The Dentist

“Ighm ih figghg arade.”

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“Oh—Right—sorry,” I said, retrieving my hands from my patient’s mouth. “What were you trying to say?”

“I’m in 5th grade.” My patient, Jimmy said, answering my question. This was the first time I’ve had Jimmy as a patient here at Jolly Smiles, and I was having the same problem I do with my other patients. I finished dental school about two years ago at the top of my class, so the actual dentistry wasn’t the problem. It was the conversations. It’s like you feel required to make them, and I’ve never been great at conversing with anyone, let alone someone who can’t talk half the time.

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“Good. And how is that going?” I asked him.

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“Good.”

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“Right. Good!” I smiled. It didn’t help that I was talking to a 5th grader, though, either.

I finished with his cleaning and looked for the tools to do the X-ray. I moved the light that was shining on Jimmy for the cleaning and glanced over at my desk. A picture of my dad and I had fallen over. I fixed the picture and remembered how good my dad was at conversing with people. He was the kind of guy to know every waitress and waiter at his favorite restaurant or find a way to have a conversation with some guy in the bathroom. I always thought that one day, I would begin to talk to people like he could, but after he died, that possibility seemed to have faded.

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“Alright, Jimmy, are you ready for the x-ray?” I asked, trying to feign excitement.

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“Does it hurt?”

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“It can, but that’s only if you can’t handle these things that you have to hold in your mouth.”

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Jimmy’s eyes widened, and his arms tensed. “Uh, but for you, Jimmy, you-you’ll do great!” He was smart enough to still be nervous, but I noticed him relaxing for the moment. “I just need you to bite down on these for me.” I showed him the biting tab and moved on with the X-ray. I noticed one of Jimmy’s adult teeth being blocked by a baby tooth. He’ll need it pulled here soon, maybe even today. I’d need permission from his mother, though, who I really didn’t want to talk to. “Alright, open for me, Jimmy.” I pulled the biting tab out and told Jimmy I’d be right back.

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I walked back to the lobby. This Jolly Smiles definitely was one of the smaller ones I’d ever been to. Then again, it was the only one I’d ever been to. I only decided to come back to Milton, Delaware after my father passed. I was living in Wilmington at the time, working my first job after I graduated. The funeral was held here, and I came and stayed with my grandpa for about a week. I wanted to quit my job and just stay here, but I had always felt this pull towards dentistry. And because Milton is so small, I had so many people from my childhood come up to me and ask if I was going to be staying. Although all of this was tempting, the real nail in the coffin was my childhood dentist telling me he wanted to retire. He was my inspiration to become a dentist, so I asked him if there would be an opening after his retirement. Who was I kidding? Of course, there would be. This office had been his for a while, but now I had the responsibility to keep it going. It frightened me.

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The narrow hallway leading to the lobby felt like a tunnel. For the kids who were scared of going to the dentist, and maybe even adults, this poorly lit hallway didn’t help to ease their worries. I

entered the lobby and noticed Jimmy’s mom focused on her phone. As a widow, everyone wanted to pity Mrs. Porter, but with the way she handled Jimmy and her own life, it was hard to even tell. She had already come in here a couple times for herself and now for Jimmy, and every time, she looked completely professional. She was always dressed up, and it was hard to find a hair out of place. Her confidence was like an aroma that flowed out of her, and because of that, she was hard not to notice.

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“Hey, Mrs. Porter, may I talk to you for a second?”

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“Yes, Dr. Pine?” she asked.

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“So one of Jimmy’s baby teeth is blocking his adult tooth from coming in. It’s best if we get it out as soon as possible. Do you have a problem with doing the pulling right now? It shouldn’t take too long, and I’m concerned that if we don’t do it right now, there might be problems when that adult tooth wants to push it out. If we do it right now, however, I’m-”

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“Do it, Dr. Pine,” she said impatiently. “If it needs to come out, then pull it.”

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“Right. Ok. I’ll have it done real quick.” I started walking back to Jimmy when I remembered something I needed to ask. “Hey, sorry, before I go, is there something your son is interested in that I could talk about? I’m having trouble filling the silence.” She looked at me with a look that was either annoyance or confusion; I couldn’t tell.

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“Just talk about monster trucks. He’s still in love with those” she said.

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“O-ok, thank you.” My legs were already pointed away from the conversation, seemingly ready to be done. She frightened me. I made my way back to Jimmy, focusing on monster trucks. How

could I get him to talk about monster trucks? Without him knowing, I asked his mom, too? Then I had it. It was something I’d been asked in that very chair before.

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“Hey, Jimmy, sorry to keep you waiting,” I explained the situation to him, and even though he was nervous again, I managed to calm him down enough. I started to get the tools prepared and decided that this would be a good time to ask him. “Say, Jimmy, if you could have one wish that could be anything you wanted, what would you ask for?” The excitement was immediate on Jimmy’s face.

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Without hesitation, Jimmy yelled, “A monster truck!”

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“Ah, what kind of monster truck?” I asked.

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“I want a big black one with flames on it and wheels that are bigger than me!” Jimmy said with his arms flailing about. We spent the rest of the time talking about his monster truck and what he would try doing with it, and by the time we got to the actual teeth-pulling process, he didn’t seem nervous at all. The tooth pull was very successful, and I sent Jimmy on his way. I could hear Jimmy continue his conversation about his monster truck with his mom, and I winced when I saw the slight glare that she gave me as she stepped out the door.

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“How’d it go, Julius?” The secretary for the clinic, Maria, asked.

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“Actually, really good. As soon as I got him on monster trucks, I didn’t have to do much talking, which was great. You know, I think I might use that more often. Ask people what they would want if they had one gift/wish in life. It really got Jimmy talking….” Maria gave me a “Yeah… sure” look and turned her focus back to her computer.

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The next day, I started to use this phrase more and more. I’d get answers ranging anywhere from a girlfriend to NFL season tickets to a new hot tub. And just like Jimmy, people were extremely excited to talk about their wishes and why they would ask for that specific thing. After my last patient for the day walked out the door, I heard Maria talking on the phone. “It’s for you, Julius.” She said while covering the phone. Strange, I thought, most people don’t call and ask for the head Doctor. I walk over to the phone and hear a familiar voice.

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“Dr. Pine?” the voice asked.

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“Yes?” I answered, still questioning who this could be.

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“Do you happen to know anything about this massive truck in my parking lot?”

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“I’m sorry?”

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“This is Julie. Julie Porter. The exact truck that my son wanted and told you about the day he went to see you is sitting in my driveway. And you’re telling me you know nothing about it?”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Porter, but I…I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I replied. I heard a distressed sigh come from the speaker.

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“Listen, Dr. Pine, I understand if you were just trying to be nice and surprise Jimmy, but this was too much. I’m going to have to ask you to come and get rid of it.”

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“I didn’t do it. I’ve been here at the office all day. I couldn’t have had time. I need to go, Mrs. Porter. I’m sorry.” I hung up the phone. My anxiety was through the roof. Talking with Julie Porter was not my favorite thing, let alone getting into an argument with her. It did seem odd, though. That the day after I talked to him about a monster truck, one showed up in his driveway.

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Not my problem, I thought. Then the phone rang again. Maria answered, “Jolly Smiles, this is Maria. How can I help you?” She stared at me. “It’s for you again.”

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“Is it her again? Just tell her I have a patient.”

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“No, it’s your patient from earlier, uh, Doug, something.”

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“What does he want?” She shrugs, not caring. I answered the phone with a slight hesitation, worried another monster truck would show up in a driveway.

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“Hello? This is Dr. Pine.”

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“There he is! There’s my boy!” Doug said. “Listen, buddy, I just wanted to thank you for the tickets. Now, I did not know how much you mouth cleaners make, but I guess it’s enough to get me there! I oughta repay you somehow; I’m just not very liquid right now, you know? Kinda your fau-”

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“Wait, Doug, I’m…I’m sorry, what tickets?” I asked him, praying that he wouldn’t say season tickets.

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“Uh, the Eagles tickets, Dr. Pine. The season tickets that you asked me about earlier today? I said I would wish for the season tickets so I don’t have to watch the game from my couch no more. You said, ‘Who are the Eagles’ and I said, ‘Are you friggin kidd-’”

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“No, I remember, Doug, but I didn’t get you those tickets.”

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“Well, who did?” He asked.

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“I’m not sure, sir, but I have to go. I’ve uh… got another patient here. Enjoy the tickets.” I hung up. My mind was spinning. This was no longer just a coincidence. I’m a nerd. I know when some sci-fi or fantasy stuff is going on, and something was going on here. Could I somehow be granting wishes? I asked myself. If that’s the case, why have only two people called? Earlier that day, I asked the same question to a man who said that for his one gift, he wanted it to rain beef jerky. Obviously, I would have smelled the jerky by now if I was granting everybody’s wish. So, I had to think about the similarities between these two people instead.

So, what did Doug and Jimmy have in common with each other? Besides being the same gender, there wasn’t much. I racked my mind for reasons as to why these two got their wishes but not others when it hit me. The tooth pull. The only teeth I pulled since I started asking this question were Doug’s and Jimmy’s. Now, if, by some odd chance, I did have the ability to grant these wishes, I at least had a theory to back it. Now, all I had to do was test it.

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I spent the next week eagerly waiting for someone to need to have their teeth pulled. I would stare at the x-ray, just hoping I would get the chance to test my theory out, but patient after patient, the teeth were not ready. Here I was, a dentist, angry at people for having good teeth. At the end of the week, though, I knew I had a patient who was scheduled to get their wisdom teeth out, so I left my theory on her shoulders.

Kate was a teenage girl filled with great optimism for life. She was the most excited patient I had ever had! Or, at least, that’s what I was hoping for. What I got was quite the opposite. Kate came in with the gloomiest face I had ever seen. With hints of eternal fatigue, it seemed like Kate could never find the cold side of the pillow. I knew before we even got started that she was ready to be done and go back to whatever would give her the slightest bit of temporary happiness. So, without much conversation at all, I prepared Kate to get her wisdom teeth out. I only needed to get this one answer out of her before I did the procedure, so I wasn’t too worried about our lack of social interaction.

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“Before I give you the anesthesia, Kate, I have one question.” She looked at me with intrigue. I didn’t know she was capable of showing anything but melancholy. I gave her the question, “If you could have one wish that could be anything you wanted, what would it be?” Her mind started racing. I could tell I sparked something in her. But then, the expressiveness came to a halt. Her face was drooping further than before, a doleful wave washing over her.

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“I guess I would wish for a dog.”

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The realization must have hit my face like a wave, too. “What kind of dog?” I asked with as warm a voice as I could muster.

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Tears started to well up in her eyes. “A shih tzu.” I decided right then that even if my theory didn’t work, I would get Kate a Shih Tzu.

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I put Kate under and pulled the two wisdom teeth. I sent her home with her burly dad, who picked her up and dropped her off. I hoped that when she got home, there was a puppy waiting for her. She needed it. I expected the same call that I received from Mrs. Porter and Doug, but after waiting a couple days, no calls came in. My theory was looking more and more incorrect. About a week later, though, I heard Maria calling me from her desk, “Dr. Pine? There’s someone here to see you.” I knew I had no patients at this hour, so I was curious as to who it could be. As soon as I made it to the lobby, I had to keep my emotions in check.

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It was Kate. She seemed nothing like the girl who came in here a week ago. The gloom and tiredness that was present had turned into rested jubilation. She looked at me and gestured down at what she was holding onto. It was a leash. Leading to a Shih Tzu. “I just wanted to come by and thank you, Dr. Pine.” She exclaimed. “I never thought that you would actually get one.”

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Instead of denying the fact that this was because of me, I focused on her dog and gave him some scratches on the head. So there it was. I can grant wishes. I thought about what to do with this newfound gift. Before I could think about it anymore, the door opened. In walks a hunched-over, elderly man. He had a button-up on and khakis and looked me right in the eye through his wire glasses with a face I couldn’t read. It was Dr. Trenton. He had only retired 8 months ago; I wondered what he was doing back here. “Hey Kate, do you mind if this gentleman and I speak? I really appreciate you coming down, though.”

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“Ok, bye, Dr. Pine!” Kate said, hurrying away with her new puppy.

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“What brings you here, Dr.?” I asked him, still trying to decipher what emotions were on his face.

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“I’m assuming you’ve figured it out by now.” He answered with a smile slowly growing on his face. At that moment, I pieced everything together. I traveled back to when I sat in that chair down the hall, Dr. Trenton working on my teeth. He ended up asking me a question. A question that I thought back to when thinking about how to converse with Jimmy. “If you could have one wish that could be anything you wanted, what would it be?” I remembered the question, but I couldn’t quite remember my answer.

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“So it was you!” I said, obviously surprised. “Or is it this office? Does Maria know?” I whispered, trying not to make a scene, but when I looked at Maria, she winked at me.

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Dr. Trenton, patting me on the shoulder, said, “Slow down there, son. I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

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I spent the next hour unloading all of my questions to him, hoping that he could answer everything. I was sad to find out that he didn’t know why we could do this or when it started, but he told me that the dentist before him passed this place down and guided him through this as well. He said that the only rules were that you have to ask the question and you have to pull a tooth, as well as there being only one wish per person. Other than that, everything was up to your discretion. He told me that I should only focus on granting the wishes of kids because kids will, more often than not, wish for something that won’t mess their lives up. I thought back to Mrs. Porter and the monster truck and wished I had figured this out before then.

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“Can you grant your own?” I asked with hesitant curiosity. He opened his mouth and pointed to his molars. One was missing.

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“Nope,” he said. “I found out the hard way.” He chuckled. “I wasn’t wishing for anything big. Just some food. Wanted to see if it’d work.”

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I started to run out of questions, but I got the important ones answered. His favorite wishes, his biggest mistakes, and when to ask the question were all answered nonchalantly like he had asked these questions once too. I felt prepared. Not to change lives but just to make kids happy. Like Kate. That’s what I wanted to do. Before Dr. Trenton left, I remembered one more question that I wanted to ask him.

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“Before you go, I was wondering,” I said. “What was my answer to the question when you pulled my teeth all of those years ago? I couldn’t remember.”

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He gave me the biggest toothy grin and said, “You wanted to be a dentist.”