Side Quests

Brushing

I came up with the idea for this tale after reading a feed post from EdCowling about not writing the parts readers skip over. @Sevannah_Storm mentioned writing a paragraph about their MC brushing their teeth. So, here's a story about something you might skip over...

George entered the bathroom. He'd just finished posting a picture of his lunch on Facebook. Most people wouldn't see it as anything special; it was just a cheeseburger from the local restaurant. But, oooh..., was it juicy. Even as George reached for his sonic toothbrush and gum detoxifying toothpaste, he flashbacked to the sweet taste of the pickles, ketchup, and tomatoes. He could remember the feeling of the secret sauce as it dripped down his chin and almost stained his lucky Grandville Huskies shirt. The cheddar cheese was melted perfectly and the taste was just sharp enough.

George left his memories of the cheeseburger, fries, and diet soda to rinse the head of his toothbrush. A temptation of going back for another cheeseburger tickled his mind; but instead, he applied toothpaste to toothbrush, pressing from the middle of the tube--George is a bit of a rebel. He raised the brush and stuck it in his mouth. A press of the button and the brush came to life with a whirrrrr!!

George positioned his brush at the proper 45 degree angle with the effortlessness of a ballerina who practiced her bar exercises every day. The medium soft bristles knocked away the leftover cheeseburger bits like waves of ocean tearing down an abandoned sand castle. George moved his brush in small circles as he pulled the device across the bottom right half of his mouth. For a moment, George thought back to the cheeseburger while he waited for the sonic brush's 30 second beep.

The first time he'd eaten at that restaurant was after prom. He looked handsome in his rented tux...but his date looked gorgeous in her dress. She had spent the day getting her hair and nails done and it showed. Her hair seemed to shine; her makeup was perfect. The best part was that she suggested the restaurant and the cheeseburger.

The brush beeped, interrupting George's thoughts. He focused his attention to the lower left-hand side of his mouth for the next 30 seconds. As he got closer to the back of his mouth, his grip loosened and he raised the brush a bit. He always did this the closer he got to the tooth that held his root canal. He knew that the crown was strong enough to defend itself from the brush's assault, but he was cautious (and did not want to go to the dentist for a replacement).

The brush finally smacked against the end of George's mouth. George moved the brush back across his teeth. This time the brush tickled at George's gums while knocking loose a large piece of pickle remnant.

It's amazing how long two minutes is when brushing your teeth, George thought while the mighty toothbrush washed away cheese shards and knocked loose bacteria and other plaque causing troubles. It was a good thing George just replaced the brush head; his previous brush head would never have made it through the grease and fat of such a luxurious cheeseburger.

Finally, the second beep sounded. George sighed mentally, Halfway through.

The brush twisted in his hand as George angled it to his top half. A shiver ran down George's spine as the brush made contact with a tooth. George hoped that didn't mean he had a cavity. He hated having to go in for cavity repair. He was always pretty much useless the rest of the day. The numbing medicine always seemed to take longer to wear off on him. It also ticked him off. He brushed regularly; he flossed; he used mouthwash; he used a water pick. How could he have a cavity?!

The toothbrush, however, could care less about George's worries. It was just happy to do its job. It continued to lather up the toothpaste and pick at the stains and plaque like time and erosion wearing down an ancient city. Each brush segment working together to battle a particularly annoying tomato fragment. If the toothbrush had been sentient, it would have cursed this trial.

The third 30 second alarm beeped. George moved to the next section of his mouth. Once again, if the brush was alive, it would have chuckled and sighed in relief. The tomato bit was now the floss' responsibility, hee-hee.

George's thoughts once again turned to the lovely young woman from prom. He'd loved her from afar for most of their school career. Finally, he got the courage to ask her to prom. The night had been perfect, as was the cheeseburger. They laughed as bits of mayonnaise plopped to their plates. Their hands met as they simultaneously reached for the napkin pile. Both blushed, revealing their braces—George was set to get his retainer in a month.

A tear formed in the corner of George's eye. The brush stopped in place, grinding into the enamel of one of his molars. Soon after graduation, she left for law school while he went to community college. George stared at the mirror. How many years had it been? Now all he had of her was the cheeseburger.

The toothbrush issued its final beep before shutting down. It flashed an exhausted two blips of red light to warn George it needed to be recharged soon. George placed the toothbrush slowly into the brush holder, the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Bloop.

George's phone notified him that someone commented on his cheeseburger post. George didn't feel like checking his phone, but he dragged his phone from his pocket. His eyes went wide. A smile sprang into life.

It was her!!

A friend of hers shared his post and she recognized his name!

"Do you want to meet at our special table?" she asked.

There wasn't enough emojis in the world to express his "Yes!"

George flashed his brilliant, white smile and danced around the small bathroom while the toothbrush quietly watched.

________

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