Late Bloomer

My dear American friends,

• Remember when you were twelve years old?
• Remember your dreaded visits to the dentist and eventually the orthodontist?
• Remember the day you had an appointment to have pieces of medal hooked to your teeth?
• Remember the discomfort of the slow movement of your teeth?
• Remember the scraping of the braces against your cheeks and inside your lips?
• Remember eating mashed potatoes and chocolate pudding for days afterward?

So do I... though my memory is much more recent - in fact it is not just recent, it is current.