“Thank you. Now I need to ask you some questions.” She placed a sheet of paper on the desk. On the paper was a schematic drawing of a full set of teeth and their relative positions. “How long have you had this pain?” Mary told her. The receptionist made some notes on the paper then took one of the bamboo skewers out of the jar. “Please use this to point out exactly where the pain is.”

      Puzzled, Mary took the skewer and opened her mouth. She carefully placed the point directly onto the aching tooth. The receptionist looked carefully at the tooth, then scribbled some quick abbreviations and symbols on the paper. Arrows were drawn to indicate the aching tooth.

      “Okay. Thank you.” Mary withdrew the skewer and the receptionist took it and threw it in the trash. “If you would like to take a seat, we will be with you shortly.” She took the paper and headed back down the hall.

      Mary sat down on one of the chairs. She took a magazine and glanced through it. When the receptionist came back she said, “Mr. Brewer, will you follow me please?”

      The man with the laptop hurriedly shut down the computer and slipped it into the brief case as he stood up and headed for the counter.

      “It's good to see you back so soon,” said the receptionist. “Although I'm sorry you're having more trouble with your teeth.”

      “Yes. I didn't want to put this one off like I did with the other one.”

      They disappeared down the hall and Mary returned to her magazine. After what seemed like only five or ten minutes, they returned to the waiting room.

      “Thank you.” said the man with the briefcase as headed for the door. “I'll see you next time.”

      “You're welcome. Have a good day.” The receptionist turned her attention to a young man in a delivery company uniform who had just come in.

      Mary glanced back down at her magazine just as the receptionist was handing the young man a bamboo skewer. As she absently flipped through the pages she wondered about the man with the briefcase. Judging by his conversation with the receptionist, Mary had assumed that he was here for dental work. But his quick return and exit made that impossible. She reasoned that he must have come to square up a bill and thought no more about it.

      Two women came in together and went to the counter and the young man sat down and picked up a magazine. The receptionist asked the two women to sign in as she took the young man's paper down the hall. She returned and filled out a paper on each of the two women, then took their papers down the hall as they sat down and talked. The receptionist came out again and called for the woman with the apron. As they went back, Mary found an interesting article and settled down to read it.

      A full ten minutes had passed before the woman returned to the waiting room. She had a look of fixed concentration on her face and although her mouth was closed, Mary could see her examining a tooth with her tongue.

      “Are you okay?” asked the receptionist.

      The woman turned to face the receptionist. “Yes. I'm perfectly fine.” She put her hand up to her right lower jaw. “I'm just amazed, that's all.”

      “Well good,” the receptionist smiled. “I hope you have a nice day.”

      “Yes.” said the woman. “And the same to you. And thank you very much!”

      The woman left the office and the receptionist called Mary's name just as an elderly man came in. “Please sign in, sir, and I'll be right with you.” Then she led Mary down the hall.

      From here Mary could hear the drill very clearly. She could hear it slow down and strain as it was being worked over a tooth and she winced inwardly. The receptionist led her inside a small office and shut the door. There was an old desk and two chairs. The receptionist sat down at the one behind the desk and bid Mary to sit in the one opposite. She could still hear the drill, although faintly through the door.

      “Since this is your first visit to our office, I wanted to tell you about an option that many, if not all, of our patients enjoy. If you choose, you may elect to have your procedure carried by proxy.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “I mean if you choose, there is an option which allows someone else to undergo the procedure in your place.”

      “What good would that do me?”

      “Well, you would get the benefit of having dental work done, without the discomfort.”

      Mary smiled. “And how do you propose to do that?”

      The receptionist smiled also. “I'm not exactly sure how it works, but there is a man with a gift. We tell him what is wrong, and then we do the procedure on him. The patient, somehow, is relieved of pain and the tooth is made whole.”

      “That's kind of hard to believe.”

      “I know. We couldn't believe it ourselves at first. But the evidence is documented. I've had it done myself. All of our patients have it done.”

      Mary thought for a moment. “Why would someone do that?”

      “This man knows how uncomfortable dental procedures can be. He loves people and, because he is able, he wants to relieve them of pain.”

      Mary again thought for a moment. “How much does this cost?”

      “It costs nothing. He does it for free.”

      “This is very hard to believe, you know. I mean, what's the catch?”

      “There is no catch. We just ask you to sign an agreement stating the terms I just told you.” The receptionist opened a desk drawer and took out what looked like a simple contract. “This is more of a voucher really. It allows him to do the work. I think he likes to keep them to see how many people he's helped. It's not much to ask.”

      Mary looked over the agreement. “Can I get it done the regular way?”

      “You can, but you'll have to wait. And the dentist may run out of Novocain by this afternoon. We operate on a shoestring budget.” The receptionist paused a moment. “It's better to get it done now.”

      “What if it doesn't work?”

      “I've never seen it fail. But if it does, you can get the work done the regular way, at your convenience, and at no charge. What have you got to lose?”

      Mary thought for a moment, then took the pen offered and signed the agreement. She placed the pen next to the paper. “How long will it take?”

      “How do you feel?”