After a few weeks of fabulous dates with Mr. CB (see previous blog), things were sailing along remarkably. But I’ll confess, after each amazing dinner or movie date, I couldn’t help but find myself expecting the other shoe to drop. No, I wouldn’t call myself a pessimist, but I’m realistic about the weirdos that are out there in the dating pool (and am genuinely concerned that natural selection is no longer at work). This is always the point in a new relationship when those skeletons start creeping out the closet. Ladies you know the drill… you start to notice that he talks to Mommy a little too much, he mentions a mystery kid in casual conversation, he’s proud to display his ability to belch the alphabet, or, even worse, his romantic moves are terrible.
(True Story: I once went on a date with a man that made out with my shoulder in public: a move that I can only assume he considered as an obvious (and highly surprising) first step before an actual kiss…)
But I digress.
Mr. CB had stayed over a few times, and then it happened.
Unbeknownst to me, he had decided that the most efficient way to prevent unseemly morning-breath encounters, was to leave his toothbrush in my drawer. Moreover, he hadn’t mentioned this little addition to me, and I was shocked to open my drawer one night and find a new, red toothbrush staring back at me.
Now before you pass judgment, let me defend myself by saying that we had never had “the talk” and while the sleepovers were becoming more frequent, they were still impromptu. We were having fun for sure, but I couldn’t be sure how to feel about this action. Mr. CB certainly didn’t strike me as the clingy type, and I was perplexed. Every time I brushed my teeth, I’d open the drawer, stare at that new Colgate and wonder what to do. And I’m only slightly ashamed to admit that, on more than one occasion, I fantasized about brushing my golden retriever’s teeth with it, or scrubbing the toilet bowl and then returning it to its original position.
But I was crazy about CB. I can’t explain it, but it was me against the toothbrush. A battle of wills, a test of strength, a match of wit. I wouldn’t be reigned in by a toothbrush, by golly, and I resolved that I would not be defeated.
A few days after he left the toothbrush, we were having dinner. Again, he was deep in conversation, discussing something serious, and I suddenly blurted out, “Would you do something if I asked you?”
He looked at me softly and said, “Of course, anything.” (Swoon)
“You’ve got to get rid of that damn toothbrush.”
As soon as the words fell out, I was relieved, but instant dread washed over me. What if I had hurt his feelings? What if I he had interpreted this as my end to our little romance?
He never missed a beat. He cocked his eyebrow, smiled a crooked grin, and said, “Too soon, right?” Somehow he understood me, and he hadn’t been defensive.
A few days later, I realized why I was so disturbed by the surprise in my drawer. That toothbrush was more than just a toothbrush to me. Before CB, I had been single for a long time; and the only toothbrush in my drawer was mine. That red Colgate meant I had to let another person into my life, and to learn to trust. I had to allow myself to be in a relationship again, and before that toothbrush showed up in my drawer, I never saw it coming.
Two weeks later, I slipped my own toothbrush in his drawer, and the red Colgate reappeared in mine. This time I was happy to see it.
xoxo
Skipper
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