If the toothbrush holder is a reflection of the household occupants, people would think that we were the perfect family of four. A girl, a boy, a mommy, a daddy.

All of our toothbrushes stand huddled together in the cup. 

As I sit on the toilet, I imagine that my toothbrush is staring at yours, begging yours to come back to life. Your toothbrush stares emotionless ahead. Like one of those soldiers in Britain with the big fluffy hats.
I irrationally despise the arrival of our new toothbrushes at the prescribed three months. It seems to mark a measure of time that has been lost since you died. I get tired of your toothbrush. I will it to change somehow.

I have stared so closely at the bristles pondering the bits of dried toothpaste embedded there. I’ve wondered if there is enough DNA to clone you upon its head. I’ve mused about what pieces of food are trapped within its plastic spikes that comprised your last meal. I’ve weighed the likelihood of my loss of mental health and mulled over the thought that maybe all widow/ers think these bizarre thoughts….over a toothbrush.