The Dentist

She began with the leftmost molar of his upper jaw.  

The same way she brushed her own teeth, only in another mouth, with a different brush.

When she was finished, she rinsed the toothbrush off in the bathroom, and returned to bed. He had ceased snoring while she did her work, but now had begun again. No matter. She kissed the back of his neck, and went to sleep.

In the morning, he woke, and drank from a glass of water on the bedside table. Outside, a dog barked. He told it to shut the fuck up. A beam of sunshine fell between their bedroom curtains. He finished the water, and turned to her.

She kissed him. He was surprised, but not displeased. Her tongue entered his mouth, and ran across his teeth. They were clean and fresh, clean and fresh, clean and fresh, until, toward the end, the rightmost molar of the lower jaw, two teeth overlapped, and she could feel the soft fuzz of plaque between them.

No matter.

She could try again tomorrow.