“Exactly!” the daughter-in-law beamed. “Jeff loves it when I wear this dress! It makes him happy, and it makes me happy!” As she left her son’s house, the mother-in-law couldn’t shake the thought of the “love dress” from her mind. What if there was something to this? Maybe she needed to spice things up in her own marriage. When she finally arrived home, feeling inspired, she decided to give it a try. She undressed, took a long, refreshing shower, and spritzed on her best perfume. Feeling adventurous, she lay provocatively on the couch, ready to welcome her husband home. After what felt like an eternity, her husband finally walked through the door. As he stepped inside and caught sight of her naked body on the couch, his eyes widened in surprise. “What are you doing?” he asked, a mix of confusion and curiosity in his voice.

“This is my love dress,” she replied confidently, recalling her daughter-in-law’s words. He glanced at her, momentarily processing this unexpected scene, then simply shook his head and said, “Needs ironing. What’s for dinner?” Her excitement crashed in an instant, replaced by a mix of disbelief and disappointment. “Really?” she thought, exasperated. “Is that all he has to say?” With a huff, she realized that perhaps the love dress wouldn’t work as well as she had hoped. Sometimes, a little spice in a relationship requires more than just a change of attire.