BBQ, Humidity and Retainers

Florence, South Carolina.

Before we rest our weary heads in a Holiday Inn Express, we drove to the nearest restaurant for some southern BBQ.

Rolling out of our car the Carolina humidity was delightful. The hostess' sweet southern accent was welcoming. The smell of the BBQ was amazing. We were ravenous!

We drank sweet tea, ate sweet rolls, salad, creamy corn soup and fall-off-the-bone ribs, until we were satisfied.

As we are paying the bill, I realized that the my daughter's retainer was not on table, where I placed it.

(Note: Orthodontist's #1 Rule: Always keep the retainer in it's case. Never, ever, roll it in a napkin and put it on the table!)

As if we weren't exhausted enough, we tore apart our table and chairs looking for a very small, clear plastic retainer, in a dimly lit room.

The restaurant manager offered to dig through all the garbage to see if they could find it. Our waitress was equally sympathetic and helpful.

For 20 minutes, all I could think of was dollars down the tubes (or trash bin).

I heard one of the kids say a prayer to St. Anthony.

The scene was enough to make me completely loose it, when my daughter slid her hand into her pocket and found a balled up napkin with her retainer inside.

No one asked, "How did the retainer move from the table to her pocket?"

We were too exhausted.

The restaurant was closed and the manager and waitress went way beyond what they needed to do to help us.

It was time to end the day.