Cool blue

Katrina is visiting us and she’s about to leave for a friend’s house.
“Do you have any mouthwash I can use so that I won’t have pizza breath?”
“Um, I don’t think so.”
“I thought I saw some last time I was here.”
“No I don’t think so, but you can look if you want to.”
“See, here it is!” she exclaims while pulling the plastic bottle out from the cupboard, “Listerine Agent Cool Blue Plaque Detecting Rinse.”
I am tucking Rebecca in bed, while listening to hear Katrina discover the gist of what she has just read aloud. Stealthily, I lean over and poke my head around the corner of the bedroom door.
Justin (sweet sixteen year old baby brother) is helping Katrina figure out how to dispense the dark blue liquid contained in the Listerine bottle.
“I can’t drink it out of here,” she grumbles. “Yes you can, see, you just have to squeeze the liquid to the top of the bottle and it dispenses it that way,” he coaxes her.
All the while he is keeping a straight face, while “assisting” his big sister.
I stifle a giggle and call out from the bedroom, just use it like mouthwash but you don’t have to gargle with it. Soon afterward, I can’t stand the suspense and I mosey into the bathroom where Katrina is swish swish swishing, while Justin mischievously watches her.
At the corners of her mouth I see tiny beads of the plaque rinse, leaving her lips tinged ever so slightly blue.
No longer able to contain my laughter, I burst into a loud chortle. Huh, what? she gestures, finally catching onto what’s happening. Quickly spitting it out, she fills her mouth over and over again with clear rinse water while groaning, “Hey, now I remember, I’ve seen that stuff on TV!”
“Let’s see, come on and smile!” we taunt her.
Finished with her rinse water, she smiles wide – a blue hue now covering her teeth and gums.
I put my hand up to give Justin a high five for a job well executed by a baby brother.
Plaque detecting rinse: To disclose plaque, use daily before brushing your teeth with toothpaste. Agent Cool Blue helps you find plaque so you can brush better and have fun while you’re doing it.