Yesterday as I was in front of the bathroom mirror, I spied a toothbrush on the counter. It was tucked between a towel basket and the wall. “Who left their toothbrush there,” I wondered. Even though our bathroom counter is littered with other mouth care items – two tubes of partially used toothpaste, a jar of tooth powder, at least one container of dental floss and a retainer case – still I thought it an odd place to leave a toothbrush. As I ruminated about whose toothbrush it was, I picked it up intending to inquire of the others in the house. Now here’s a bit of advise: don’t let your mind wander when you have a strange toothbrush in your hand!

Before I began inquiring after the owner of the toothbrush, I decided that as long as I was in the bathroom, I would brush my teeth. The problem was that instead of retrieving my own toothbrush from the medicine chest, I unthinkly filled the toothbrush I had in my hand with a good amount of toothpowder and began scrubbing my teeth.

It didn’t taste any different. But there was a different feel in my mouth as I used this alien toothbrush; that immediately snapped me out of my muse, as I realized I was brushing with somebody else’s toothbrush! Ugh! Yuck! Bleack! “Tui! Ptui! Ptui!” I furiously began spitting with accompanying groans and grimaces, trying to rid my mouth of this foul pollution; I didn’t realize how foul until later in the day.

I spluttered and swished and spat and gagged. I grimaced at myself and chided myself, “How could you DO that?!” “Bleack!” Then I rebrushed my teeth (with my own toothbrush) and rinsed and sanitized my mouth as best I could. In the midst of the sanitizing efforts I forgot to inquire about the rogue toothbrush, so it’s owner remained a mystery throughout the day…until evening.

In the evening, I once again was reminded of the toothbrush I had found on the counter earlier in the day. So I grabbed it and started asking, “Whose toothbrush is this, it was on the bathroom counter by the towel basket.”
Daughter #1, “It’s not mine.”
Daughter #2, “Not mine.”
Husband, upon overhearing my questions and where I had gotten it, “You didn’t use it, did you?” (Uh, oh…this doesn’t sound good.) My face answered him. “I didn’t think anyone would use it if I put it there,” he replied. (This is not sounding good at all; and his face was not reassuring me.)

What could he possibly have used it for? I am braced and ready to hear the worst…waiting…waiting…”I use it to clean the drain in the shower.” There is really no more to be said. I’ll close with a picture of the toothbrush and the drain in the shower.