The Mystery of the Lost Retainers

Who knew that these two little pieces of plastic and metal could cause so much drama?

Last Thursday night our house went into an uproar at 10pm.  Let me give some background first: every night I remind Zak before I go to bed to "brush your teeth, put in your retainers, take out your contacts, wash your face, and use your acne cream."  Zak's common response is "I know" or "Okay" as if he has never forgotten any of these things.

So, last Wednesday I did my usual reminder, got the usual response, and asked him, "I don't remember the last time I saw you wear your retainers, do you." "Just a couple days ago, Mom."  Well, then Thursday night I went to bed early so Chad did the nightly reminders and got from Zak, "I can't find my retainers."  Chad asked, "When was the last time you wore them."  "Last night."  "So you've you lost them since this morning, case and all?"  This whole time I am laying in bed listening to this thinking, "this is not going to turn out well."  As Chad and Zak are searching the typical places, the last time Zak remembers wearing them keeps getting bumped back further and further..."maybe a couple days ago," "maybe a couple weeks ago," "I honestly don't remember the last time."  After 30 minutes of Chad and Zak searching, I decided that maybe they just needed some female eyes to look so I got up and searched for 30 minutes.  NOTHING!!!

Finally, I thought maybe they were left at the Millers' the night he stayed over when Chad and I went to NYC, which was in October.  I texted her and we all went to bed.  Friday morning Tami texted me back and no, they had not seen them anywhere around their house.  The thought that the retainers just seemed to have disappeared into thin air was ridiculous, so finding them nagged at me all day and night Friday and again Saturday morning.  Everywhere I walked around the house, I was constantly on the lookout for the little black container.

Saturday morning while waking Zak for hockey, I once again was down on my knees looking under his bed, dresser, desk, nightstand...and all of a sudden I happened to notice that one of the power plugs pinned between his nightstand leg and the powerstrip had a latch on it.  OMG, I had found them.  I hollered, at the top of my lungs, at 7:00am, "I FOUND THEM!!!"