Together Forever

Three years we've been together. Traveling the world, from Mexico to Seattle, Central Point to Colorado Springs I've spent every night over the past three years with one thing. My retainer. That streak came to an end Saturday night, all thanks to some slippery fingers and a vanity sink with no drain filter. Getting ready for bed in the group bathroom, I watched in slow motion as my small, lower jaw retainer dropped into the sink and slid right into the drain. I stood stunned, not sure how to feel. Sure, to some it was just a retainer, but it was my retainer. Part of me wanted to rip the pipes apart and search, but there was no hope. I turned around and went to bed. Like the necklaces comprised of two parts of a heart, I will cherish the upper half I have left, knowing that in some pond or sewer the other part of my retainer exists. This may sound pathetic to some, but that's just me- my life, my things, my values.