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Somewhere in Washington, DC 10:45 AM.
"Thank you, have a good day." I said to the barista as I grabbed my cup of coffee and coffee cake before driving off. I drove to work in silence, outside from the constant horn blaring from the busy DC streets. My mind ran a mile a minute as I thought about todays schedule. It was simple but busy. Two teeth whitening appointments, four basic cavity fills and one after hour teeth gem appointment. Teeth gems were something I enjoyed and because I do work for my mother at her dentist office, out of respect for her space, I do them after hours. Not that she would mind because she doesn't but I'm the only one who does them and to much traffic for something that isn't a service at her dentistry wasn't something I wanted in my mothers office. I had a new patient today and she's never had teeth gems before but she saw my work and wanted to get them done. She was referred by a previous patient, Joe, in which I did veneers for a couple of years ago. I pulled up at work and took a couple deep breathes before grabbing my things to walk inside the building. I was greeted by Joi, the receptionist and gave her a smile and a wave. "Good morning, Joi." I said as I walked back to my mom's office. "Good morning Dr. Ma." I said making her give me a warm smile as she walked from around her desk, kissing my cheek as she pulled me into a hug. "Good morning my beautiful baby girl." She cooed making me roll my eyes. "Ma," I whined as I pulled away before taking a seat across from her desk. "Your father cooked last night, packed you some lunch." She said as she sat in her chair. I nodded before pulling my planner out my bubblegum pink Telfar, flipping to this months tab to lay eyes on todays schedule. "Has my eleven-thirty showed?" I asked my mom, she pulled up our digital log in, putting on her glasses before giving it a thorough look over, shaking her head she closed out. "Nope, still have time to kill. Eat, don't want your stomach growling while your in someone's mouth." My mom said, patting my shoulder as she walked out the door. I nodded before sitting back in the chair, crossing one leg over the other as I bit into my coffee cake. I scrolled through my instagram timeline liking some reels and sharing some to my best friend, Zion, before switching over to my business page to check the activity, couple thousand likes and comment with a handful of direct messages. I didn't have time for that, unless an appointment is booked or a consultation, it's not much I can do, I'm one person, although I could really use an assistant. "Baby your patient is here." My mom said as she stuck her head into her office. I made sure I was clear of any crumbs and put on my face mask before walking out to the lobby. "Mrs. Jones? Are you ready?" I called out politely at the small lady making her smile and nod as she stood up, following me to a private work room.
The day went be slow but it was closing time which meant it was time for the fun stuff. I hooked my iPad up to the bluetooth that played throughput the office. 'Snooze,' by SZA played at a casual level, not to loud but not to low. I began setting up my materials; Swarovski diamonds, 18k gold charms, cotton tubes, jaw widener, wax tip, adhesive and curing light. It wasn't long after when I got a message on my phone letting me know that my patient was outside. I made it to the door quickly, unlocking it and letting her in before locking it back. "Hey, how are you!" I greeted with my hand out and she looked at it. "I'm Trinity and Im a hugger if you don't mind." She said with her arms wide making me smile before hugging her. I pulled away laughing. "I sure hope so since I let you in." I teased making her smile. "I'm so excited! Your work is amazing girl!" She said making me smile. "I appreciate that. I know you said you weren't sure on any ideas previously, have you thought of anything or do you want me to just freestyle?" I asked as I led her to one of the open floor chairs. "Freestyle. It was to many options and they're all so cute. I couldn't choose." She said as she sat in the dental chair. "Completely understood. I changed mines as often as possible." I said, washing and drying my hands before pulling on my black latex gloves. "You do your own?" She asked and I nodded as a sat in the rolling stool. She so cute, like a little curious cat. "I do." I said before giving her a smile, just big enough so she can see my gems. They were shaped in a heart going over 3 of my teeth. "That's dope!" She exclaimed. "I'm so excited now! Just do whatever, I love colors, rainbows, and anything bright and obnoxious!" She said cheerfully making me laugh. "Okay, I'll map out a design, let you see the vision and if you like it I'll apply them. You won't be able to talk much but if you feel uncomfortable tap me on my arm twice, it shouldn't cause any pain so if you feel pain, do not hesitate to let me know immediately. Also feel free to change the music if you're not into this." I said like a record. I've said that so much that it's basically my Declaration of Independence. "I love Solana." She said and I smiled and nodded.
I began thinking of designs, laying out them gems silently. She looked attentively. "May I ask you something?" She asked and I nodded, still focusing on my work. "When did you know you could do something like this?" She asked and I stopped and looked at her briefly. I really didn't have a answer because one day I just did it and it continued from there. "I mean it wasn't something they taught in dental school but honestly I wanted to do it, I tried it and now I'm here." I said honestly and she nodded. "What do you do? I mean you have a insane body." I said. From the moment she walked in I've noticed just how fit she was, it's amazing. "I'm a trainer. I work with my husband and his family. Joe, the guy who referred me to you is the owner of the gym and my husbands cousin." She explained. "Makes since, he is huge! I didn't know if he could fit in my chair." I said and she laughed. "Honestly girl, imagine cooking for him plus two! They eat like monsters but that's Samoan men for you." She said and I nodded. "That's makes more since." I said before finishing mapping out the design. Six colorful gems going across the bottom of her teeth, simple and fun. "Let me know if you don't like it. These will be going along the bottom row of your teeth focusing on the center six." I said and her eyes beamed. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!" She exclaimed making me smile. "Alright we'll let's get started."
