smile at her, "Good morning Ann, I think I am fine. Since I've been taking painkillers almost every day, my braces haven't hurt as much lately. I am not sure if I should tell them this. Maybe I shouldn't take so many pills. I decide not to and head for the treatment room where Lynn is waiting for me.

Lynn leads me to the treatment chair. I know they don't have much time for me this morning as they had to fit my appointment into an already tight schedule. I don't mind if it doesn't take long because I really need to get back to work. In the chair, Lynn inspects my braces and mumbles something, mostly to herself and Tamara, the assistant. What I can decipher is that she seems quite pleased with my progress.

"Tim, everything looks good so far. Your expanders are doing their job and I am pretty sure we can avoid surgery." Then she looks in Tamara's direction, "Remove his wire and give him a chance to brush his teeth without it. We will stay with the same wire and you can put it back in after he brushes his teeth.” I was expecting them to change the wire, but they are the experts and I am sure they know what they are doing.

"Okay Tim, let's remove this wire," Tamara says. She puts a lip spreader in my mouth and starts working on my teeth. It doesn't take her long and she presents me with the wire that was in my mouth. She smiles at me and tells me I can brush my teeth now. She walks me to the sink and hands me a toothbrush. Then she takes a tooth model out of the cabinet and says, "I'm going to show you some tips on how to brush your teeth. I have seen that you have some problems with brushing your teeth. This is normal, I will just show you how to do it properly.

It feels a little humiliating to be told that you are not brushing your teeth properly. I know that some of the problems may be because I am overworked. And I have often brushed my teeth when I was half asleep. Tamara is really nice and I like the way she presents the brushing techniques to me. I really like her, but unfortunately she is too young for me. Otherwise I would have asked her out. Her explanations really helped and my braces are so much cleaner than they were before. Tamara is also happy and I am allowed to return to the chair.

When I return to the chair, Lynn is working on another patient. It is a young boy and I see that he has to wear a face mask. Those look scary on the Internet, but they are even scarier in real life. I really hope I do not have to get one for myself. The expanders and braces are enough for me and I do not want another device.

It doesn't take Tamara long to reattach my wire. I really like being treated by her and she does a great job. And it feels much nicer to have the wire back in. Without the wire, the brackets were scratching my cheeks quite a bit. Tamara then says, "Please wait for Lynn, she has to check my work and I think she also has some additions for your braces. That last sentence really shocks me. I do not want any more appliances and especially no face mask.

I only have to wait two minutes for Lynn, but the prospect of getting more equipment really shocks me. I think my face is paler than usual and Tamara seems to have noticed my panic as well. Then Lynn comes over to my chair and says, "Sorry Tim, we don't have a lot of time today. I can tell you that your treatment is going really well. I think you will soon notice a gap between your front teeth. This is because your expanders are doing their job. I think we can start with your rubber bands today. They will help us align your jaws better.”

Just rubber bands, life seems to come back into my body. I look at them and say, "I was really afraid I was going to get a face mask today. They look so uncomfortable and I do not want to wear one." Lynn laughs, "I was wondering why you looked so scared. That explains a lot to me. No, I think we can avoid a face mask and surgery for your treatment. If things continue to go so well.” Then she takes out a pack of rubber bands and starts putting them on my mouth.

Then she tells me, "Please continue to turn your expanders and come back in four weeks. Tamara will show you how to attach your rubber bands and be sure to wear them at all times except when eating or brushing your teeth. She then walks away and talks to another patient, a young girl with removable braces, accompanied by her mother.

Tamara returns to my chair and apologizes, "Sorry, I didn't mean to shock you. I didn't know you were expecting a face mask." I am not sure if she is telling the truth, maybe she was teasing me, but I reply, "Apology expected, now show me how to use these rubber bands.” She smiles at me and shows me the package of rubber bands. There is a sketch of teeth on the package and she has marked the teeth where I should attach the rubber bands.

The pattern for me is to start on my upper first molar and work my way down to my lower canine. I have to use the same pattern on both sides. Tamara tells me that this would help move my lower jaw back and my upper jaw forward, thus fixing my Class III bite. Then she teases me again and says, "A face mask would do something similar, but with a lot more force.” I usually love being teased by girls, but today it is too much. I had already imagined myself wearing the dreaded face mask. I am so happy that I only have to wear rubber bands.

After she showed me how to add the rubber bands, it was my turn to practice attaching them. She had shown me two techniques, the first was to simply use a finger to add the rubber band and the other was to use a special tool. I try both techniques and I think the one using just my finger works best for me. Tamara is pleased with my practice session and I am allowed to leave.

Before I leave the office, I have a quick chat with Ann. She congratulates me on the progress of my treatment. I can clearly see the retainers she is wearing. I wonder if she wears them more than necessary to appear supportive to anxious patients. In the end, I get an appointment in four weeks, as the first patient on Monday morning. It is really nice of them to fit me into their tight schedule. I am sure not every orthodontist would be so kind.

Then I hurry to my car. I have only three hours before the first meeting, and according to my navigation system, I will arrive only ten minutes before the meeting. I really hope there are no more traffic jams on my route. My new rubber bands are also noticeable, they have already started to pull on my teeth. I have to make sure I take some painkillers before the meeting. I should have done it early this morning, but I was in a hurry.

I manage to get to the office in time for the meeting. I am not sure if my colleagues will notice my new rubber bands. And I don't think anyone would mention them anyway. Except maybe Sarah, who knows a lot about my treatment. We have talked a lot about my treatment over the past two weeks, and we have compared her treatment to mine.

Great story!