The case of the see-through retainer

This is just a random picture from this past summer and it has nothing to do with the story. I'm at the back of the picture hiding my wet-suited booty from the camera.

Here's the story:

Abram got his braces off about 2 months ago. He had to wear his retainer day and night for the first 8 weeks, and then last week we went back and they told him to only wear it at night. He was so excited. It took a lot of mental energy to keep track of that retainer when you had to take it out to eat. He had a perfect system worked out: contacts in---retainer out, contacts out--retainer in.

So he did alright for a few days. And then Tuesday night he came down and asked me if I knew where his retainer was. I suggested that he go look in the bathroom again, because he swore he left it in its usual spot that morning. He returned empty-handed again.

So I gave him my usual, "If I have to come up there and find it for you it will cost you $1." That trick usually works when someone claims he or she cannot find an item, and I tell them where it probably is, and they say they already looked there. "If I have to come show you where it is, it will cost you." I only had to collect from Jacob a couple of times before he figured out I knew what I was talking about, and I meant what I said. Abram, on the other hand, has never taken me up on it. He always goes back and looks, and there it is.

So I went up and looked through the bathroom. No retainer. I looked through his bedroom and was again unsuccessful. Wednesday night came, and it still hadn't turned up. So I called the orthodontist yesterday morning to schedule a time for Abram to come in and get a new retainer made--and let Abram pay for it. And then I thought, "This is insane. That retainer has to be here in the house." I had dug through the trash in the bathroom, and had looked everywhere--at least I thought so.

I said a prayer, and asked for help finding that retainer. I then noticed that Zachary was playing in his usual spot at the Thomas the Train table in the upstairs loft near the bathroom. I immediately realized that Zachary must have grabbed that retainer out of the bathroom and carried it around with him, probably trying to shove it in his mouth like Abram. So I dug through the drawers under the table, and looked through all the track on the table. No retainer. I moved to the other side to look from a different perspective, and had the same result. Just as I was thinking it was hopeless, I put my hands on the floor to push up from my knees, and what did I find? The see-through retainer, perfectly camoflauged on our cream carpet. I had been within one inch of kneeling on it!

Abram is happy, because he saved $100 which the orthodontist would have charged for a new retainer. In this case, where I actually couldn't find the thing either, I didn't charge my usual $1 fee.