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Author Topic: A new story - Sparkles  (Read 4309 times)

Offline Braceface2015

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A new story - Sparkles
« on: 06. January 2023, 07:07:16 AM »
I've had an idea rattling around in my brain for a while. This is more of an intro to a larger story, but I don't plan on working on this one for a while, so you will have to wait until I finish some of my other stories.


Sparkles

By Braceface2015


Chapter 1


“Hello, and welcome to Sparkles. What time is your appointment?”

There are more lines to the greeting, and I’ve been hearing that greeting, or one similar to it for over a month already. I know every line of each of the scripted greetings by heart. The short greetings are accompanied by a smile each time. It’s my job to interview each person applying for a job at our new restaurant, and I’ve been enjoying most of the interviews more than I should.

My job is to manage the restaurant for a company made up of a few friends and business partners who wished to stay anonymous. The best part of my job is interviewing potential staff.

The idea to open a restaurant happened after a class reunion when a few of us went out to eat and catch up on what had happened since we graduated. The place we went to had a sign out front that it was for sale and someone said it was sad that another place was closing. I had to agree. After I graduated, I went to college and trained to be a chef, and added a degree in business management so that I could run a place of my own someday.

After running several restaurants for other people and making them a big success, my bank accounts were healthy. Part of my success was finding the right people to work for me and give me the time to do what I enjoyed, get into the kitchen and create meals for the restaurant to place on the menu to draw in people.

We’d all grown up eating at this place or someplace just like it and knew how good the food was. The idea of it closing didn’t feel right.

We sat there for a couple of hours, talking about what we had done after high school and how our lives had turned out. There was a husband and wife team with a renovation company, one was a doctor, and not surprisingly a woman who had been a cheerleader in high school and had been married and divorced several times.

We had pushed a few tables together so we could all talk, and with everyone throwing in a few bills, the tip was quite large, so the staff was happy to let us stay and talk. After we got caught up on what everyone was doing, the talk turned to things we remembered doing in high school. Someone laughingly said something about me buying the place to keep it open so we could all eat for free. The seed of an idea had been planted, though we didn’t realize it.

I commented that we could do more by showing up at the restaurant each week and paying to eat there to keep it open. Everyone had a good laugh and the conversation moved on to other subjects. As we were leaving, someone else mentioned my comment about eating at the restaurant again and suggested meeting on Wednesdays, just so that we could keep in touch with each other.




I was in the area the next week and decided to stop for something to eat. To my surprise, the couple with the renovation company were there too. They invited me to join them and we had a good time chatting about the things that we did when we were in school. The food was good, though simple, and we decided that we would meet the next week to do it again.

I invited one of my old school friends to join me and the couple brought one of theirs, both of our friends from different years at the school. While we didn't all know each other, we did have some things in common such as teachers and events that happened. We had so much fun that we decided to make it a steady thing.




The group that showed up each week varied, sometimes just a few of us, other times a much larger group. The restaurant started reserving a section of tables for our group and suggested we call our food orders in so they could have everything ready for us when we showed up.

The restaurant wasn't very big and our group was a steady source of income. The old couple who owned the place made a habit of dropping by our table and they brought us a cake for dessert each time. It turned out that it wasn't just the restaurant that was for sale, it was the whole building. The place had been for sale for quite a while, but they hadn't had any offers that they considered reasonable. When they bought it, they had hoped that their children would take it over, but their children had all moved away and didn't want to take it over. The neighbourhood had changed with time and businesses had moved to newer areas, taking the customers who used to show up with them. The old couple wanted to sell it and retire.





The seed of an idea that had been planted the first week began to sprout. The core members of our group were the couple with the renovation company, a real estate saleslady, myself, and an orthodontist. The former cheerleader had been looking for work and the old couple hired her to work for them, more to help her out than because they needed her. Her pleasant greeting and slightly off-kilter smile became a welcome addition to the place. Some of our group started eating there on other days and they brought their friends.

A few of us decided to see if we could help out the old couple by using our skills to make the building more appealing to potential buyers. I created a simple menu with a broader range of foods for their kitchen to cook, the couple with the renovation company looked over the building and made a list of features that might appeal to buyers and let the old couple know what could be fixed to upgrade it for a small cost, and the real estate agent offered to handle the listing for a modest portion of the sale. It didn’t cost us anything except for a little bit of our time.



The old couple was grateful for our help and one day they sat down with a few of us and made us an offer that made us think. They showed us what we had all done for them and they wanted to return the favour by offering to sell the building to us at a good price. We already knew all we needed to know about the property and the offer was a good one.

None of us could afford it by ourselves, but if we bought it as a group, we had the resources to make it a reality. The old couple spiced up the offer by saying they would close the restaurant for one day and provide a meal for the group if we wanted to get everyone together and talk about the offer. The seed of an idea took root and grew.

Most of the group liked the idea, but many didn’t want or couldn’t afford to put money into the idea. Of those that did, very few wanted to get involved other than to put up some money. A few of us decided we could make it work, so we formed a company to buy the place.

I put quite a bit of my savings into the company and agreed to be the manager and head chef. After the sale was finalized, I took over running the place and kept the restaurant running with the old staff.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #1 on: 06. January 2023, 07:08:20 AM »
Chapter 2

Most of the building had been empty for a while, so the first thing we did was build an office on the second floor for our company. Several of the tenants had stayed in the building more to help out the old couple than because of the good rent, and they decided to move to better locations. They had given us plenty of notice of their intentions before we bought the building, so we were ready for them to leave.

The building had several advantages nearby buildings didn’t. It had plenty of parking around it, and heated underground parking with a freight elevator serving all the floors. Delivery trucks could park inside to unload out of the weather. The building had the second floor built out over the front, providing a sheltered area for customers to get out of their vehicles if the weather was nasty. The old couple had built a garden area beyond that with bushes to screen the drive, adding further protection from the weather and providing a place to enjoy the outdoors when it was nice. We also had great bus service just outside our front door.

The second floor didn’t stay empty for long. A few of the people who invested took advantage and rented space, in effect putting money right back into their pockets. One of those was an orthodontist who didn’t like the place he was renting before the purchase of the building. The couple with the renovation company opened a second office in the building, and began making changes to the building to upgrade it. They also had the advantage of being able to out-bid other companies in the area for jobs because of the low cost of their office. Their first renovation was to the entrance. They build a staircase to the second floor and a reception desk at the foot of it to give the building a professional appearance.

A second entrance to the restaurant was added off the lobby, though the restaurant itself stayed the same, with one change. The former cheerleader became the hostess and her slightly off-kilter smile greeted each customer when they entered the restaurant. The weekly get-together continued, with everyone invited to join in. It wasn't a business meeting, it was just a bunch of friends having lunch and talking.

Part of the main floor was used for storage space. While I wasn’t responsible for managing the building, I did have plans for the space. The restaurant was busy during the day when the offices upstairs were open and the businesses around us were operating, but in the evening, the building was deserted. I wanted to create a restaurant that would draw in people in the evening, and I wanted it to have an unusual theme that nobody else had. I just didn’t know what it was going to be. I also wanted to upgrade the existing restaurant to make it more modern.

The menu in the restaurant gradually changed and expanded. The orthodontist on the second floor suggested a change to the menu to make it more braces-friendly for his patients. The menu still offered many of the inexpensive items from before, but I added a few more-expensive choices in the evening, hoping to draw in a few more customers. It met with moderate success, paying for the cost of keeping the restaurant open later and making a small profit. The feedback from the customers was informative. They wanted a less casual atmosphere when they were dining in the evening.




Each month, the managing members of the company met to discuss business matters, and the second restaurant was always a subject of discussion. I was in charge of planning the layout and theme for the restaurant, while the rest of them had parts to play in making it a reality. The renovation company had a meeting room that was perfect for our meetings and the restaurant provided the food. Even though she wasn’t officially a member of the board, the former cheerleader always stayed after she helped me bring up the food.

Her slightly off-kilter smile had acquired a little bling since we bought the building, thanks to the orthodontist on the second floor. She usually took care of managing the meal or sat quietly while the rest of us talked. The basic layout of the restaurant had been decided on, and the kitchen area was planned out to be as efficient as possible. The new restaurant was going to be aimed at the evening crowd and would have a higher-priced menu, some of which were a success on the menu already. What we didn’t have was a theme and a name for it.

Many ideas had been discussed, with none of them being accepted. It was our normally quiet hostess that said, “If you're looking for something to draw people in, make your menu the focal point. You already have a braces-friendly menu, expand that and make it your focus. You can call the place “Sparkles” and hire a few waitresses with braces or something.” Then she smiled at all of us and added, “I’ll fit right in and can be the hostess at the new place. I wouldn’t mind being able to sleep in every morning.”

The room went silent as we all looked at her, and her smile began to slip, partially covering her braces. Her smile returned when the orthodontist said, “That’s not a bad idea. Nobody else has had an idea anywhere close to as good as hers. I don’t think there is a restaurant anywhere that has tried something like that.” After trying for so long to come up with an idea for a theme, we finally had one that we liked, even if we weren’t quite sure how to do it yet.

With the help of the orthodontist, and assistance from the sparkling-smiled hostess, a braces-friendly menu was put together. The renovation company put together a concept drawing of the inside of the restaurant, with emphasis on the entrance. When the diners walked in, they would find themselves in a waiting room, complete with a vintage dental chair on one side and modern furniture similar to a modern dentist's office on the other, right down to the out-of-date magazines and posters on the wall. The rest of the interior would be typical seating found in any other restaurant, except for the accents, which would be from the various ages of orthodontics.

As the interior of the restaurant took shape, I spent more time working on getting the staff arranged. Our hostess made a few suggestions for what the waitresses should wear and what kind of look they should have. What surprised me was that she suggested we look for guys as well as women to work on the floor.

When I had the scripts we wanted our staff to use, ready, she tried each one of them out for me, with a pleasant smile on her face, so that I could see what to expect as each script was spoken. The idea was to have the orthodontic appliances on display as naturally as possible. With a few minor changes, she improved them for me.

We wanted to hire quality staff, so we offered a good benefits package with all the usual medical and dental benefits. One thing our benefits package had was a free orthodontic exam for every person who applied and met our hiring standards. We had an on-site orthodontist to do them, and he had the final say about if we would hire them.

It gave us several ways to refuse applicants who weren’t suitable without violating labour laws. We knew right from the start that we had to be careful, because we were hiring people with a certain look and had one condition that all of our potential employees had to agree to before we agreed to hire them.





The interview process was in three steps. Anyone that wanted to apply had to show up in person to get an application. The application included the script they would use while working, and they had to know it before they could move to the interview stage. The last page of the application had a list of requirements all our employees were expected to meet or exceed. Our hostess dealt with handing out the applications, and had a polite way of telling some of them they wouldn’t be hired because they didn’t fit the image of the employee we were looking for.

I dealt with the interview process, and I sure enjoyed my job. Each applicant was asked to dress a certain way, as if they were coming to work, and expect to be asked a few personal questions that they might be a little uncomfortable with.

Each interview started the same way, with them smiling at a camera, facing a large screen on the wall so they could see how they looked, as they recited the script they had been given. This step had been suggested by our braced hostess, and she and the orthodontist had tested it out with me watching as if I was conducting an interview, then they had done the same with me. The next step was the interview, where I went over their application with them and asked questions about their work experience.

If I felt that they might make a good employee, I moved on to the last part of the interview, where I asked them questions about why they wanted to work for us and if they understood what the requirements were to work in our restaurant. This is where things became fun for me.

All of our employees were required to wear an orthodontic device of some kind while at work, and it must be visible whenever they smiled. If they chose to wear a retainer,  it had to be Hawley-style.

I had a list of questions I asked each applicant, and one of them was if they enjoyed wearing braces. This question tended to embarrass the guys more than it did the women. I was good at judging how honest they were by their reaction to the question.

Another question I asked was what they would do if they were given the opportunity to fix their teeth and what kind of treatment they would like if they did. This question was more important to us than it seemed to the applicant.

Those two questions often determined whether their application was approved or not. Another determining factor was the way their teeth looked when they smiled. If they had a pleasant, natural-looking smile with teeth in need of treatment, they were given a higher priority. If they already had metal braces and were near the start of their treatment, they were given top priority.

The applicants who made it through the interview were sent upstairs to the orthodontist, where they were given a thorough exam. It was the final screening point and having good hygiene was a final determining factor.

Offline ortho218

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #2 on: 07. January 2023, 17:14:34 PM »
I like this :)

Offline Castlesswonder

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #3 on: 07. January 2023, 17:44:41 PM »
Great idea and story so far. Five stars would definitely eat there

Offline bsma189

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #4 on: 08. January 2023, 02:28:08 AM »
Super excited to see where this goes!

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #5 on: 08. January 2023, 05:26:26 AM »
It's going to be a while before I work on this story again. I have three other stories that need my attention first.

I'm posting the other stories in the club section of the forum and adding them to TheArchive and my account on DeviantArt.

I have a few ideas for where I want to take this story, but as frequently happens, as I write the stories they take a path of their own. I picture this story becoming more of a series of shorter stories rather than one long story, telling it from the point of view of different characters. We will just have to see what happens.

Offline radian

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #6 on: 09. January 2023, 12:38:33 PM »
I've just read the first chapters of this story and it's a very good one, with an original idea ! Such a shame we have to wait a long time for the next parts but I understand your priorities. Thanks a lot for your work !

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #7 on: 09. January 2023, 15:19:35 PM »
I will probably post a little more as the mood takes me. I'm not going to focus on this one just yet. I have a few ideas rumbling around in the back of my brain, and at some point, I'm going to have to get them out of my head.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles - The Cheerleader
« Reply #8 on: 12. January 2023, 10:15:26 AM »
Sparkles - The Cheerleader

By Braceface2015


Chapter 1



It’s a bit embarrassing to be riding the bus wearing a fancy dress and heels, but I wasn’t going to miss another school reunion just because my car was broken down again. I’d saved all year to buy a nice dress and new shoes just for this event, and I wanted to make a good impression in front of some of the people I had gone to school with.

I had been a cheerleader and dated the quarterback, every high-school girl's dream. After graduation, he had gone to college on a football scholarship and I followed him, getting a job as a secretary. I figured my looks would get me through life, and it worked for a while. We got married after dating for several years and thought we would be together for the rest of our lives, until he graduated with a useless degree and ended up playing for a bottom-tier team and was injured.

That was my first marriage that ended in divorce. My second one wasn’t much better. I should have known better than to get involved with my boss. A couple of years after marrying him, he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar and ended up in jail, and left me with an empty bank account and my second divorce.

My looks had matured a bit and I had struggled to maintain my figure through everything, so I still looked good, but I couldn’t compete with the college girls anymore.

The bus stops across from the school and I put my head up and my shoulders back as I cross the street, determined to do my best to project a modestly successful appearance. After detouring through the parking lot to make it appear as if I came by car, I walk through the people standing around outside and talking. It’s a school reunion, so there are a few people that I vaguely remember from my years at the school. A couple of people wave to me, so I make my way to them and introduce myself, adding what years I attended. It seems they remember me from when I was a cheerleader and they invite me to join them for the afternoon.

After the typical speeches that come with all reunions, we decide to skip the mass-produced meal and find someplace with better food. I make the excuse that my ride has already left and I would like to join them, but I don't have a way to get around, so one of them offers me a ride. It turns out he is one of those kids we all made fun of in school for studying, and has a successful business now.

We all meet at a little restaurant that has been there for as long as we can remember. The food is good, even if it is simple, and the conversation is better. We find that we have a few shared memories, one of them being how much we enjoyed hanging out at restaurants like this. Someone suggests meeting again so that we don’t lose contact with each other and a few people agree, one of them being the guy who gave me the ride.

When the bill comes, he pays for my share, then offers me a ride to my place. I smile at him, something that I haven't been doing much of lately. I've always been a bit wary of how I smile, being accustomed to keeping my teeth covered, but it feels g to have a guy treating me nice for a change and I give him a toothy smile as I thank him.

I’m a bit ashamed of where I live, so I ask if it would be okay if he drop me off at the mall so I can catch the bus instead. I give him my cell number and email, saying that I would like to hear from him again.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles - The Cheerleader
« Reply #9 on: 12. January 2023, 22:08:09 PM »
Chapter 2

A week later, I get a text from him asking if I would like to get together with the group on Wednesday. At first I’m hesitant, not sure if I fit in with them. They’re all more successful than I am, and I can’t even afford to get my car fixed. When I text back that I am having car problems, he offers to pick me up. After a few texts back and forth, he convinces me to let him pick me up at my place.

After scrounging through my closet, I put together a reasonably dressy outfit. Even though it isn’t a date, I still want to feel good about how I look and I want to look good for him. I make sure to brush my teeth before he shows up, looking at my off-kilter teeth one more time. I’ve always wanted to fix them, but have never had the money to do it.

His car looks so out of place in my neighbourhood. He gets out and opens my door for me before I reach it, then asks me to wait while he opens it for me at the restaurant. Before he opens the door to the restaurant he says, “Let me pay for your meal. It’s not a date and I don’t expect anything in return. Just have fun and enjoy yourself.”

I give him an off-kilter smile and accept his offer. We’re not the first to arrive nor are we the last. The restaurant is busier this time and it looks as if they are short-handed. The waitress looks as if she is falling further behind, so I grab a coffeepot and take care of our table to give her a break. I’ve done my share of waitressing and it feels good to be able to do it again. As more people join us at our table, I grab a fresh pot and ask the waitress for an order pad, explaining that I would appreciate it if she let me help her out a little. The group is a bit confused by what I am doing, but I ask them to look around and take notice of how busy she is.

I’m a bit rusty, but the cooks seem to understand my order shorthand and everyone gets the meal they ordered, or at least I don’t hear any complaints from the group. At the end of the meal, everyone divides up the bill and throws a few bills into the middle of the table for a tip, then push it my way. I blush a little, then call the waitress over and give it to her.

She’s young, probably just starting college and working to pay her tuition, and judging by the metal braces on her teeth, new to braces as well. Her teeth have an uneven appearance and she keeps moving her lips away from the brackets on her teeth when she closes her mouth.

I noticed the guy that brought me glanced at her a few times as she moved around the restaurant, but no more than the rest of the guys did. She could have been me when I was younger and waitressing, except I didn't have braces.

When he drops me off, he asks if I want to go again next week, and says that he will pick me up and pay for me again if I want to go. He says it isn’t a date, just that he is enjoying my company. That earns him another toothy smile and a promise that he can pick me up again. I notice that his eyes linger on my smile before returning to my eyes.



After running around to job interviews all day, I’m not quite ready when he arrives to pick me up. I’m dressed, but need to do my makeup and fix my hair, so I let him in. My place is small, only a bachelor apartment, so he can see through the bathroom door as I finish getting ready. He moves a little closer as I brush my teeth, and I notice him from the corner of my eye as I rinse the toothpaste from my mouth.

He opens the car door for me again, both as we leave my place and at the restaurant, then opens the door to the restaurant for me. The group is larger this time and we push several tables together to create one big table. The same girl is working and she looks as if she is just as busy. She smiles at us and says she will be with us soon to fill our coffee cups. I notice my friend checking out her smile, but it only lasts a second or two.

Before I sit down, I grab a coffee pot and fill all our cups. I get a thankful smile from the waitress as she takes food to a nearby table. When it seems as if everyone that is coming has arrived, I get an order pad from her and take everyone's orders. With so many orders ready at the same time, I give her a hand bringing them to the table. My waitressing skills show as I handle multiple orders at the same time and deliver them to the correct person each time. I was taught to always smile at the customer as I am serving them and my training kicks in, and I catch my friend checking out my smile as I move around the table.

It’s not as if I am spending all my time serving our table. The coffee pot moves around the table without my assistance, though I do get refills when it is empty. The rest of the time I just sit back and listen to them talk. While I am accepted as an equal, the conversation tends to be above my income level much of the time and I don’t feel as if I have anything to contribute.

Once again, the pile of tips in the middle of the table grows and is pushed in my direction. I make a point of calling our waitress over and giving it to her. She thanks me and smiles at me, and again, my friend checks out her smile.

He takes the long way back to my place, giving us more time to talk. Each time we wait at a light, he turns to me and watches me talk. When he walks me to my door, he says, “Let’s make this trip to the restaurant an ongoing thing. If you can’t make it, just send me a text. I’m not asking for a date, I just enjoy spending time with you and I spend so much time working, I don’t have a lot of chances to spend time with a pretty lady.”

I blush at being referred to as pretty. It’s been so long since I felt that way about myself, and just as long since someone said it in such a casual way. He waits as I smile at him, and again his eyes drop to my mouth before returning to my eyes, as I accept his offer of an ongoing ride to the restaurant.



Each week, he picks me up at my place and we drive to the restaurant. He never lets me pay for my meal, and each week, I take care of serving our table, no matter how busy the restaurant is. It makes me feel good about myself to be useful and help out someone else.

What I am doing doesn’t go unnoticed. After helping out the waitresses for several weeks, I find a dessert being delivered to me at the end of the meal and the charge never appears on the bill.

One week, just before we leave the restaurant, one of the ladies in the group takes me aside and hands me a bag, saying, "I was making room in my closet. I came across a few things I never wear anymore. Take them home and try them on. Let me know if they fit." When I open the bag, I find it full of brand-name clothes, some looking as if they have never been worn. A few weeks later, another of the ladies does the same thing. I try to thank them and tell them they shouldn't be giving me such expensive clothes, but they repeat they were just making room in their closets.

One of the topics of conversation around the table is the real estate sign in front of the restaurant. One of the ladies in the group works for a real estate company and has access to information the rest of us don’t. It’s not just the restaurant that is for sale, it is the whole building. I’ve spent enough time working in restaurants to know that this place has the potential to keep going as it is, and after looking around ‘behind the wall’, feel that it has the potential to be even better.

The old couple that owns the building and restaurant sometimes drop by when we are around and chat with us, and the lady has started to bring a cake to the table when they chat with us. She’s mentioned a few times that she could use a waitress with the skills I have, and that if I ever need a job, she’d be glad to hire me. If things don’t improve for me soon financially, I might just take her up on the offer.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles - The Cheerleader
« Reply #10 on: 14. January 2023, 20:10:18 PM »
Chapter 3

A couple of people from our group took a look at the building and gave the couple some advice on how to make the building more appealing to potential buyers. When we first started meeting at the restaurant, someone made a comment about buying the place so we would have somewhere to eat for free, but everyone just laughed it off. It turns out the old couple made the group an offer to sell them the building at a good price, and they are considering it. My boyfriend is one of the people talking about maybe forming a company to buy it.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend asked if I would be interested in going on a date with him, and I answered him with a major kiss. For the first time in longer than I want to remember, I felt a set of lips on mine, and I was very pleasantly surprised when his tongue ran over my top teeth very briefly, before he broke off the kiss. He apologized for going too far, but I pulled him in for another kiss before he could finish his apology.

I also told the old couple that I would like to work for them, as long as I can have Wednesdays off so I can still meet with my group of friends. Having a reliable car to drive helped me to decide to finally change jobs. One of my friends in the group has a dealership and offered to sell me a good used car at a price I can afford. My boyfriend offered to buy the car for me, but I told him that I need to do things for myself. It took me a while to tell him, because I spent quite a bit of time kissing him while I tried to explain to him why I was turning down his offer.

He seems to like running his tongue over my misaligned teeth, and I encourage him to do it by making my mouth available to him as often as possible. I’ve told him I don’t want to be involved in a serious relationship just yet, but I don’t want to miss out on some of the things a serious relationship has. We’re just going to take things slowly and see where our relationship goes.



I fit in with the staff at the restaurant. I had met most of them already, and they easily adjusted to me being there more. My boyfriend began showing up almost every night for supper. He tried sitting across the restaurant from where I was working, but the other waitresses refused to serve him unless he was in my area. Then they would pass by and fill his coffee cup or ask him if they could get him anything.

When the old couple find out where I am living, they show me an apartment upstairs they have for rent and offer it to me at a good price. It is bigger than the place I am in and in much better shape, so I accept their offer. When I try to give them a damage deposit, the owners grin and the lady says, "Your boss gave you a good reference, and we know where you work if there are any problems." After they give me the keys, they tell me I can begin moving my stuff in any time I want to. When I bring the first load of things over, there is a new dishwasher installed in the kitchen and a brand new stacking washing machine and dryer in the laundry room. I begin to feel as if the old couple are using me to try to influence the group to purchase the building, but I'm not complaining. It's kind of flattering they think that I have any say in what the group does. They aren't putting any pressure on me and they haven't asked me to do anything.

My boyfriend told me was going to send a moving company to pick up the rest of my things, but all that shows up is a small enclosed moving truck big enough to hold my smaller items. After loading everything into the truck, he hands one of the movers the keys to my car and takes me to my new apartment. When he opens the door for me, I find brand new furniture in my apartment. I start to protest, but he puts his finger against my lips and says, “My back is sore from sitting on that worn-out stuff you call furniture.” He flips a lever on the end of the sectional and a twin bed slides out. “This is for when you want to have company over or you want to watch tv in bed.”

He takes me into the bedroom and there is a new queen-size bed with cast-iron head and footboards. “I want you to be able to get a good night's sleep instead of tossing and turning on the lumpy old mattress you had before. He picks me up and gently lays me on the mattress, and it feels as if I am resting on a cloud. So far he’s respected the boundaries I have set without any complaint.

I can see the direction this is taking, and pull his face down so I can kiss him. “You’re still not allowed to sleep in my bed, but I might be willing to make an exception if you were to sleep on the couch once in a while.”




I begin to see some of the group coming in for meals on other days I am working. At first I don’t say anything, but when they sit in my section most of the time, I bring it up at the Wednesday gathering. A few protest that they are just doing market research to determine if the restaurant is a good purchase, but they back off when I glare at them. They agree to sit in other sections of the restaurant when they do come in. The place isn’t that big, but at least the other waitresses will get their fair share of the tips.

It’s no secret that I don’t have money to spend the way most of them do, and they keep finding ways to help me out without me feeling as if I am a charity case. All I have to do is look in my closet or my parking spot. Other than the two bags of clothes, I have bought everything else myself, often at a marked-down price or at an employee discount when one of them took me shopping with them.



It takes a while, but eventually a company is formed to make an offer on the building. Most of the group don't want to be directly involved in the deal, but they are willing to invest in it. The decision is made to sell shares at a set price, and anyone in the group can buy as many shares as they want until there is enough money to buy the building. After that, a fund will be set up to renovate the building and manage it. A few members of the group agree to manage the company and form the board.

It takes a while for changes to start happening. The restaurant has a few repairs done and a minor renovation to add a second entrance, this one from the inside of the building. One of the new owners takes over running the restaurant and the menu gets an update. The big change for me is a promotion to the new position of hostess, which the other staff approve of. It’s more of a title than anything else.

I don’t know how many shares my boyfriend buys, and I promise him I won’t ask. For the first time in far too long, I have a small savings account again. I want to get something special for him, but I can’t think of what I can do he can’t just buy for himself if he wants to.

I’ve suspected for a long time that he has an interest in teeth. After the first time he kissed me and ran his tongue over my teeth, I’ve noticed how he likes looking at mine. He’s commented that he thinks I have an almost-perfect smile. In a roundabout way, I’ve managed to get him to admit that there is a way to make my smile perfect, but he won’t tell me what it is.

Offline Sparky

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #11 on: 14. January 2023, 23:01:52 PM »
I've done this myself in stories, having multiple views of the same thing, and it actually makes the story more interesting in a way, as we know  what is coming up.

I'm guessing there's going to be a couple more chapters from "The Cheerleader's" perspective before it's at the same point as the original story thread. I'm kinda hoping we might get to see things from a third person's perspective too.... looks like I just need to be patient. Also looking forward to when the new restaurant actually opens.

It's strange, I'm not enjoying your other stories over in the club area so much, but this one I'm definitely enjoying!

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #12 on: 15. January 2023, 01:26:17 AM »
Each of my stories is different. None of them is completely about braces, they each have more to the story.

I've said it many times, the stories I write are to entertain myself. If other people enjoy my stories, that is a bonus.

I've been tossing around ideas along that line, and there is plenty of opportunity to add more characters whenever I want to. I haven't done anything with the orthodontist, and there are plenty of restaurant staff with stories I can tell. :D

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles - Charlene
« Reply #13 on: 17. January 2023, 03:00:28 AM »
Sparkles - Charlene

By Braceface2018

Chapter 1



I met my husband when we were both still in school. I had just moved to town and had been hired to work at the truckstop as a waitress. The truckstop was on leased land and the family that owned it was the largest landowner in the area. They had a mixed grain farm, beef and dairy herds and an egg-laying chicken operation.

At the time, he didn’t have his commercial driver's license yet, but had been driving big rigs around the farm for years and drove the smaller trucks on the road. The family operation used the truckstop to fuel their vehicles because they paid a lower price at the truckstop than if they bought it in bulk for the farm.

I’d see him at school and we had a few classes together, but we didn’t hit it off at the start. My name is Charlene, but I preferred to use Leena, thinking it was more feminine, but he always called me Charli even though I told him I didn’t like it.

He’d frequently stop by the truckstop and fuel up whatever vehicle he was driving, and he liked to flirt with the waitresses and cashiers, a few of who went to the same school as us. It didn’t occur to me at the time, but he seemed to favour the ones that had braces. Back then, they still used bands around each tooth, though the bonded brackets were becoming more widely used. He made a point of talking to me each time he came in, no matter who was working that day. I both enjoyed it and was a bit put off at the same time. He was always polite to me and waited until I was free, which I liked, but he also insisted on calling me Charli no matter how many times I told him not to do it. Looking back on it, it was his way of teasing me, and he still does it.

Back then, I didn’t understand why he was interested in me. He could have dated any of the good-looking girls at our school, especially the ones with braces, and he did date a few a couple of times, but they never seemed to last long. He kept asking me for a date, but I kept telling him I didn’t want to date a stuck-up rich kid. It was my way of getting back at him for calling me Charli. He didn’t give up though, and he kept buying me nice clips to tie back my long hair. I liked the clips and kept them all. As he bought more clips, he also bought a fancy multi-drawer cabinet to hold them. I found out later just how much some of them cost.

I didn’t think I was good-looking. My teeth were crooked and I had a gap between my top front teeth. My parents didn’t have the money to fix my teeth, so I learnt how to smile without showing my teeth unless I had to. He became quite good at telling me jokes to get me to laugh, something he didn’t do with the other girls he talked to. His jokes were good enough that he had me laughing with my teeth showing.

I rode the bus to and from work, but the bus didn't run that often and I had to wait for it in the dark to get home. Even though it stopped right in front of the truckstop and was well-lit, it still was a bit risky. When he found out, he started showing up at the end of my shift to fill up his fuel tank and began offering me a ride home. I resisted his offer for a while, but he would just park near the road until the bus came and I got on. I finally let him start driving me home, and I got to know him better. It turned out that the girls he dated had told me the truth, he didn't act like a spoiled rich kid. I didn't like that he flirted with the waitresses with braces, but we weren't dating, so I couldn't do much about it.

Over the summer, I worked more hours, and each night, he was there to drive me home. He didn’t have a fancy truck, it was an old pickup that he had rebuilt and upgraded himself. And one day he showed up with the passenger seat recovered with my name stitched into the seatback. I didn’t know how to react. Once again, he asked me to go on a date, and for the first time, I told him I would go on one date with him and that would be it.

I expected it to be to a drive-in movie, just like all the other guys made a habit of doing on their dates, but he took me to his place on the farm and cooked me supper on the grill outside. After we ate, he took me horseback riding through the fields and we watched the sun go down from the top of a hill.

It was a few dates later that I asked him about the seat cover, and he told me I was the only woman who was going to sit in it, so I needed to have my name on it. It brought a big toothy smile to my face and earned him a kiss on the cheek. On the next date, I rode back from the hill on the back of his horse, and he got a kiss on the lips. I still hadn’t said I would date him. But we both knew I would.

In the fall, he passed his commercial driver's test and showed up at my door to pick me up in a highway truck, and my name was on the passenger's door. We still weren't officially dating, but we might as well have been. He was hauling things for the farm all day, and on the days I wasn't working, I rode with him. He stopped flirting with the waitresses when I asked him, though I did catch him looking at them when he thought I wasn't looking.

In the spring, he bought a couple more trucks and took over all the hauling for the farm. When the farm didn’t need him, he hauled for other farms in the area. His trucks were so busy that he needed someone to handle the scheduling, and he hired me to run the office for him. I didn’t get to ride with him as often, but I was making more money doing less work. Then he set up a laptop and cell phone to connect to the office and I could do just about everything while I rode with him. He changed the company name on the trucks to SRK Trucking, and I was the only person who knew that it stood for ‘spoiled rich kid trucking’. I still told him that I wouldn’t date a spoiled rich kid.

In the fall, he gave me a ring and asked me if I would marry him. I told him yes and pulled him against me for a lengthy kiss, then told him I still wouldn’t date a spoiled rich kid. He just laughed and told me to stop spoiling him then. That led to an extended kissing session, which included him running his tongue over my teeth and the gap between them. He enjoyed kissing me and my misaligned teeth didn’t seem to bother him at all.

We got married in the spring, and by the fall, I was pregnant with twin girls. We were both happy about me being pregnant, and he built a new house for our family on the farm. The trucking business was doing good and he had bought a few more trucks, so I spent more time in the office as my belly got bigger and less time in the truck, partially because it was harder to climb in and out of the truck with a big belly.

The old house became the office and it worked great having the space for the kids to be with me all the time. As the company grew, so did the length of the trips. What started as one-day trips became two days and grew from there. I didn’t mind it when we both did them together, but as my due date got closer and I spent more time at home, he let other drivers take more of them so he could be home more often.

After the twins arrived, he spent less time on the road and more time with his family, but I didn’t have the time to spend with him like I used to, and devoted more of my life to my daughters than him. The number of overnight trips slowly grew. As the girls got older and asked him to take them for rides, he took them in the truck for the day, alternating girls to keep it fair. By that time, the company had grown and we had office staff for me to supervise and a maintenance crew for the trucks. When he wasn’t on the road, he was managing the garage.

My daughters inherited my teeth, and when they were old enough, they asked to get braces and he willingly made the appointments for them to get them and was the one that took them to all their appointments while they had them. He asked me a few times if I wanted to get braces with them, but didn't push it when I didn't seem interested. When they got their braces off, he insisted they get Hawleys and made sure they wore them more than they were required to.

Their teeth turned out beautiful and stayed that way. I was a bit jealous of their smiles and almost wished that I had gone through braces with them. He was an overprotective father, and no boy seemed good enough for his daughters. I went behind his back a few times, and they ended up dating guys that treated them right, but not as well as my husband had treated me. Nobody was that good in my eyes.

Our relationship had suffered over the years and a lot of it was because of how I treated him. I had pushed him away too many times and he had eventually retreated to a place where he felt safe, inside his trucks. I knew that he cared for me still, but I had rejected him too often and he didn’t know how to get me back no matter what he tried.

Offline TrainTrack

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #14 on: 17. January 2023, 05:36:06 AM »
I haven't done anything with the orthodontist, and there are plenty of restaurant staff with stories I can tell. :D
I was wondering how it all fit together. Does that mean that “Charlene” and “The Cheerleader” are restaurant employees? Anyway, it’s a good story, even if we aren’t to the braces part yet.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #15 on: 17. January 2023, 08:45:46 AM »
Read the first story, then the second one and the third. The stories are all linked by the location it is taking place. Each story is from the perspective of the person in the story.

I don't want to post it all at once because the stories tell parts of the bigger story.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles - The Cheerleader
« Reply #16 on: 17. January 2023, 11:19:19 AM »
Chapter 4

One of the new owners took over running the restaurant after the sale of the building and has been making changes to the restaurant. He’s had lots of experience running successful restaurants for other people and is making changes to ours to improve it. He has an office on the second floor and spends part of his time in the kitchen working with us.

The restaurant opens for breakfast now and stays open a little later in the evening to attract a larger range of people. The menu has also changed a bit and he has added an evening menu with some more-expensive dishes. With the extended hours, he hired a few more people to work, and all the original staff got a bump in pay. My raise came with a title change to head hostess and I am in charge of hiring and training the new staff. Most of the new staff are younger and I work the weekends so I can train them, taking time off during the week.

The girl with braces asked to work evenings so she can get more hours and I am training her to be a hostess. I start work in the morning with the breakfast crew and she starts in the afternoon, giving me the time to train her and the new floor staff. She's been telling me all about what it is like to have braces and how much it has affected her life.

My boyfriend has stopped eating at the restaurant as much with my new hours and responsibilities. Instead, he frequently comes in just before I finish work for the day and we have supper in my apartment. He always says hi to the new hostess, and I see how he checks out her braces each time. Whenever there is a change to them, he comments on it.



Most of the old tenants moved out when the building sold and some of the new owners are moving into the empty spaces. The company doing the renovations is owned by a husband and wife from our group and they are opening a new office on the second floor to manage the building for the investors. Most of it is just moving walls and updating the wiring and plumbing.

My boyfriend tells me all about what is happening with the building and he’s told me not to worry about all the changes going on, it is all part of the plan to make money. A few of the investors are going to move their businesses into the building and the money from the rent will be going right back into the investor's pockets as profit after the expenses are taken off.

One of the first investors to move in is an orthodontist, and he invited me and my boyfriend to check out the renovations to his office and give him our opinion. I noticed how interested my boyfriend was as we toured the office and he seemed to be extra affectionate after the tour. Between the building manager's new office and the company offices is a new meeting room, and the Wednesday group meeting has moved into there and has become an informal investors meeting. Each week the restaurant prepares food ahead of time, and the new restaurant owner has me help bring the food up and has me stay. Even though I don't have any shares, they still include me in the meeting, maybe because my boyfriend bought some.

The restaurant is so busy now that it could easily be expanded, but the investors are more interested in building the new one than they are in fixing up the old one, the thing is they don’t know what theme they want to use. I usually just sit back and listen to them talk.



The plans for the new kitchen are underway and there is a mockup of it on the main floor beside the elevator shaft. The plan is to have it big enough to handle cooking for the new restaurant and be able to handle a takeout menu as well, without needing to be expanded. The old coolroom and freezer have been replaced by new, larger rooms and the kitchen staff are thrilled with the added space they have to work with.

With all the renovations and the expanded hours to the restaurant, coupled with the braces-friendly menu additions, I've been noticing an increase in the number of people with orthodontic appliances. It isn't just the customers either, it seems as if the younger members of our restaurant staff are included. The new chef handles most of the training for the kitchen staff, but there is some overlap with the dishwashers and busboys. I do the training for the waitresses and waiters, and a few of them are somewhere in their orthodontic treatment. A few have switched to the orthodontist upstairs because of the convenience of being able to schedule their appointments for the days they are working, and I have been hearing nice things about how much they like how they are treated by the orthodontic staff.

Part of my job as the head hostess is to connect with the customers and find out what we can do to make their experience in the restaurant better and what they like about what we are already doing. The new menu items are popular and not just with the people who have braces. One thing I have been hearing is that the evening customers would like it if the restaurant had a more intimate atmosphere to go with some of the more pricey items on the menu.

I've also noticed that the serving staff with orthodontic appliances are getting better tips than the staff without. And I'm seeing a trend for when my boyfriend shows up early for supper. Whenever I am training someone with braces, he's early, and he is always polite to them when he greets them by name.


The orthodontist drops by the restaurant each morning to pick up a large thermos of coffee for his office and he usually stops to say hello to me. He’s started offering a discount to employees of the company, and that includes the restaurant. A couple of the older waitresses have been to see him and one is talking about how thrilled she is about her upcoming appointment to get her braces. She’s an older lady, in her late 40s, and mentioned she is doing it because her husband has been encouraging her to do it. It seems he has a thing for women in braces.

Each Wednesday, when I bring the food to the investor's group, we include a new menu item for them to taste test. After the group is updated on the latest company issues, the plans for the new restaurant come up and I have become more involved in the discussion. They seem to value my input and my suggestions have been appearing on the possible floorplans for the new restaurant. The orthodontist has been asking for my opinion on what items are popular on the new braces-friendly menu and which ones need to be changed.

Each time I tell him that I am probably not the best person to ask, because I don't have braces, and he has begun jokingly replying that I should get them so I could be better equipped to try out the menu. My boyfriend has been around a few times when I have been talking to the orthodontist, and he's been a bit more affectionate each time after hearing the comment.




The older waitress left partway through her shift to get her braces installed, and her husband came to take her to her appointment. I have a good view of the stairs to the second floor, and there is a space on the far side of it that is semi-private and is partially blocked from view by potted plants. When she came down the stairs after her appointment, he guided her into the space and they engaged in some heavy kissing. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought it was a couple of young people sneaking off behind the stairs. Judging by the smile on her face, and her slightly rumpled clothing when she returned to work, it seems as if I wasn’t that wrong.

I’ve begun to think that I have an idea for the new restaurant, but it seems too wild to be practical. I’ve also begun to think about what kind of present I can get for my boyfriend, but I really need to think about it some more.

My suggestion to have the new restaurant broken up into sections has been put into the plans and a model has been made for the investors to look at. One section has small semi-private rooms for a couple to enjoy if they are on a date, and they can hold up to six people by adding more chairs. Another section can be arranged to seat small groups and if needed, rearranged to create a table to accommodate a large group easily. The last section is booths for groups of six to eight people, depending on how cozy they want to get.

The orthodontist asked me to come up to his office for a dental checkup. He had heard that I hadn’t had one in far too long and offered to do it for free, including doing impressions of my teeth. It’s part of the new package he is offering to all the employees of the company. I booked it for one of my days off, and I enjoyed my appointment. Having impressions done was a new experience for me, but he was very competent and he prepared me for the way the goop would squeeze out against my palate.

He had me come back a few days later and filled a couple of small cavities that were starting and complimented me on my good hygiene. He also said that he took a look at all my X-rays and the models of my teeth and had a treatment plan if I ever wanted to fix my teeth. I thanked him for taking the time and said I would give it some thought.



I look at my bank account and see that I can afford to start treatment if I take the money I have saved for my boyfriend’s gift. If I pay the rest of it off in installments, I can finally get my teeth fixed, but I still want to get my boyfriend something special. His birthday is coming up soon and the anniversary of our first official date is just about the same time.

My boyfriend's business has been doing very well and he has expanded to other cities. He's taken me on a few trips to check on the new offices, and each time has been so much fun. We fly each time, and a few times he has pointed out when he sees someone going through the metal detector wearing braces. He likes to take me to restaurants to try out different meals and often asks if it is something that could be served at the new restaurant and if I thought it was something to add to the braces-friendly menu.

I keep telling him that I am not the best person to answer that, but he just smiles and kisses me, running his tongue over my teeth each time. He never says anything about my misaligned teeth. It’s almost as if he doesn’t mind having a girlfriend without a perfect smile.

Offline radian

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #17 on: 17. January 2023, 13:46:07 PM »
Very pleasant story to read, especially because of the different points of view you use, which is kind of original.

Hope the following is coming soon !

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #18 on: 17. January 2023, 13:57:55 PM »
I have a few chapters ready to post. I'm spreading them out a little to give everyone a chance to read them before they move too far down in the posts.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles - The Bet
« Reply #19 on: 18. January 2023, 12:35:51 PM »
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.”

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles - Charlene
« Reply #20 on: 18. January 2023, 23:42:03 PM »
Chapter 2

After our daughters got married, he merged the company with another company and semi-retired. I no longer had to work and found I had a hard time adjusting. We moved into town and I tried to find ways to keep myself busy. I had more money than I knew what to do with, so I didn’t need to work, but I decided to get a part-time job. I had enjoyed waitressing before we got married, and found a place that needed a waitress part-time. I was a little rusty after all the years, but they were patient and it all came back to me.

My husband couldn’t stay idle either, and built a greenhouse to grow flowers. He hired a company to design and build it, but he got right in there with the rest of them and got dirty. He hired good people to work with him and soon I had fresh flowers on the table each morning. In the afternoon, he drove me to work. At first, he would just drop me off and make a few deliveries.

The move into town gave us a chance to work on our relationship, and I made a real attempt to win him back. I started with simple things, like asking him to walk me into the restaurant at the beginning of my shift and come inside a little early to pick me up after work. The old pickup truck with my name on the seat had been parked many years ago and had sat in the barn. I had it repaired and intended to give it to him as an anniversary present. One change I made was to have his seat recovered and his name stitched into it to match what he had done for me all those years ago.

Him walking me into the restaurant turned out to be a good thing, but not in the way I expected. The building the restaurant was in had been sold and the new owners had made a few changes to give it a new look. When the chef heard that my husband was growing flowers, he gave my husband a contract to supply flowers to the restaurant. On the days I was working, he delivered them himself when he dropped me off, and hung around for a while and talked to the staff. One of the waitresses was just a bit younger than our daughters and still had braces. And he made a point of saying hello to her whenever she worked the same days I did.

The things I was doing worked and our relationship improved. It wasn't the same as it had been before. We were both older and some of the things that seemed so important back then just weren't anymore. I didn't realize just how important watching the sun go down together was to me until he took me out to the edge of town one evening. So many memories came back to me and I did something we hadn't done for a long time. I moved over beside him and slowly kissed him the way I used to before we got married.

It took a few more trips to the hill and a blanket on the grass before he responded the way he used to, but I finally felt his tongue run over my teeth the way I had been accustomed to. When I began to cry, he asked what was wrong and it took me a while to explain to him how much his old way of kissing meant to me. The next weekend was our anniversary, and I gave the truck to him. I explained to him what it meant to me and that I was determined to live up to the logo on the door and treat him like the ‘spoiled rich kid’ he deserved to be.

We took the truck to the hill and watched the sun go down while laying in the back on a mattress. As the last rays of the sun disappeared and the stars came out, he kissed me the way he used to and ran his tongue over the gap between my teeth. Then he pulled back and said, “I haven’t asked you this before, but I want you to do something for me. I want you to get braces. I don’t care if you don’t get your teeth fixed, and I would be very happy if you didn’t get them fixed, because I like how they are right now, but I have always wondered what it would be like to kiss you with braces.”

We sat there for a while looking at the stars, then I rolled over and kissed him again and let him run his tongue over my teeth some more. "If that is what you want, then let me talk to the orthodontist in the office above the restaurant." After a  bit more kissing, I asked, "How would you like to go with me and we can both see what he can do for us." That provoked a reaction in him that had been missing for a while, and we almost got caught by the cop car that drove by patrolling the parking lot. It was the most fun we had in a long time.

As we drove home, so many little things clicked into place in my mind and I asked him, “Did you marry me because of my teeth?”

His response surprised me. “I married you because of who you were. Your teeth were just a bonus. You kept telling me that you wouldn’t date a rich kid and I liked that.”

I couldn’t stop laughing for a long time. When I finally stopped, I managed to say, “I said I wouldn’t date a SPOILED rich kid, I never said I wouldn’t marry a rich kid. Now pull over, I think I need to make up for some lost time and kiss you again.”

I called the orthodontist the next day and we had an appointment that afternoon before I started my shift. I had so much on my mind that the hostess split my section between two other waitresses and had me cleaning tables and helping out.

Our talk with the orthodontist had been very interesting and gave me a lot to think about. Unlike most orthodontists who concentrated on getting the result as fast as possible, he was more interested in giving his patients the look they wanted and took as long as needed to achieve it. My case wouldn't be the first time he had been asked for a less-than-perfect look at the end of the treatment. If we wanted, he could line my teeth up to meet properly and make them look very similar to the way they already looked, including the gap between my top teeth, and if we wanted he could add a similar gap to the bottom.

He could also give me a Hollywood smile and take years longer than necessary to do it. He showed us all the different appliances he could use on me, even those I wouldn’t need for treatment, and I had seen my husband’s eyes light up. Even though the cost of the treatment didn’t matter to us, part of the benefits package I was entitled to was a discount on the cost of the treatment.

We talked about it for the next few days, and I told him I would leave it up to him to decide what we would do. If he didn’t want to tell me, he didn’t have to and I would let him do whatever he wanted without complaint.

I knew that I would be getting molar bands because I had separators installed on the top and bottom, and they had been a part of all the treatment plans, but the rest was a mystery to me. On the day of my appointment, he drove me to the office and went up with me. The orthodontist had a contract for me to sign saying I agreed to the treatment, and even though I hadn't seen what I was getting, I signed it.

The first part was easy. The separators came out and the molar bands went on. I was expecting four, but I ended up with eight. The back molars had tubes on both sides, and the front had tubes on the inside. I knew right away that I would have more going on in my mouth than I expected.

I was relieved when he began gluing metal brackets to the rest of my teeth. One of the options discussed had been bands on all my teeth, and if that was what my husband had wanted, I would have accepted it. My husband had rejected the self-ligating brackets at the first appointment, so I knew I would be getting ligatures to hold the archwires in place. When the time came for the archwires to go in, I closed my eyes and waited until the ligatures were in place.

They asked me if I wanted to see my new braces, but I just shook my head while I ran my tongue over my metal-covered teeth. I wanted to wait until I was at home just in case I had a meltdown. As we reached the bottom of the stairs, my husband pulled me behind the stairs into a partially screened-off area and kissed me for the first with me wearing braces. His kiss was very gentle and tentative at first, and I felt just like a teenager kissing for the first time. When I didn't pull away, he got a little more daring and explored my braces with his tongue, and I really began to feel like a teenager.

All of the old feelings came back in a rush and I knew I had done the right thing by getting braces. My husband was back in my arms and we had the rest of our lives to be together. I knew it for sure when he called me Charli, something he hadn’t done in far too many years.

I was supposed to work a shift that afternoon, but the hostess knew I had more important things to do and understood when I told her I was taking the rest of the day off.

Offline anton08

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #21 on: 19. January 2023, 07:49:29 AM »
Some more chapters would be very much appreciated.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles - The Cheerleader
« Reply #22 on: 20. January 2023, 03:37:34 AM »
Chapter 5

I've told the orthodontist I appreciate his offer, but I don't think I can afford to fix my teeth just yet. He's told me I can spread out the payments more and pay a small installation fee to get me started if it would help.

I look at the smiles of the women at the Wednesday investor's meeting and see how nice they look with straight teeth. It would be so nice if I could have a smile as nice as theirs for my boyfriend to enjoy. I’ve seen how he looks at women with braces and I feel that he is picturing them with straight teeth.

Whenever I get a chance, I talk to the hostess with braces and get her opinion on what she thinks I should do. The waitress with new braces has joined us a few times, and her opinion is that I should do it. Her husband is enjoying having her in braces and is very supportive when her teeth are sore. They both say that their braces aren’t an inconvenience, and the soreness doesn’t last very long. It’s given me a lot to think about.

Every time I brush my teeth and look at them in the mirror, I picture myself with straight teeth. The more I think about it, the more appealing the idea of fixing my teeth becomes. I’ve looked at the treatment plans the orthodontist gave me, and each time they look a little bit more affordable.


I’ve booked an appointment to talk to the orthodontist about fixing my teeth. There is enough in my bank account to start, and the monthly payments are low enough that I can afford them.


After talking to the orthodontist, he told me that there are three treatments he can recommend. The first would be surgery to move my jaws into place and then a short treatment to align the teeth. It would involve me taking some time off to heal. I told him that wasn’t an option. Even though I wouldn’t be in braces very long and I would have a perfect smile, I still can’t afford the time off.

The second option would be to have a few teeth removed to allow the rest to move into place. We both didn’t like that option very much. He said he doesn’t like removing healthy teeth if at all possible. I didn’t like the idea of having big gaps in my smile while my teeth are moving and told him so. I would be in braces longer than the first option and he told me the result wouldn’t be as good in the end.

The third option he gave me was a bit scary at first. It involves widening my arches and shifting my teeth into place. When he told me everything that was involved, I almost told him to forget it, but he explained how everything works, using the models of my teeth to show me and put an estimation of how my smile will look in the end, on his computer.

The first two options would be more expensive because of the cost of the surgery and the time I would miss from work to recover. The third option will have very little time away from work, and I can schedule my appointments for whatever days are convenient for me.

I talk to my two friends in the restaurant and show them the treatment plans, and they encourage me to take the third plan, even though it will be a longer treatment.


My boyfriend tells me that he is going to have to take a trip to reorganize one of his offices. He’s going to be gone for a week and he’s bought me a new computer and camera so he can talk to me every night while he’s gone. I’ve become so used to cuddling with him on the couch and getting a goodnight kiss from him. Most weekends, he sleeps on the bed in the couch, and he does it without complaining about the boundaries I have set for our relationship.

Before I can change my mind, I make an appointment with the orthodontist for the Monday he is leaving. I don’t want to tell my boyfriend what I am planning to do, so I have an appointment on Friday to have the spacers installed.

I’ve let my friends in the restaurant know what I am doing and have asked them not to say anything to my boyfriend about it. All week they’ve been smiling at me and I’ve been looking at the braces in their smiles and thinking, “That’s going to be me soon.”


I went up to the orthodontist's office during lunch and they installed the spacers between my back teeth. By the time my boyfriend arrived for supper, my teeth were sore and I ordered us food from the braces-friendly menu, after asking my friends what I would be able to eat.

He makes a couple of jokes about my selection of food, which I half-heartedly respond to. After supper, we cuddle on the couch and watch a movie. I tell him I’m not feeling well and ask him if it will be okay if he doesn’t spend the night. He’s a bit concerned when I cut our goodnight kiss short before he can get his tongue into my mouth, but I tell him that I will be okay when I take a couple of Advil and get a good night’s sleep.

Before he leaves, I tell him that I have scheduled myself to work late the next two nights and train some new employees, so he shouldn’t come around. It’s not a lie, just not the complete truth.



Monday morning, he drops by the restaurant on his way to the airport. We sneak out to the area behind the stairs for a quick kiss before he leaves, and I don’t let him get his tongue far enough into my mouth to feel the spacers. He doesn’t know it, but this is the last time he will be feeling my teeth without braces on them, so I give him plenty of time to run his tongue over them.

The older waitress with the new braces is filling in for me as hostess, and she gives me a big smile as I leave for my appointment.

It’s a relief to have the spacers out of my mouth, even though it is short-lived. The orthodontist numbs my palate before he starts installing the top expander. He’s told me this is going to be the unpleasant part of having my braces installed, and he’s right. Fitting the bands around my teeth with the expander connected to them takes a while, and more of my teeth have bands than I expected.

Once he has it in place, he takes a break and gives me a chance to brush my teeth to remove the chemical residue from my mouth. I hesitantly smile at myself in the mirror, expecting to see nothing but metal, but there is nothing to see, until I smile like a clown and the bands become visible on the inside of my teeth. My top jaw has bands on the back three teeth on both sides. So far, things are going fine.

He prepared me for the next part before I agreed to the treatment. The reason he numbed my palate is so he can insert screws into the bone to aid in widening my arch. The expander can’t do what it needs to without moving my arch out and the screws are to anchor it to my jaw and spread the bone. The bands are to keep my teeth in place as my jaw widens, and to shift them into position. All I feel is a little pressure as the screws go into place.

He asks if I want another break, but I just say, “No. I’m fine so far.”

He asked me if I wanted ceramic brackets on top, and he would have used them if I wanted, but they would have cost more and he said he prefers to use metal because he has better control. With the screws in place, he begins glueing the top brackets into position. When he is satisfied with the placement, he cures them using a UV light.

I had the option of waiting to have the brackets put on my bottom teeth until he put the bottom expander in. My top palate needs to be wider before he can do the same to the bottom, and the bottom jaw will move faster than the top, so he wants to wait for a while. He could have done both at the same time and waited to expand the bottom one, but he felt it would have been too much going into my mouth at the same time.

The bottom brackets could have waited a while too, but I choose to have them installed at the same time as the top. It doesn’t take him long to finish my bottom jaw, and then he gives me a break to relax my jaw.

I take the time to go to the bathroom again and take a good look at my new smile. The brackets feel so big and rough without the archwires, and my lips catch on the edges of them as I smile in the mirror. I tilt my head back and try to look at the expander on my top palate, but the angle isn't quite right and I can't get enough light inside. He asked if I wanted self-ligating brackets, and when I saw the difference in size between the older brackets with ligatures and the self-ligating brackets, I chose the older style.

The hostess with the braces has self-ligating brackets and the waitress filling in for me has the older style. After comparing the two styles, I chose the older style because of the look. My friends in school had them and they are what I grew up seeing.

It doesn’t take him long to fit the archwires, and he already knew I wanted grey ligatures to start. He shows me a piece of the archwire and bends it in a loop as he tells me I shouldn’t feel much pressure until he changes it at my next appointment. After giving me instructions on how to brush and take care of my teeth, he gives me a goodie bag with supplies to get me started.

I stop at my apartment and take a good look at my teeth. Having three mirrored doors makes it easy to see into my mouth and check out the expander screwed into my palate. I have another appointment on Wednesday for him to check for infection from the screws and start turning the expander.

My friends all want to see my new smile when I return to the restaurant, and several customers come over and take a look too. I’m the center of attention for the rest of the day, and a few male customers give me a tip as they leave the restaurant.

My boyfriend gives me a call in the evening and tells me how his flight was. I let him do most of the talking, adding short comments when I have to. The expander is giving me a slight lisp, and it has decreased as I have talked in the restaurant all day.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #23 on: 21. January 2023, 10:40:57 AM »
Chapter 6

My teeth are a little sore when I wake up Tuesday morning, but not as bad as I was expecting. It’s going to take me some time to get used to my new smile. My lips feel puffy and they catch on the edges of the brackets when I open my mouth, but the biggest thing is seeing the metal on my teeth when I look in the mirror.

I skip breakfast and keep a glass of chocolate milk underneath my hostess station. The regular customers comment on my new look, many of them saying they like it. Lunch is from the braces-friendly menu, and I am grateful that we have it.

My boyfriend calls me in the evening and asks if I want to video-chat, but I tell him I don’t feel like it right now. We talk on the phone for a while, mostly about how he is doing straightening out the new office.



Wednesday morning is my checkup and the first time my expander is turned. He explains that he is going to start my expansion slowly and shows me how to turn the screws to move it. He has me turn it one way, then has me turn it back to reduce the pressure and turn it to increase the pressure again. Lunch is from the braces-friendly menu again.

I create a sensation when I arrive with the food for the investors meeting. A few good-natured jokes are made about my braces, mostly by the guys. The women are more subtle with how they react to me having braces. I ask them not to say anything to my boyfriend until I tell or show him what I have done.

I can't keep putting off video chatting with my boyfriend forever, but I delay it for one more day. I feel some pressure on my upper palate, but it isn't bad. I talk about what was discussed in the investor's meeting before wishing him goodnight and going to bed.



Friday evening he calls to tell me he has done all he can do at the new office for now and is flying home Saturday morning. He gives me his flight details before telling me goodnight. I’ve managed to make excuses each night for not video-chatting with him, and he hasn’t pried into why.


Saturday afternoon I drive out to the airport to meet his plane. I’ve been debating with myself whether I want him to see my new look for the first time in a public place or not, finally deciding that I don’t want to wait.

I watch as his plane lands, then hurry to the arrivals area to meet him. I keep my lips over my teeth, smiling as he walks past the barriers and sees me waiting. It isn’t until I am in his arms and he is hugging me that I whisper into his ear, “I have a surprise for you, and I hope you like it.”

I pull away from him slightly, creating enough space so he can see my mouth clearly and smile at him with my braces showing between my lips. He pulls me against his body, and I get my first kiss with my new braces. It's just a brief kiss, but there is plenty of meaning, and tongue, in it.

We stop by the handicapped washroom on our way to pick up his bags, and his bags are the only ones still on the carousel when we arrive. Now I know how the older waitress felt after her appointment to get her braces.

We leave his car in long-term parking for one more day and take my car to my apartment.



He apologizes in the morning for breaking the boundaries that I have set for our relationship, but there was no way that he was going to go to his place last night. After how he treated me last night, I’m not going to hold it against him, though I am going to hold my body against his some more today. It’s a good thing I work in a restaurant, because I’m not going to be cooking much today.

I did find out a few things last night. When we got back to my apartment and had spent some time kissing, he mumbled something about me having a perfect smile now. It took a while, but I finally coaxed it out of him that he has a thing for women in braces. We had THE talk, and between many bouts of extending kissing, he admitted that he wouldn’t mind if I missed a few adjustment appointments and possibly delayed my treatment a little. With the way he treated me last night, I am giving it some serious consideration, especially when he showed me a picture of the ring he is having made for me.



He shows up early for the Wednesday investor’s meeting, and we engage in some heavy kissing. It must show, because the women smile at me, and I catch a few guys giving him the thumbs up when they think I’m not watching. It takes a while before the meeting gets underway after the meal, and at the top of the list is the new restaurant.

They still haven’t come up with a theme for the new restaurant and several names have been proposed, none of them meeting with any success. I’m still feeling the effects of the last kiss I received and feeling a little silly, so I say, “How about we call it ‘Sparkles’? We could have a few waitresses wearing braces, and I would fit right in with my new smile.”

The room goes silent and they all look at me. My smile begins to slip, and then the orthodontist says, “That’s not a bad idea. We already have a few waitresses with braces and our menu has a few meals that would fit in with the theme.”

A vote is taken and my suggestion is given approval for further study.



At the next investor's meeting, the name ‘Sparkles’ is tentatively approved for the new restaurant and ideas are tossed around about to create the atmosphere to go with the braces theme. Some of them are funny, some are impractical and some are ridiculous, but I suggest having some of the staff wear scrubs like in the orthodontist's office, and have the waitresses with braces dress like patients. Once again, my suggestions are put to a vote, and approved for further study.

After the meeting, my boyfriend escorts me back to my apartment, locks the door behind us and carries me into my bedroom. We are both late for work in the morning.

Offline braces37

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #24 on: 22. January 2023, 10:05:55 AM »
This is a really interesting concept. I always like multiple POV stories, and this is a good take on it.

Offline bugbathe43

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #25 on: 22. January 2023, 23:32:43 PM »
Very good!!

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles - The Cheerleader
« Reply #26 on: 22. January 2023, 23:44:24 PM »
Chapter 7

It takes a while, but the architectural drawings for the floor plan for the new restaurant are finalized. The new kitchen fixtures have been ordered and all the permits are approved. The staff in the restaurant all want to know what is going on, but I’ve been asked to say as little as possible for the time being. I tell them that they are not going to lose their jobs, and that nothing is going to change for quite a while yet, and leave it at that.

Since it was my idea, I’ve been given the responsibility of designing new uniforms for the staff. The first designs I come up with don’t meet with the approval of the staff in the restaurant, so I hold a staff meeting in the board room upstairs and we discuss ideas, coming up with better fitting scrubs for the kitchen staff. We do a test of the new uniforms in the kitchen. The better fit is partially a safety issue in the kitchen, but they like the way the new uniforms look.

After seeing the new uniforms on the kitchen staff, the waitresses come up with a few ideas for the staff working on the floor. The final design is similar to the kitchen uniform, but to distinguish them from the kitchen staff, they add lace in a few strategic spots and trim to make them more visually appealing. The plan was to wait for 'Sparkles' to open before starting to use the new uniforms, but the waitresses didn't want to wait that long and insisted that they be able to 'test run them to get a feel of how they will work'.

Something else we are doing is creating a set of greetings to use when people come to the new restaurant. We are using the phrase ‘appointments’ rather than reservations, and are working on ways to use the orthodontic theme throughout the restaurant. Even though I didn’t think of it, I have been given credit for the suggestion to have an ‘assistant’ outside the bathrooms to hand out toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss to anyone who wants them.

I’ve found a seamstress to make our uniforms. She said she can make them for us cheaper than if we buy premade scrubs and she has to alter them, especially the waitress's uniforms. The company was going to offer to rent her space on the second floor to have a shop, but after talking to her, I suggested they renovate one of the empty apartments on the third floor and have her on-site. I find living so close to work is so convenient and I can get more work done than if I have to run back and forth all the time. If there is a problem in the restaurant requiring my attention, I can deal with it in no time and be home again in minutes. Even though she is technically a contractor, she is still considered an employee of the company and is entitled to the same benefits everyone else is.

While they renovated the apartment for the seamstress, they did a second one for me, creating an office for me to use and adding a second bedroom. I’m pretty sure my boyfriend had something to do with the floor plan for my new apartment, but he won’t admit to it. Whether he did or not, he has been suitably compensated for the new apartment. My furniture has been moved in and a bed added to the second bedroom and we broke it in suitably with an extended session of kissing. I haven’t formally said that it is his bedroom, but we both know that it is. The clothes that have been slowly accumulating at my place have been put away in the closet and dresser.



We went to pick up my new ring, and he made a change to the design. When he points out the change to me, it takes me a while to stop laughing. The settings holding the stones look like orthodontic brackets and rings of lighter gold look like ligatures holding the stones in place. The engraving on the band is a string of brackets on an archwire. The stones are only semi-precious, but that doesn’t matter to me.

All the waitresses have been waiting to see it and I can’t wait to see if any of them spot the unique features on the ring.



As the new restaurant takes shape, I spend less time in the old restaurant and more time interviewing for new staff. Besides the two former waitresses with braces I trained to be hostesses, I have hired another woman to train to work as a hostess. Once she is trained and has worked for a while, she will be able to take advantage of the benefits package, and the other hostesses have mentioned what is in the package. She seems receptive to the idea of getting braces and has what my boyfriend refers to as a nearly perfect smile.

There are four levels to the interview process. The first level is meeting me to pick up an application. It has to be done in person, and I reject the applicants that don’t fit the look we want. Some I politely tell that they probably won’t be called for an interview even if they fill out the application, while others just have their application filed in the square cabinet behind my desk. It may sound cruel, but I use my boyfriend's definition of a nearly perfect smile as one of the hiring criteria.

The people I think have the right look begin their interview when they return their application. Those people who make it past my interview are referred to my boss, the head chef, for a second interview. He rejects some of those, before referring the successful applicants to the orthodontist for an orthodontic exam and the final selection.



The whole building has been wired for high-speed internet with wifi. My boyfriend insisted on it, and I know it is because he wants to be able to contact me whenever he wants to video-chat with me. He bought me a top-of-the-line cell phone and a new laptop for my office. We’ve been having fun testing it out all week. He’s going on another trip soon and we want to see each other whenever we want.

The sign for the new restaurant went up on the building, and even though it isn’t open yet, the hostesses have started using the new greeting when guests arrive at the old restaurant. The current restaurant staff have been asked if they want to work at ‘Sparkles’ and understand they will have to wear some form of orthodontic appliance when they do. The orthodontist has been busy doing exams on those that have asked to transfer to the new restaurant and the seamstress has a long list of uniforms to make.

Probably the biggest change for me is that I am now a voting member of the company. At the last investor's meeting, everyone agreed to give me a voting share in the company as a bonus for all the work I have been doing. I’m not rich by any means, because the vote is more valuable than the share if I was to sell it.

The books show the building is supporting itself, but just barely. My boyfriend tells me it is that way on purpose. There is a complicated system in place to keep money flowing through the company to finance all the renovations and put money back in the pockets of the investors. It seems that my braces are now completely paid for without me having to pay for them from my bank account.

My boyfriend went with me to my appointment to have my bottom expander fitted and we explained to the orthodontist how we wanted to prolong my treatment a bit. He agreed to do it for the parts that could be slowed down, the expanders being the one area he can’t slow down. With the bones in my palates separating as they are supposed to, he wants them to move to where he wants at a controlled pace.

Each time my expanders need to be turned, my boyfriend does it for me. I have a cute gap between my top front teeth and he likes to run his tongue over it when we kiss. I’ve asked the orthodontist to leave it for a while, and I noticed a small gap developing on the bottom as well. My boyfriend loves how my teeth look and tells me I have a perfect smile at least once a day.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #27 on: 01. February 2023, 20:13:22 PM »
Chapter 3

Quite a bit of research is done as the plans are put together. The braces-friendly menu is expanded to include a daytime and an evening menu in the restaurant, with one day a week highlighting the new menu and giving a modest discount to every customer who fills out a detailed survey about their braces-friendly meal.

At her suggestion, our former cheerleader has a few prototype uniforms designed for herself and begins to wear them at work to get an idea of how they will function in the restaurant. The idea is to have a uniform for the waiters and waitresses that looks as if it is from an orthodontist's office to stay with the theme of the restaurant. The first few uniforms are too generic looking and the staff rejects them. She has a friend with a sewing machine and asks her to make a few changes to improve them, and when she returns to work with a figure-hugging set of scrubs modified with a little strategically-placed lace, the female staff asks to be able to wear it occasionally before ‘Sparkles’ opened.

Keeping with the orthodontic theme, a reservation system is set up for ‘Sparkles’, calling them ‘appointments’ with the idea to give priority to anyone that books ahead. Anyone that arrives without an appointment will be put on a waiting list and requested to book an appointment next time. Even if the restaurant wasn’t full, there is going to be a fifteen-minute wait for a table. The layout of the restaurant comes together, with a portion of it dedicated to a more intimate setting for up to four people in semi-private rooms, and a larger area designed to be reconfigured for large groups of people.

The kitchen layout receives a lot of attention. It is designed to be large enough to serve twice as many meals as the new restaurant will have tables and do it efficiently. The plan is to expand to have a take-out service in the future. Even the bathrooms are designed with an orthodontic theme, having an assistant at the entrance to hand out toothbrushes, floss and mouthwash to any ‘patient’ that requests them.

Before ‘Sparkles’ is ready to open, the staff in the restaurant begin using a few of the scripted greetings, and a few part-time staff are hired, most of them younger people. It is no surprise that many of them have an orthodontic appliance of some type.

The look of the original restaurant gradually changes, with a few orthodontic-themed accents replacing the old decor. The most noticeable is at the hostess station, where an overhead spotlight on an adjustable arm replaces the lamp on the desk, giving it the look found while laying in an orthodontist's chair.


As more of the original tenants move out, the space is stripped bare and the wiring and plumbing are replaced with new materials, and new walls are put in place. After the last tenant moves out of the second floor and the renovation company moves into their office and the office for ‘The Company’ is finished, the orthodontist moves into his new office and the rest of the floor is left as open space.

The orthodontist takes advantage of the open space and puts a few couches and tables beside his office and encourages his patients and the staff in the building to use the area as recreational space. The restaurant sets up a walk-up coffee and soup and sandwich stand.

Near the top of the stairs to the second floor is a space where the stairs curve. The guys found out it is a good place to watch the women going upstairs to the orthodontist's office and Sparkles Cafe, and moved a few comfortable chairs into the space. The women caught on to what was going on and it became a game for them to walk close enough to the railing to give the guys a glimpse up their skirts and dresses without revealing more than they want. Some of them deliberately walk right by the railing. For some of the guys, the metallic smiles the ladies give them were more thrilling than the other view.

The third floor has lower ceilings and the area is renovated with new apartments. Following the pattern on the second floor, the third floor is slowly renovated and new apartments are put in place. One of the largest investors has an apartment built for his personal use and moves the Hostess into it. It makes sense to have her living upstairs from the restaurant with all the work she is doing.

When she finds how convenient it is to be so close to work, she suggests the same thing be done for the seamstress. With empty space to work with, a showroom with a comfortable changing room and a large space for her to work in is built and she moves in too. A few couches and tables are purchased by ‘The Company’ and a second recreation area is created just for the tenants of the building. The seamstress and the hostess use it as a convenient place to hold meetings.

I’m thrilled by the arrival of the new kitchen equipment. The staff in the restaurant is encouraged to check out the layout and make suggestions to improve efficiency, with some changes made based on their suggestions. The restaurant staff are thrilled when all of the large pieces are in place and the new kitchen is ready for use.

The old kitchen is removed during the night when the restaurant is closed and prototypes of the booths for the new restaurant are built to test the layout before they are used in the new restaurant. The new booths are by reservation only and give us a chance to test out the reservation program. Feedback from our customers is encouraged and a few changes are made. The semi-private room is a big success and is booked solid well in advance.

With so much happening in the building, the staff give nicknames to a few of the public areas. The area on the second floor becomes ‘Sparkles Cafe’ and the restaurant is called ‘Sparkles Daytime’. The names catch on with the customers and neon signs are put up to make it official.

The idea to have a standard uniform for the staff is quietly vetoed by them, and a dress code is put in place instead, allowing them to express their individual tastes instead. Surprisingly, it’s the older staff that cause the most sensation. The Hostess and the Seamstress get together with Charlene and come up with a 60s-style uniform with a modern twist. The three of them show up at the Wednesday investor's meeting wearing dresses with a short hemline and quite a bit of cleavage, and pictures to prove that the uniform is a very close match to what was worn back then.

Charlene has the more sedate dress and is wearing low-heeled shoes. The Hostess has a blouse and skirt combination suitable for her job and pairs it with heels that are just a bit too tall to be practical for daily wear in the restaurant, but it makes the point that the waitresses should be able to express themselves with the way they dress and still represent the restaurant respectably. The Seamstress is wearing the shortest dress and on her short body and long legs with tall platform heels, it is more suited for a gentleman’s club than a restaurant. She has a hard time suppressing the big smile on her face as she walks around the room, serving the people seated at the table.

After everyone has a chance to examine the outfits and relax after the meal, the three of them present their opinion on what should and shouldn’t be in the dress code. The Seamstress explains that her uniform is not meant to be worn in the restaurant and she made it just for the fun of it. By allowing the employees to have a say in the design of their uniform, the company could create a better working atmosphere, and the variety in the designs could be an advertising point in the ad campaign. All three outfits are in the proposed colours for the restaurant.

Both Charlene and the Hostess have their braces showing and their ligatures are in the company colours. The Seamstress has a heavy-wired retainer showing in her smile, carrying on the theme of the restaurant. There’s a small group gathered over to the side and they keep looking at the Seamstress and grinning as they whisper amongst themselves.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #28 on: 03. February 2023, 21:41:50 PM »
There are going to be some discrepancies between the timelines and events in the stories. Some of them are deliberate, some not. If you feel that any of them need to be fixed, let me know and I will take a look at them.

Keep in mind that each story is from a different character's point of view and not all events happened quite the way they seemed to.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles - The Seamstress
« Reply #29 on: 03. February 2023, 22:19:45 PM »
Sparkles - The Seamstress

By Braceface2015


Chapter 1



It’s been a while since my friend and I have talked to each other. For the last while it has been emails and social media, which isn’t talking, it’s just letting each other know we are still alive and have somewhat of a social life.

I am caught by surprise when she calls me up and says she has a ‘project’ for me. All my friends know that ‘project’ is code for me getting into trouble and I might be calling them for help. Her use of the code word gets me excited and right away I want to know what we are doing. Rather than tell me, she asks if she can come over and talk to me face-to-face.

When I tell her I am living in my parent's basement again, she laughs and asks me what I did this time. I have a reputation for getting into trouble and my parent’s bailing me out, and one time that was quite literally what they did. This time it was just that I needed a place to live for a while until I could find a place I could afford to rent.

Growing up, my grandmother taught me how to sew, and as I got older she taught me everything she knew. It started with sewing clothes for my dolls and stuffed bears, and by the time I was in middle school, I was sewing clothes for myself. That is when the trouble started. I was young and had big dreams of being a famous fashion designer. My idea of what I should be wearing differed from what my teachers considered appropriate for at school, and we often clashed.

The principal’s secretary and I got to know each other really well while I sat waiting to talk to him, and she negotiated a compromise to my outfits I wasn’t happy with, but it kept me out of his office, at least most of the time. My designs didn’t change, it just meant I wore outfits at school that drew less attention from the teachers.

My friends all liked the ideas I had, and one Halloween a couple of the cheerleaders asked me to make their costumes for the Halloween dance. I copied their uniforms, just with some changes. The skirts were too short, the tops were too tight and showed too much skin, and at my suggestion, fishnet stockings and overly high heels completed the costumes. When I showed up at the dance with them, wearing a matching costume, our parents became involved.

By senior high, Halloween became my favourite time of year, and I always had a waiting list of friends wanting me to make them costumes. I didn't make any money creating the costumes, but I had fun doing it. They paid for the material and I did the work. I'm probably the only girl in our school to have players from both the male and female football, hockey, volleyball, baseball and basketball teams in my bedroom without developing a bad reputation. It's not that things didn't happen, they just knew better than to talk about it.

I spent much of my free time the year I graduated making grad dresses for the girls. For the first time in my life, I made money from my hobby, and my dreams of being a famous fashion designer seemed to get closer to being a reality.

My dreams took a hit when I tried to find a job working with clothes. Nobody wanted to hire a girl with no resume, an attitude and a reputation for getting in trouble. I finally managed to get a job in a discount clothing store doing alterations. It didn’t take me long to get tired of trying to fit size twelve women into size ten dresses while listening to them complain about them being sold too big a dress. I knew they’d be coming back for repairs the first time they tried to get the dress on without the girdle they were wearing.

When my friend shows up wearing scrubs, I begin to laugh, and I am rolling on the floor by the time she finishes telling me what she wants to do. When I say, "strip," she slips out of the scrubs. She's well aware of how I work and is dressed for it. I start by taking all of her measurements and marking them on a chart. Then I take apart the seams on the scrubs and alter them to match her contours better. While I am working, we talk about the cheerleader costume I made for her and the trouble we got into for it.

She was several years ahead of me in school and graduated before I did. Her figure has matured a bit since then, but her smile hasn’t changed at all. It is still off-kilter, but she doesn’t seem bothered by it. My smile slips and my lips cover my misaligned teeth as she puts on the altered scrubs. Before she has a chance to ask what is wrong, I say, “I did what you asked me to do, but I don’t like how it looks. They are still scrubs and have no flair, no appeal to them at all. They are boring to look at. I am capable of much better work than this mess.”

Her smile gets bigger as she pulls a bottle of wine from her bag and another pair of scrubs. “So, show me what you can do if I let you do what you want. I said I had a ‘project’ for you and I meant it.”

I look at the scrubs then get a corkscrew for the wine bottle. We sit and sip the wine as I tell her what I want to do. Then I say, "It would be much easier if I just started from scratch without having to alter the scrubs, and I can probably do it for less than you paid for them. If you pay for the material and give me a week, I'll give you a uniform you'll be happy to wear."

I didn't think her smile could get any bigger, but it did. "I knew I could count on you. Save all your receipts and you'll get paid for everything."


Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles - The Seamstress
« Reply #30 on: 04. February 2023, 12:23:29 PM »
Chapter 2

A week later, she shows up at my door with another bottle of wine, an invoice pad and a big smile on her face. The wine I am expecting, the metal glued to her teeth I am not. She sees me looking at her mouth and turns from side to side, giving me a much better look at her enhanced mouth. The bends in the archwire highlight just how misaligned her teeth really are.

When I finally manage to shift my gaze away from her teeth, she hands me the wine and says, "So dazzle me, show me what design you have come up with for the uniform."

I grin and say, "I couldn't just do one. It didn't seem right to limit my options, so I did a couple." I watch as she slips on the first one, seeing all the little adjustments that should be made to make it fit better. They still look like scrubs, it's just that I've added lace on the chest to show a hint of her cleavage and accents along the seams to show she has a figure underneath it.

The next outfit is my vision of what a waitress might want to wear in an old-fashioned diner. It's a blouse and skirt combination, rather than pants. It has a little more lace strategically placed, and with stockings and low-heeled shoes, will look good on just about any shape of body. On her, it looks very nice. She spends quite a bit of time in front of the mirror checking it out from all different angles. It still has the look the scrubs did and looks like a uniform, just more visually appealing and comfortable.

I spend the time checking out the braces on her teeth and feeling a bit envious. I've never admitted it to anyone, but I always missed having the chance to get braces when I was in school, not because I wanted to get my teeth fixed, but because I thought they were a cool fashion accessory.

I'm a bit surprised when she decides to keep the blouse and skirt combination on. We sit and talk for a while and I find out a little about her latest job. It sounds as if she is doing well and is moving up in the place. She has me fill out an invoice for the cost of the material and the work I did on the uniforms, and insists I show how many hours it took me.

I'm more fascinated by the braces on her teeth than I am by what we are talking about and don't pay as much attention as I should. Before I realize how much time has passed, she is saying goodbye and walking out the door with my creations in her bag, without paying me for the material.


A few weeks later I get a check in the mail with a copy of my invoice. On the line where I listed my hours is a number I never expected to see. Attached to the invoice is a note to call the number at the bottom. My friend answers and says to check my email in a few minutes and call her back. At the top of the email is a smiley face emoji wearing braces and an attachment for a document to download. The document is one page long and is a contract to make uniforms for the restaurant at a cost to be negotiated. I call her back and ask, "Is this a joke?"

I hear her laughing and she says, "Why don't you come and visit me and we'll talk about it. I think you'll like what I have to say, and this time, stop staring at my teeth so much and pay more attention to what I am saying."

I follow her directions and find myself on the second floor of a building being renovated. After calling her to let her know I am waiting, she steps out of what looks like an office door and I find myself walking up another set of stairs. Most of the space upstairs is empty except for an area with a few couches, chairs and tables.

I can't believe the size of her place. Her living room is bigger than the basement of my parent's place and much better furnished. She has a pot of coffee on a warmer and we sit at the table sipping from our mugs as she explains about the contract. She showed the people in charge of the restaurant what I had created for her, and she recommended I be hired to do all the uniforms.

It turns out there is a bit more to the contract than I am aware of. The contract has an option for me to have space designed for me to work right in the building. I'm having a hard time keeping up with all the information coming at me, and she sees the dazed look on my face and suggests we take a walk around the building while I think about the offer.

There isn't much to see on the third floor, and we move to the second floor quite soon. Despite obvious signs of ongoing renovations, the area is clean and has a walk-up coffee bar. Beside that is an orthodontist's office and she tells me she is a patient there. At the far end are a few offices and she takes me into them and introduces me to the people inside. Everyone seems to know her and I begin to get the impression she has more authority than I first thought.

The last office she takes me to has several large screens on the wall hooked up to computers. After introducing me to the couple sitting there, she tells me to explain to them what kind of space I would need for a place to work in. Rather than interrupt my rambling explanation, they take turns entering information into the computer and 3D models form on the screens. As I make changes, they appear on the screens as well.

When I take a break and stop talking, the lady says, "That's your workspace. What about where you're going to live? How do you want your apartment laid out?"

I look at my friend with my mouth open. She smiles at me and says, "I haven't told her about that part yet. She's still trying to deal with the idea of having her own shop to make the uniforms in. I was going to wait until she signed the contract to explain what all is included. For now, just put in a bedroom, kitchen and living room of adequate size and we can make changes later. Right now I want to take her to the orthodontist and have her records done."

She gently closes my mouth and leads me to the orthodontist's office. I sit where she places me and look around. My brain is still trying to process everything that is happening, and is failing at the task. Time starts to do funny things. I blink and find myself in the treatment chair with my teeth sinking into pudding-like goop. Then time stretches as I try not to gag as the stuff oozes out of the tray toward my throat. Another blink, and I am making funny faces as they take pictures of my teeth. One more blink, and the orthodontist is talking to the assistant in a language I don't understand as he pokes at my teeth with a metal tool. Then I'm sitting in an office with my friend holding my hand. I don't remember them doing X-rays and scans of my teeth, but they are on the computer screen in front of us and the orthodontist is talking about what he can do to fix my teeth.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles - The Seamstress
« Reply #31 on: 06. February 2023, 13:04:09 PM »
Chapter 3

I wake up in a strange bed in a long t-shirt that smells of laundry soap with a faint hint of cologne. Memories of wearing my dad's t-shirts to bed surface and I smile and stretch. I lay in the comfy bed for quite a while, watching the light around the edge of the window blind brighten.

The smell of fresh-brewed coffee drifts into the room and I pull back the blanket. Beside the bed is a pair of fluffy slip-on bedroom shoes with a one-inch heel. I’m used to walking around barefoot at home, but they look comfortable, and feel just as good as they look as I slip them on. I follow the smell of coffee to the kitchen and pour myself a cup.

I realize I am still at my friend's place as I look around the kitchen. Just as I’m stretching and yawning, a strange guy walks into the kitchen. It takes a second for my brain to process the fact that my t-shirt is stretched snuggly across my chest and the bottom hem is resting relatively high on my thighs.

He smiles at me and asks, “Did you sleep well?”

I hastily bring my arms down and try to cover my chest with one arm while tugging the hem down with the other. All that happens is the neckline of the t-shirt is stretched a bit and some more of my cleavage is put on view. I have a short athletic body and long legs, so my decent size breasts look bigger than they really are.

My friend walks in as he waits for my answer, and she pulls his face down and kisses him. It’s only a quick kiss, but he puts a lot of feeling into it, and I notice his tongue run over the braces on her teeth. She’s blushing a little as she pours herself a cup of coffee and says, “I didn’t hear you come in. I let my friend spend the night in my bed. She had quite the shock yesterday and I figured it would be better if she stayed here. You didn’t disturb her, did you?”

Then she turns to me and asks, “Do you feel ready to talk about signing the contract? I didn’t want to throw too much at you yesterday, but things just kind of got out of hand. We can sit down today and take our time, and you can ask any questions as you think of them.”

The good-looking guy is still standing by the counter with his mug of coffee, and I catch him checking me out. Surprisingly, it’s not my body he is looking at, it’s my mouth. My friend sees where he is looking and gives him a good-natured swat on the ass. “What do you think you’re doing?”

His reply surprises me. “I’m just imagining what she is going to look like with braces.” I hastily cover my teeth with my lips and put my hand over my mouth, but he just smiles at me and says, “Don’t do that. It is a shame to cover up such a beautiful smile.”

She tells him to be quiet, then turns to me and says, "I haven't had a chance to explain the benefits package to her yet, and there is still quite a bit I don't think she remembers from yesterday." Her next comments are directed at me. "Why don't you go and see if you can find something to wear in my closet? My boyfriend gets cranky if he doesn't get his good-morning kiss before going to work, and I haven't given it to him yet."

I look at him and what she is wearing and understand why she wants a little privacy. I’m blushing as I smile at them and leave the kitchen, taking my mug of coffee with me.

Her closet is more of a room connected to her bedroom. Some of what was talked about yesterday comes back to me, and I decide to ask if I can have a closet like this in my apartment. I smile as it dawns on me that I am going to sign the contract even though I don’t know everything that is included in it.

Finding something to wear is relatively easy. Finding something that appeals to my sense of style is not. She has the uniforms I designed hanging in her closet, and on a whim, I put on the blouse and skirt combination. The blouse is tailored to fit her body, and on my larger chest, the fabric stretches to accommodate my breasts. The skirt has more give to it and fits nicely around my waist and hips. My whimsical sense of humour kicks in and I find a pair of slip-on shoes with ridiculously high heels to wear. It’s nice to see that her wild side hasn’t disappeared as we have gotten older. I locate the drawer holding her socks and find a pair that fits to just above my knees to complete the look. I would fit right in at a gentleman’s club as a waitress or performer. It’s too over the edge to wear to work in a restaurant.

While I wait for my friend to kiss her boyfriend goodbye, I pull a sketchpad from my bag and let my mind wander. It's handy having the materials to put my ideas on paper when I get them and sometimes I sketch to pass the time. When I'm working on an outfit, I concentrate on the design of it, but there are times when the location is important as well. I watch as lines appear on the paper and two bodies take shape, then a cafe table to one side. Most of the time, I leave the faces blurred, but this time, the lower face of the female character is in focus. What stands out are the braces on her teeth and the elastics running from top to bottom. Bits of colour are added to make them stand out.

Body shape and size are important to any design I make, and the female character is short and busty, with long legs. The male character is taller and fit-looking. As the sketch progresses and details get filled in, the male is wearing a chef's uniform and she is wearing a waitress's blouse and skirt from the sixties, with lots of frills and lace along the bottom. As the sketch nears completion, the braces get shaded in to give the impression of bands encircling the teeth. The final touches of colour are added and the completed sketch sits in front of me.

I become aware of the presence of a body behind me and look up to see my friend's braced smile above my shoulder. "I knew you could draw, but I didn't know you were that good. Would you mind if I kept that?" I carefully remove it from the pad and turn to hand it to her. Her clothes are in disarray and she has a flush on her cheeks. "Don't forget to sign and date it the way artists do."

Her smile gets bigger as she takes a closer look at it. “Why don’t you go to the restaurant and order yourself some breakfast. I’ll get changed and join you in a little while.”

I gesture at what I’m wearing and she adds, “It will be fine. The staff will enjoy seeing what kind of designs you can come up with for their uniforms. You might want to change the shoes though, they are a bit too wild for this early in the day.”



She joins me while I am still looking through the menu, trying to decide what to eat. The braces-friendly portion of the menu is fascinating. There are so many items on there I never thought of. As she’s sitting down, two mugs of gourmet coffee appear on the table and an early-twenties waitress with metal braces waits to take our orders. My gaze travels over her body and an image forms in my mind of what kind of outfit I think she should be wearing.

My friend sees what I am doing and she smiles. Now I have two braced smiles to look at and I fail at trying to look at both of them at the same time. “You’re going to sign the contract, aren’t you? I can tell by the look on your face. Let’s eat first, then we can find someplace with a little more space where we can talk in private.”

At her suggestion, I order from the braces-friendly menu, and find it to be better than I expected. As we eat, she explains that the guy in charge of the kitchen is a chef and uses quality ingredients. He’s using the restaurant to test out new dishes for the theme-restaurant they are designing for the other side of the main floor.

By the time we are done eating, I’ve found out that she is the hostess for the restaurant and is in charge of managing the staff serving the customers. When I reach for my wallet to pay for my meal, she stops me and says, “Don’t worry about paying. You have an account at all the restaurants in the building. You can tip the waitress if you want to.”

She picks up the file that has been laying on the table and adds, "Let's go upstairs and talk if you're ready, just watch which side of the stairs you walk up on." I find out what she means as we follow the curve in the stairs near the top. There's a small area with comfy chairs beside the stairs, and the guys sitting there have a nice view of what I am wearing as we step past them. That bit of information gets stored in my mind for future use.

We sit in the area beside the orthodontist's office and she begins pulling sheets of paper from the folder. The first sheet I recognize as the contract for the uniforms. It's simply worded and easy to understand. If I accept the contract, I will be supplying uniforms for the staff in the current restaurant, the coffee bar we are sitting near and any future restaurants in the building. A cost plus percentage profit clause is guaranteeing I will make money.

The next few sheets deal with setting up a business name for my company and getting all the licenses and permits required. All of that will be taken care of for me by ‘The Company’ and the costs will come out of my operating fund. I’m keeping up with everything so far and haven’t been asking a lot of questions.

What I want to do for the workspace comes up next. It's up to me where I want to work. Right away, she suggests I take them up on the offer to have a space set up for me to work in. She smiles when I ask what it is going to cost me, and I am momentarily distracted by the flashing metal in her mouth. She waits until my attention returns to the subject at hand to reply with, "I can only give you the answer I was given when I asked that same question about my apartment. 'Ask the accountant.' The secretary didn't bother to make an appointment for me, she just said, 'Don't worry about it. It's all being taken care of.''

Then she asks if I want to have an apartment in the building too. More of what happened yesterday surfaces in my mind and I remember the models on computer screens. I ask her, “Do I have to live here?” She shakes her head. “If I decide to live here, can I design it myself, or will someone else do it?”

I get the smile again as she answers, “That is up to you. My boyfriend did mine for me and added a bedroom for himself to the plans. My advice is to talk to the couple in charge of the renovations and get their opinions on how to lay it out.”

After a break to refill our mugs and get a snack, she pulls out some more sheets and hands me one set. “This is a copy of the employee benefits package. As soon as you sign the contract, you can use any of the benefits you want. There is a page with requirements that applies to restaurant employees only, but you can use those too. I want to make it clear that you are not an employee of the company, you are a contractor. The benefits are provided as part of your contract. You don’t have a boss.”

It takes a while for the information to go through my brain and get processed. I take the time to read through the forms, looking for things I don't understand, but everything is in simple language and is clearly laid out. I begin to smile as I read through the benefits package, and by the end, my smile is bigger than hers, though not decorated the way hers is.

I sign all the forms and she takes me to talk to the couple in charge of the renovations while she makes copies of the forms for my records.

Offline radian

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #32 on: 07. February 2023, 16:08:15 PM »
Very intersting story. I like the ways you take to come to the point where you want to go. I can't wait to read more of it !

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles - The Seamstress
« Reply #33 on: 07. February 2023, 19:25:23 PM »
Chapter 4

Two days later I’m back in the orthodontist's office having the retainers I didn’t know I was getting adjusted to fit into my mouth. On the way upstairs, I stopped to see my friend at the hostess station to see if she could explain to me what is happening, but she was busy training some new staff and couldn’t take the time to go to my appointment with me. She did say to ask the assistant to explain anything I didn’t understand and to be honest with them if I wanted to enjoy my appointment.

I take her advice and ask the assistant to explain to me the differences between the retainer I am getting and the other types available. She tells me mine are called Hawley’s and shows me models of the other types available. My retainers have a wire running behind my front teeth and she explains they are normally used to help straighten the teeth a little, but the wire on mine is only going to rest against my teeth. She hands me a mirror when they are done adjusting them and points out how the heavy flat wire used is shaped to match the contours of my teeth.

We move to the orthodontist’s office and he begins to go through the treatment options he recommends to fix my teeth. Each time he uses phrases I don’t understand, I ask the assistant to explain them. I try and use neutral ways of asking about other possible treatment options, but they catch on that I am trying to find ways of extending the treatment. The orthodontist excuses himself, saying he needs to deal with a ‘non-typical situation’ and will be back in a few minutes, and leaves me with the assistant.

As soon as he is gone, she takes my hand and looks me in the eye. “How long would you like your treatment to take? We can extend your treatment if you want and there are more options we can use to give you the smile you want.”

I blush as images appear in my mind, and I wish I had my sketch pad with me so I could show her what I want. She pulls the mouse to our side of the desk and clicks on a few folders, then a copy of the sketch I gave to my friend appears on the screen. “Is this what you would like your treatment to look like?” At my nod, she clicks a few more times and my face appears on the screen with narrow bands around my teeth. I grin and move my fingers apart a little, and she makes the bands wider. I shake my head and the bands return to the narrow size again.

“How about additional appliances? If we use expanders, you can keep all your teeth and we’ll widen your palates to make room for them to fit together nicely.” She shows me a picture of what the expanders look like. “We would probably need to use a face-bow to move your upper teeth back a bit to create more space,” and more pictures appear, one showing my face with the wire running in front of my teeth. “The use of a Herbst appliance to shift your bottom teeth forward is another possibility, and can be combined with the other options.” More pictures appear, and my face on the screen changes to show the appliance.

My blush deepens and the smile on my face gets bigger. I make several attempts to speak, but my tongue keeps bumping into my new retainers and garbling my speech. Finally I take out the bottom retainer and I can talk semi-understandably. “I wouldn’t want all of that at once, and I’m not sure about having bands around my teeth, but it is nice to know what I would look like if I did. Let me think about it for a while.”

The orthodontist knocks on the door and asks if we are okay. She nods and he sits down at the desk again. After checking the notes she made in my file, he looks at me and smiles. “I’m sure that we can accommodate your wishes relatively easily.”

When I ask how much it will cost, the answer doesn’t really surprise me. It’s just another way of saying ‘ask the accountant.’



My next stop is the office of the people in charge of the renovations. The lady hands me the keys and says, “Let’s go upstairs and take a look at where your office is going to be.” There are lines taped on the floor and a few pieces of lightweight furniture placed in the places between where the walls will be. “Walk around and get a sense of how it will look when it is finished. We can easily make changes to the layout now.”

I walk around, pretending to open and close doors and sit in the chairs where the furniture might be placed. I find a problem in the bedroom. “Can I get a door that slides into the wall instead of swinging into my bedroom?” She nods and makes a note on the pad she is carrying. I walk back into the living room space and look out the windows. They are southern facing and get plenty of light all year.

She joins me and I ask if it is possible to add more windows. When I explain what I would like to do, she says, “If you don’t mind me making a suggestion, why don’t we put up a wall across this end of the space and create a greenhouse for you? If we extend it across the bedroom as well, we can put in a studio for you to sit and sketch or relax in. I’ll check with the architects and see how many windows we can safely put in for you to give you as much light as possible.”

I grin at her, and my lip slides over the heavy wire of my top retainer. My day keeps getting better as time passes. She goes back to her office and I go to the restaurant to talk to my friend.


The lunch rush has ended and the supper rush won’t start for a while yet. I sit in a booth where I can see everything that is going on. My friend brings two mugs of coffee and sits across from me. Before I came down, I put my bottom retainer in again, and I give her a big smile so she can see what she has done to me.

She has the new employees cleaning up from lunch and getting the place ready for the evening. Charlene drops by the table and says she likes my new look, then asks when I can make her a new uniform. She has a few ideas and wants to sit down with me sometime to see what I can do with them. When our mugs are just about empty, the young waitress with the braces comes to refill them and smiles when she sees my new retainers.

My friend asks if I want to stay for supper with her and her boyfriend, but I politely decline the offer, saying that I want to go home and enjoy my new retainers in private. She’s still laughing as I walk out of the restaurant.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #34 on: 07. February 2023, 19:31:59 PM »
I have an absolutely fithy story in my mind right now and have no hope of it being posted here.

I'm still working on more chapters of the 'Sparkles' series, but they're not going to be posted quite as frequently for a little while.

Offline bugbathe43

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #35 on: 07. February 2023, 23:07:07 PM »
Great story

Offline m1090y

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #36 on: 08. February 2023, 09:58:17 AM »
I like the way these stories re-sure the same setting.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles - The Seamstress
« Reply #37 on: 12. February 2023, 22:05:22 PM »
Chapter 5

I get an email from the company doing the renovations asking me to drop by the office when I have some time. Attached is a note from the lady saying she has a 'project' for me if I am interested. I look around my basement and take in the lack of space to adequately work in. There's nothing here that needs to be done that can't wait.

It isn't ideal to sketch while riding the bus, but it helps to pass the time, and I can make notes on what I want to sketch if it is too rough. Before heading upstairs to the office, I drop by the restaurant and say hi to the staff, promising them I will sit down with them to discuss ideas for their uniforms soon.

My outfit was deliberately chosen for the walk up the stairs to the second floor and I can't wait to see the reaction I get. It is one of my creations, and I made a few alterations to 'improve it'. The boots are thigh-high leather with a four-inch heel and a very modest platform sole. The thigh-length skirt has been altered to billow around my legs and give flashes of the boot tops as I walk, and across the cheeks on the shorts I am wearing underneath is embroidered, "Gotcha". Topping off the outfit is a black lace t-shirt over a white satin camisole.

The staff in the restaurant give my outfit a mixed reaction, all of it positive, and my takeout order is ready in no time. They're still working out a few bugs with the takeout system, but the overall response is very good from the customers who are testing it.

The hostess tells me to expect an interesting afternoon when I talk to the lady in the renovation office and that she knows what 'project' means. I'm smiling as I walk up the stairs, and my smile gets bigger as I turn the corner. I look at a few of the guys sitting there and flash my retainers at them, then put more sway in my hips. The reaction to my display is what I was hoping for, and the laughter drifts up behind me.

There is a new computer sitting on the table in the conference room and the lady is playing around on it. She has a few other items neatly stacked beside the computer and waits until I am comfortably seated beside her to push them in my direction. On the big screen on the wall is a 3D model of her, and it has her wearing a retainer. She explains that the program on the computer is a combination of what the orthodontist uses in his office for his patients and a modified version of the 3D modelling program they use in the office for planning their renovations.

One of the investors has a software company and is providing tech support to 'Sparkles'. As part of the support, a program is being set up for me to run my uniform shop and make creating designs easier. She hands me what looks like one of my sketch pads and a pencil and says, "Give this a try and tell me what you think of it. I want you to design me an outfit for around the office to tease my husband. Be as wild as you want."

I flip up the cover and a blank page is waiting for me. The pencil feels just the way the coloured pencils I normally use feel, except the tip looks as if it needs to be sharpened. I make a few random strokes on the page to get a good feel for how it fits into my hand, then flip it over and erase them. Other than the pad being a little heavier than I am used to, everything feels comfortable.

She brings me a bottle of juice to go with my meal as I start sketching and then sits back away from the table so I can see her entire body. As I draw on the pad, what I am sketching shows up on a small window on the screen on the wall. It doesn't take long for a rough image of her sitting in the chair to show up and I add colour to it. Rather than having to hunt through a box of pencils to find the colour I want, all I do is tap on the screen and select it from a menu.

The sketch shows her as she is currently dressed, and then I begin to make changes. My page usually gets messy when I alter things, but this pad makes it easy to keep things looking tidy. I alter her blouse to look more form-fitting and show it with a few buttons undone, then shade in the hint of the underwire bra and the edges of a padded pushup bra underneath. The program automatically takes the shape from the original image and alters it to account for the added features.

The lady laughs and says, "I wish I looked that good, but the bra I am wearing already has a fair amount of padding in it." I take a closer look at her and my retainers slide from behind my lips as I alter the look on my pad a little. I reduce the size of the breasts in my sketch and bring them closer together. She nods at the changes.

I move to her lower body, adding a pair of heels and changing the pants to a skirt. It's a long skirt, showing a bit of her calves below the hem. I shade it in to show she is wearing stockings, then change them to fine-mesh fishnets and add more height to the heels and a small platform to the sole.

She laughs again, and uses the mouse to pull up a menu on the screen on the wall. She morphs her face onto my drawing and selects an option to have the sketch rotate. I notice there is an alteration I need to make and I add a slit on the side of her skirt so that the side of her leg shows through. Still not satisfied, I increase the length of the slit until the top of her stocking is showing.

I can't stop grinning as I look at her. "This makes designing things a lot easier. I'm so used to having to do several sketches before I am satisfied with the result."

She looks at my sketch and smiles. "If only I could actually look that good. If this is what you can do with the sketch pad, wait until you see what the rest of the program can do. Once your shop is set up, I'll have someone come by and teach you how to use it. And I am going to have to drop by and see what else you can create for me." She gestures at the screen and says, "As much as I like this look, I don't think I'm brave enough to wear it at work."

I pick up the pad to make a few changes, but she stops me before I do anything. "Let me make a copy of it first. I'm sure my husband will want to see it too. Make sure you date and sign it." It's the second time someone at the company has asked me to do that.

"Now, for the real reason I wanted you to drop by. Let's go take a look at your new apartment. It's still just a skeleton, but it will give you a better idea of what it is going to look like, and we can still easily make changes if you want."

We walk past the orthodontist's office, and the girl at the desk waves for me to come inside. She asks how my retainers are feeling and I smile, showing her I am wearing them. The lady from the renovation office takes a closer look and she has a strange look on her face that passes quickly. The girl asks if I want to book another appointment and says she has a spot open in an hour if I want it. My smile gets bigger and I accept her offer.

I wave my wrist over the pad beside the door to the stairs and the door opens. Despite much of the building looking old on the surface, most of the inside is brand new and uses the latest technology. The locks are just one example. I don't have to carry my keys around with me, I have a charm on my bracelet with a chip hidden in it that opens the doors I have access to.

There are substantial changes on the third floor. The space my apartment is going into is screened off, and when she pushes aside the edge of one, I see the skeleton of the walls in place. She leads me to the gap where the door to my shop is going to be and says, "Walk through the whole place and get a feel of what it is going to look like."

I begin to wander around, imagining how I want to lay out the furniture, then step into the changing room and spread my arms to get a feel of the amount of space to move around in. The backroom looks too big, until I start placing the machines where I want them to go, in my mind. Then I began to wonder if it is big enough.

There's a gap in the wall in the workroom I don't remember from the model, and when I look at it, she says, "One of the guys said it would be a good idea to put a door there so you can get from your apartment to your shop easily. It got overlooked in the original plans."

The doorway leads into the living room, and there is a wall across the back to create a space for a greenhouse. Through the side wall, I see the framing for the bedroom and the walk-in closet with the sliding door framed in. All the plumbing is in place for the kitchen and bathroom, and I can picture where the big clawfoot tub is going to be. Right now there is a lawn chair where it is going to sit and I stretch out on it and smile.

It's been over a week since I signed the contract and so much has happened already. I glance at my watch and realize I've been daydreaming for quite a while. My lips slide over the wires of my retainers as I walk downstairs with the lady from the renovation company. My confirmation that I am happy with the layout brings a smile to her face and I take note of her teeth. They are straighter than mine and it looks as if she may have had braces before, but there are signs she didn't wear her retainers long enough if she had braces.

She returns to her office while I step into the orthodontist's office. I recognize a few faces from the restaurant downstairs and smile at them as I walk to the desk and check-in. I don’t have a chance to sit down before I am being escorted into a treatment room. I smile at the orthodontist as he walks into the room, wanting him to see his work on display in my mouth. He takes a quick look inside my mouth, then pushes back from the chair and says, “Everything looks fine. While you’re here, is there anything else we can do for you?”

A grin spreads across my face as I say, “Do you have time to go to your office? I have a few alterations to my smile I would like to discuss.”

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles - The Seamstress
« Reply #38 on: 13. February 2023, 21:54:48 PM »
Chapter 6

I wait for him to pull up my file before asking, “Can you keep a record of what this is going to cost me for each of the things we discuss? The cost is going to be a factor in what I can do.”

His answer surprises me. “Don’t worry about the cost. The accountant will handle making sure the payments are made on time. You tell me what you want and I will advise you on what I can do about making it happen.”

He puts the picture of my face from the initial appointment on the screen and waits for me to begin. I distractedly run my tongue over the wires on my teeth, something I have been doing a lot of lately, exploring the bends in it. Finally I say, “I want to do something about straightening out my teeth a little. I don’t want them to be perfect, just for them to line up better. I want people to say, ‘Woah, that’s a pretty extreme treatment she is getting.’ Can I start with narrow bands on all my teeth?”

The sketch I gave to the hostess appears on the screen and he asks, “Something like this?” I nod and my face on the screen changes to show my teeth with bands on them. My top teeth stick out a bit more with the additional spaces needed for the bands to fit around my teeth. “I can reduce how much they stick out by removing a couple of teeth first, though I can suggest a better way.” He types in a few sentences and a face-bow replaces the bands. “If we move your top molars back a bit first to give room in the front for the bands, the front teeth won’t look as if they are sticking out. We can start by using a modified retainer to pull all the top teeth back at the same time.” The face on the screen gradually changes to show what the treatment might look like.

He glances at the look on my face, then says.”You don’t like that option, do you? I don’t like how the teeth recede as the treatment progresses either. How about this option? We put ordinary metal brackets on all your top teeth at the start, then replace them with bands as the teeth move back and space opens up between them to keep your front teeth where they are now.” This time, the image on the screen gradually changes to show bands appearing from the back to the front as the teeth move. It’s better, but still not quite what I want.

I point to my front teeth and ask, "Can we create a gap between my front teeth first to make room for bands? One of my friends in school had an expander and she had this little gap between her teeth for a while. I thought she looked so interesting with the gap. Can we do something like that?"

He types in a few words and the face on the screen changes again to show my jaw widening and a gap appearing before bands go around my front teeth. "Like that?"

I smile as the image repeats. "That's almost what I want. Can you make the gap stay longer and have a matching gap on the bottom? And bands on all the bottom teeth too?" The image on the screen resets and I watch as my face gets a bit wider as the requested treatment progresses. The gaps slowly appear and stay until just before the end. "I like that, except the teeth look too well lined up at the end. Can you leave the canines recessed behind the front teeth a little?" This time I really like the way they look.

He looks at the final image and resets it to show the bands on the front teeth appearing earlier in the treatment. This time the bands appear on the front teeth soon after the gaps appear between the front teeth and the canines tilt in behind the front teeth near the beginning of the treatment. "To make this work, I would need to put springs where the canines are to keep the space open and stop the other teeth from twisting. The bands will also work very well to help keep the teeth where they need to be, and I can use a rectangular wire to stop them from twisting. The canines can be attached to the expanders to give more precise control of them."

I realize he is talking to himself more than me, and I can appreciate the process he is going through to design the look I want. He types in a few more sentences and a face-bow appears on the screen again. I watch as my face starts out the way I look right now and changes shape as my teeth move into the position I have asked for. He blinks a few times as he becomes aware I am still sitting across from him. "Sorry about that. It isn't often that I am presented with such an interesting case. I've had difficult cases before, but this is the first time I've been asked to create such an intriguing treatment. Achieving this result is going to take quite a while. Once we start, you are going to have to fully cooperate with the instructions I give you and I may have to use a few different devices I haven't thought about using yet."

The grin on my face can't get any bigger as I say, "Where do I sign and when can we start?"

He looks at the scans of my teeth and checks the schedule on the screen. "I think there is already enough space between your molars to fit bands on, and there is an appointment slot open in a while if you want to fit them today. The bands are probably going to be a bit uncomfortable until your molars shift to allow for them, so we won't start using the face-bow just yet. The expanders are going to have to go in sometime soon and the brackets are going to be needed right away to keep the teeth from moving in unpredictable directions. I'll need to shuffle patients around a little to get all of this done, but I think I can do it all today."

I realize he is talking to himself again and clear my throat to get his attention. "I'll wait until you are ready to start. Just give me the forms to sign."



I let the girl at the front desk know I'm going to be sitting in the coffee shop outside the office and go to the renovation office to get my sketchpad. The lady suggests I take the new computer sketch pad with me and use it too. My mind is more focused on my upcoming appointment and I didn’t think about using it. The whole building is wired for wifi access, and as long as my new computer is on, I have access to the files to run the new sketchpad.

I let my mind wander to the outfit I designed for the renovation lady. I find a file holding revisions I made and locate the version without the changes. She asked me to create something for around the office, but my mind has other ideas floating around. I store the original file as a template and begin working on something for her to wear at home. I keep my design to something a middle-aged woman would want to wear and add simple metal braces to her teeth.

The next design is for something to wear for an evening out. It's elegant and simple, and I spend more time getting the braces on her teeth right and adding coloured ligatures. I do another version with a different coloured gown and matching coloured elastics showing between her smiling lips. They go into a private file before they get emailed to her.



The girl at the front desk comes out to get me and escorts me to a treatment room. I realize I am in the special client’s room because the chair is so comfortable. She stays with me while we wait for the orthodontist. While we wait, she asks if I can design a more comfortable uniform for her. I use her camera to take a picture of her, then use the Bluetooth connection to transfer it to my sketch pad.

As she tells me what she doesn't like about what she is wearing, I make alterations to her picture, adding material to the chest and reducing the material around her waist. Her pants get the same attention, with more material around the hips and less covering her legs. A second version has her wearing a knee-length skirt and low heels. I create a third version of her still in the skirt, but change the shoes to high-heels. I'm really enjoying using the new sketchpad and the convenience of being able to give people copies of what I create, although I do miss the feel of paper against my hand as I work.

The orthodontist walks in as I am finishing the last version and smiles when he sees what I have done with her uniform. "We may just have you do a little work for us when you get your shop open. I don't think that the last one will work, but the other two are a possibility. Now, let's get to work on your mouth. I hope you're not in a hurry, this is going to take a while."

The chair goes back and he begins to work on getting the bands around my back molars. The bands are a tight fit and I can feel the pressure as they begin to shift to accommodate the bands. He gives me the choice between the slightly larger self-ligating metal brackets or the older-style ligatured brackets for the rest of my teeth. It's a tough decision to make and the assistant shows me how they can twist the ligatures to make them more visible. Speed is not an issue for me unless I consider how long I want to extend my treatment, so I go with the older-style brackets. He leaves the brackets off of my canines and tells me those are going to have bands as soon as my expanders are ready. He slides springs along the archwires where my canines are to maintain the space.

He has a small camera mounted on the light he uses to illuminate my mouth and I can watch as he slowly covers my teeth with metal. He takes a few breaks from working on my teeth when one of the assistants needs him to check the work they are doing on other patients and the chance to close my mouth for a while is appreciated. It also gives me a chance to examine what has been done in more detail.

The assistant gives me a package of supplies for my new braces and goes over the information I need to know to take care of them. Before I leave, I have pictures of my new smile to add to their file, taken from many different angles, and the girl at the front desk transfers copies of them to my sketchpad for me.

I take my time walking down the steps, making sure the guys get a chance to look up my skirt and see my shorts with 'Gotcha' embroidered across the ass, and give them a display of my newly embraced smile. It's not just the braces I am showing off, it's how much I am enjoying having them.

I stop by the restaurant and show them my new smile as well, and the staff all want to get a good look at what I have been given. A few of the regular customers come over as well to see what the commotion is, and I get many compliments from them. A few ask if I am going to work in the new restaurant and I explain I will be making the new uniforms. I think some of them just ask so they can get another look at my braces, not that I am complaining. I'm really enjoying the attention they are drawing.

One of the busboys asks if I would like a ride home, and when I accept, gets permission to leave early from the hostess. He's quite excited when I ask if he wants to see my sketches, and his face falls when I pull them out and show them to him. I make it up to him when I kiss him and let him run his tongue over my braced teeth. I think I get more of a thrill from having someone kiss me and play with my braces, but it isn't by much judging by his reaction. He's walking funny as he leaves after I tell him I had a fun first date with him. Even if we never have a second date, it will still be memorable for him.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #39 on: 23. March 2023, 15:15:49 PM »
It's been a while since I posted a chapter, so here's one for you to enjoy.

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: A new story - Sparkles
« Reply #40 on: 23. March 2023, 15:16:18 PM »
Sparkles - 4

Each Tuesday, all of the employees and investors get a chance to walk through the new restaurant and see how the space is changing as the walls and fittings go into place. The couple from the renovation company handle most of the questions and take notes of any questions and suggestions.

One question that came up each week was the accessibility of the restaurant for people with different kinds of mobility issues. The drawings, plans and 3D model took into account all the government-mandated requirements and we tried to exceed them. The booths all had wheelchair access and the private rooms had wide doorways and a small storage area for coats, with fittings to hold things like crutches and canes.

A couple of the waitresses asked why there was only one wheelchair-accessible stall and they pointed out they often found the stalls too cramped even for able-bodied use. At their suggestion, all the stalls were enlarged to accommodate a wheelchair and a third washroom was added for people who needed assistance using the bathroom. The third bathroom was enlarged enough to accommodate three people easily and the addition of a changing table made it comfortable for changing a child's diaper.

It was one of the busboys that brought up the issue of the width of the doorways to the kitchen. They were fine for normal levels of use, but when the restaurant was busy, they tended to become crowded. A simple redesign to the layout made them oneway use and widened them. Before changing them in the new restaurant, 'Sparkles Daytime' got a retrofit to test out the idea. With the kitchen being designed and located to serve both restaurants, the idea made sense, and with a little time to get used to the new layout, the staff found things moved more smoothly.

I stand back and admire the growing number of metal-enhanced smiles I see each week. As we hire more employees, the number slowly grows, but it becomes more evident each week as the employees walk around and talk about the changes. The seamstress arrives in a different costume each week, and her smile slowly becomes more metallic each week. Each of her costumes is in the 'Sparkles' colours and is a wild version of one of the uniforms she is working on. They all are more suitable for working in an adult club or wearing to a dance club than in a restaurant, and she always arrives after almost everyone else.



I find myself spending more time managing the existing restaurants and getting things organized for the new restaurant than I do working in the kitchen. It's during one of my increasingly frequent complaint sessions that someone says, "Why don't you get someone to take over some of the routine work for you? Hire yourself an assistant."

I look up at the metal-encased smiles in front of me and grimace. "How am I supposed to find time to do that when I don't have enough time to do the work I already have to do? I need an assistant to find me an assistant."

This time I am watching as Charlene says, “There is already a process in place to handle it.”

The metal braces in The Hostess's mouth come into view as she says, “I’m already handling the interview process for the restaurant staff, adding finding an assistant for you to the list shouldn’t be difficult. What type of person are you looking for?”

It’s not something I had thought about, so I have a confused look on my face as The Seamstress asks, “Let’s start with the basics, male or female? Is age a factor? Do they need to have experience and if so, what kind?”

My mouth drops open as I try to process the questions coming at me. All I can do is shrug as the three of them grin at me. The Hostess takes pity on me and says, "Why don't you think about it for a while, then make a list of things for me to look for? In the meantime, I'll keep an eye out for someone I think might be able to handle the job. I've been doing okay with the restaurant staff so far, especially with the help I've had from Charlene and a few others in the building."

She's right. There are three assistant hostesses to cover all the shifts in 'Sparkles Daytime' and Charlene is in charge of the waitresses. I have more kitchen staff than I need at the moment, but when 'Sparkles' opens, all the staff will have full-time jobs if they want. Everyone she has sent to me for an interview has already been screened by her and all I've had to do is give them my okay and send them to the orthodontist. If I had an assistant like her, I could spend most of my time in the kitchen creating dishes for the restaurants.

The three ladies all laugh as I walk away shaking my head.



I spend over a week trying to put together a list of what I want in an assistant. I started by listing everything I could think of, adding more as I thought of things. Then I tried to narrow it down to what I considered important. The list is still impossible to make sense of when the Hostess knocks on my door and enters. Beside her is a petite female that looks as if she is a gymnast.

“I have someone for you to interview.” The smile on the Hostess’s face says she’s up to something, but I can’t tell what it is. “I’ve already told her what she is going to be doing if she is hired, all you have to do is give her the standard interview. She’s already had her appointment with the orthodontist and has been approved by him.” She places the file with the job application, resume and orthodontist’s records on my desk, then smiles at the girl as she leaves.

I glance at her several times as I read through the file, noting she has a little experience as a waitress and has just finished several courses towards a degree in business management. Her application says she is looking for part-time work, though she is open to a full-time position if it is offered. She waits patiently for me to start the interview.

The impression I had that she looked like a gymnast is confirmed when I read her application and see she lists she was one in school and volunteers part-time as an assistant coach at a local gym. Her application says she has applied to be a waitress, but I can see she is overqualified for the position.

I give her the standard interview, asking her the usual questions. She has a pleasant voice with a heavy British accent and smiles frequently, though she keeps her teeth covered when she does. When I have her stand in front of the screen for the video portion of the interview, I notice that she has a slight limp and her left leg seems a little stiff. It's hard to tell why, because she is wearing a long skirt. As she stands in front of the screen and says the scripted greetings word perfect without looking at the sheet, I have to wonder why she wants to work as a waitress. In my opinion, she's too good-looking to be a waitress and seems very relaxed and confident.

My cellphone chimes with a text from the Hostess saying, "If you know what's good for you, tell her you are hiring her. When you do, tell her I said to smile for you. The orthodontist can't wait to get his hands on her. Text me before she leaves, I want to congratulate her." The Hostess hasn't been wrong with the recommendations she's made for employees so far, and except for a few the orthodontist has rejected, all have been hired, so I take her advice.

Before I let her know she has been hired, I have a few more questions to ask her, so I get her to take a seat in front of my desk. As she sits, she touches the back of her left knee, and I notice that her skirt doesn't lay quite normal.

She notices where I am looking and the smile on her face fades. I ask her the questions about braces and a puzzled look crosses her face until I explain I am talking about orthodontic braces, not about the English variety that goes over the shoulders. Her answers are quite informative and I can understand why she has passed the two interview stages already.

Then I tell her she is hired and give her the message from the Hostess. For the first time since she entered my office, I see her teeth and understand why the orthodontist wants her as a patient. She has the most spectacular set of 'British' teeth I have ever seen. They're slightly too big for her mouth and all are just a bit out of alignment.

While I'm trying to figure out a way to politely ask all the questions I have going through my mind, the Hostess walks through my door and says, "I think you are going to enjoy having your new assistant around. As soon as I saw her resume, I knew she was perfect for the job."

Then she turns to the new assistant I didn't know I was hiring and says, "Why don't you properly introduce yourself to him and answer a few of the questions I know he is having a hard time trying to find a way to ask without being impolite. I also have a few I would like to ask, but I'm not allowed to ask them, so maybe we can get together sometime and have coffee."

My new assistant smiles at me and I get another good look at her mouth. "My name really is Bertha Goodebotton as it says on my application, but I prefer Birdy. I was born in London, but we moved around a lot because of my father's job and I never was able to get my teeth fixed on the NHS plan because we moved so often. I've been into gymnastics since I was a little girl and studied ballet whenever I had a chance."

Then she lifts the left side of her skirt a little and the bottoms of her metal legbraces comes into view. "I saw you watching me as I sat down. I find it easier if I wear long skirts until people get to know me. A group of us were on the train to a competition when there was an accident. The rest of the group was close to the front of the train when the accident occurred and were uninjured. I was at the back stretching my legs and was one of the few with more severe injuries. A heavy goods lorry ran through a barrier and hit the last car, derailing it."

She takes a pause to sip from the bottle the Hostess hands her, then continues with, "My left knee had to be rebuilt and I was told I probably wouldn't walk again. I proved them wrong, though I do need the legbrace to be able to walk. My left leg is shorter than the right and I wear heels to make up for the difference. The alternative is to wear shoes with a built-up heel and sole, which I don't think is appealing."

"My right leg is fine most of the time, but they made me a legbrace from it as well while I was in the hospital. While I was learning how to walk again, I kept spraining my right ankle and it was simpler and cheaper to have me wearing a legbrace than to keep delaying my recovery every time I sprained it." She taps her left leg near her upper thigh and says, "This one is a full-length brace and supports my entire leg. The one on my right leg goes from below my knee to my shoe."

She smiles at both of us and asks, "Does that cover most of your questions?" Then she looks at me and says, "Your question about braces threw me off at first because I thought you were asking about my legbraces. To properly answer your questions, I very much want to get my teeth fixed. The orthodontist already has a treatment plan arranged for me and he's told me he will do it the way I want it done."

"I've never considered myself to be disabled, and I don't want to be treated as if I am. I just do some things differently than many people and move a bit slower sometimes."

I grin at her and say, "Welcome to Sparkles, Birdy. I think we are going to get along fine."