It was Phil and Elizabeth's anniversary, and all signs were that it was going to be their last one. Every day seemed to contain more arguments and Phil couldn't remember the last time that he and Elizabeth had shared a heart to heart, and their once active sex life was a distant memory at this point. In spite of this shaky foundation, Phil and Elizabeth had made plans for one more date night, a trial to give things one more chance.
The two of them were getting ready upstairs, when the doorbell rang.
Elizabeth shouted from the bathroom, where she was still getting ready. "That's probably the babysitter, can you get it Phil?"
Phil gave his assent, and headed down to answer the front door. He could hear Tom and Mary playing loudly downstairs. He answered the door, and instead of seeing the babysitter that Elizabeth had hired, there was a man with a package.
"Are you Phil?" the man asked.
Phil nodded.
"Alright, please sign for this."
Phil looked at the package curiously. He hadn't ordered anything, and certainly wasn't expecting anything. He signed and took the package inside. Ripping it open, he found it contained...
A device that looked like a garage door opener?
There was also a note:
Dear Phil,
I was sorry to hear that things weren't going well for you and Elizabeth. I'm not really great with "soft skills", as you well know, but I did want to help you out in my own fashion. So I'm gifting you my latest invention. Point it at someone, and press the button. Whatever you say while you're pressing it, they'll believe. Not just that, the effects will linger for a few weeks and make everyone around them believe that whatever you said is the normal state of affairs.
Hopefully this will help you solve the issues you two are having.
Love,
Your Old Uncle Jeff
Phil stared at the note and then back at the device the package had contained. Usually, his uncle Jeff made useless inventions like toothbrushes with built in floss compartments, or self-cleaning pans. But this seemed to be one of his rare breakthroughs, and if it could do what Jeff said then Phil's marital issues were done. He could point that device at Elizabeth and make her into his ideal wife.
He ripped up the note and threw it and the package in the trash and put the device in his pocket. He was eager to test it out. He hurried back to the room, where he found Elizabeth putting the finishing touches on her makeup. His heartbeat speeding up in anticipation, he pointed the device at Elizabeth and pressed the button. She stopped what she was doing and got a blank look on her face.
"Elizabeth, you want to take your dress off."
It had been so long since she had let him see her in a state of undress.
He let up on the button, and she blinked a few times before looking at Phil, giving a small smile and taking her dress off.