It was a single, rusted bobby pin behind the clawfoot tub. It wasn’t mine. My hair hasn’t been that shade of honey-brown since 2019. It belonged to her . The woman my ex-husband left me for. The woman who used "my" shower after the separation because the guest bath had low pressure.
You do not need the blue razor. You do not need the cologne that smells like a liar. Tonight, take one trash bag. Remove three things that belong to men who do not belong to you. You aren't erasing history; you are clearing real estate.
The mom bathroom is where you realize that every romantic storyline you’ve ever had is still running in the background. They don't end. They just become low-volume static.
We don’t throw these things away because we are lazy. We keep them because throwing them away requires admitting that the storyline is over.
It is the room where we are most vulnerable. Where the mascara runs. Where the steam fogs the mirror so we don’t have to look at ourselves. And, if you are a single mother navigating the rubble of romance, it is also the strangest museum of past relationships.
Now go clean that bobby pin out from behind the tub. You have better things to do than dusting ruins. What’s the strangest thing you’ve found in your bathroom from a past relationship? Tell me I’m not the only one with a graveyard of bobby pins and broken promises.