I heard a story once about a friend and his tumultuous relationship with now ex-girlfriend. They often slept at each others’ place. They also fought often. At every lovers’quarrel, she would take his toothbrush and toss it in the trash. Who knows how many he went through during that relationship…

It’s amazing how loudly a little, plastic-handled set of bristles used for dental hygiene laying silently in a garbage can screams “… it’s over!”

It’s also amazing how loudly a simple invitation to keep a toothbrush parked in one of those empty little holes on the ceramic holder screams “commitment,” on one level or another.

Suddenly, the toothbrush isn’t just a toothbrush anymore. It speaks. And it says I like you, you can stay. Or maybe it says I love you, please stay. Maybe it’s taken the persona of Lisa Loeb and it simply just says Stay. Not necessarily forever. Or not necessarily for the night. No strings of words attached. Just stay.

But when a woman offers a brand new toothbrush (even after several rejections), and follows it with …and seriously, you can even take it home.  The dental tool dialogue dramatically takes on a new meaning.

It’s not about commitment anymore, not that it really ever was. Perhaps, after a mellow take-out Italian dinner that’s heavy on garlic, followed by multiple trips to the bathroom for “toothpaste shots and finger brushing”… Perhaps, just perhaps, she just doesn’t want to smell puppy breath all night… So relax and just take the brush— please.

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