Gabriella was putting on her makeup on for the first time since the accident.  Normally there was no point to doing so.  She barely ever left the house, her face was too small to see the finer details anyway, and it took Wilma hours to get the makeup kit set up so it could even be used by a person her size.  But Gabby wanted to make an extra special effort, because today was a very special day.

She looked at the calendar.  October 24th.  It had two years on the dot since the day Teddy had said “I do” at the altar that autumn afternoon.  Even as the chill whipped across her face as they left, she had never felt such a warm feeling in her life.  So she made the extra effort to get nice and gussied up.

Gabby looked over to her open door to see Wilma dusting the fans in the hallway.  Things had been somewhat strained between the two ever since they’re abysmal first impression, so Wilma usually went out of her way to give Gabby as much personal space as she needed.  Gabby wasn’t quite as bitter about the whole vacuum business as she had been last month.  Wilma’s incredible cooking and general dedication to maintaining her distance had certainly dulled the edge of her anger quite a bit.

Gabby pressed a button next to the vanity.  Teddy had it installed in case she needed to call for help, but she hadn’t used it until now.  Wilma saw the small device on her cart flash “BEDROOM VANITY” and walked over to Theodore and Gabriella’s shared room.  She looked timidly around the room.  Once she spotted Gabriella, she made her way quickly over to where she was standing.

“Good morning, Mrs. Snoww.  Is there anything I can do to help you with today?”

“Yes, actually.  Would you mind telling me if I look good today?  I want to look extra special for dinner tonight.”

Wilma looked at her tiny employer.  She could see the makeup kit she made adjustments to really pay dividends.  Her ruby red lipstick, her sparkly eyeliner, and her light blush all really made her natural features pop.  She was wearing a long black dress that had been custom-made by her personal tailor.  She wore small sandals that showed off her delicate toes, painted with a precision brush for a craft shop that had been repurposed to paint nails.  They were white with little pink hearts painted on each.

“You look absolutely lovely, Mrs. Snoww.”

“Good.  What do we have planned for dinner tonight?”

“I can’t say.  Your husband had a special request for tonight’s meal, and said he wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Interesting!  I look forward to seeing what he has planned.”

Wilma excused herself to get back to work.  Gabby couldn’t help but notice Wilma taking another quick peek at her as she left.  She really seemed stunned at just how good the miniature woman had made herself look.  Gabby ran the brush through her hair just a few more times.  She wanted everything to be perfect tonight.

That night, when Teddy returned from his office to bring Wilma to dinner he looked absolutely fabulous.  His nice grey tuxedo jacket with gray pants were complemented by the baby blue button-up beneath.  He was wearing a white and blue striped tie that Gabby had gotten him for his 27th birthday.  His brown dress shoes wear polished so well Gabby could see her reflection in them.

“Wow, looks like my big Teddy bear cleans up well!”

“You look pretty stunning tonight yourself.  I haven’t seen you this spiffed up in a good while.”

“What can I say?  Today’s a very special day.”

“Indeed, if you’ll take my hand, I have something to show you.”

Teddy sat his palm face up for Gabby to climb on.  For just a second, Gabby thought about how comfortable she had gotten with climbing into Teddy’s hand.  At first, it had been pretty terrifying getting in and out of his hand.  The vertigo would kick in as she rose into the air, and she would sometimes have a panic attack.  Now she was feeling more comfortable with her new size.  Maybe even too comfortable.  But that thought disappeared as she was placed on the table and Wilma came in with their meal.

Gabby was given a scrap of prime steak and a tiny portion of scrambled egg.  Teddy had a ham and cheese omelet.  It only took her a second to be hit with a wave of nostalgia as she remembered that humid summer night so many years ago.

A few years ago, Gabriella had been held for long hours at a board meeting.  It was almost 1:00 am and there was barely anything still open.  Desperate for something to fill her stomach, she stopped at the first diner that looked even remotely in operation.  She wandered into the dingy hole-in-the-wall establishment and ordered their steak and egg special.  Though having tasted it, perhaps “special” was a bit of a strong overstatement.  As she chewed the tough, borderline inedible steak, another person came through the door.  Specifically, a brown haired gentleman in a T-shirt, jeans, and thick boots that made his already tall physique even more imposing sat down beside her and ordered a steak and cheese omelet.

The man was disappointed to learn that there was no more steak left in the diner as the previous customer had gotten the last of it for the night.

“Trust me, you didn’t miss out on much.”

She didn’t need to say anything.  She could have continued to eat her abysmal meal in silence, but her first contact with the man she would come to know as Theodore Snoww changed the course of her life.

Back in the present, Gabby had some slight concerns about her meal.  She hadn’t been able to eat hardier meats at her new size, and steak was certainly among the hardier ones.  But the second it reached her lips, it practically melted in her mouth.  She didn’t know how Wilma did it, but her warm meal went down smooth.  She hadn’t been able to experience such a flavor in months, so to be able to enjoy this meal with Teddy as they reflected on the best days of their lives made her meal extra wonderful.

When the meal had finished, Teddy stood up and took Gabby to the living room.

“Honey, I want you to know that I’m glad we’ve been able to overcome everything life has put us through for the last year together.  I know neither of us has really fully gotten used to the changes we’ve had to go through recently, but I know we can do it together.”

“Oh, Teddy~!”

“Let me finish.  I’ve been thinking about our future and how we move forward in our relationship.  I know I haven’t been the most attentive guy to you in the past, and I know you’ve been feeling frustrated that you haven’t been contributing as much as you used to.  I don’t think any less of you for it, mind you, but I can see in your eyes that it’s been eating away at you that you can’t contribute as much as you used to.  So I’ve been hatching a solution!”

“Really?  What did you come up with?  I hope it’s a better solution than your fix to the broken garage door opener.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know that the pulley system would have worked if we hadn’t gotten the cheap rope at the hardware store.”

“Or when you …”

“Come on Gabby!  I know I haven’t had the best plans in the past, but I’ve given this one a lot of though.  If I tell you my plan, will you please at least try to seriously consider it?”

“Okay Teddy.  Whatever you have in mind, I promise not to laugh.  Lay it on me!”

“I think we should strongly consider opening up our marriage.”

Gabby kept her promise.  She certainly wasn’t laughing.