Alice huffed off to the bathroom as Steve rang the salon back. Their two years of marriage seemed to always revolve around money, or the lack of it. Every fight they had was about money. Alice was growing sick of Steve and his holier than thou attitude to the household finances and his control over them. If only she had a job of her own, she could feel more empowered.

Losing her last job to a younger girl on lower wages had hurt and Alice had taken to browsing antique shops to avoid thinking about things.

The hot shower made her feel better. Alice slipped on a fresh black bra and panty set and returned to the bedroom, where Steve was studying the cute knick knack she'd picked up in the newest antique store in town.

As she sat on the bed in her underwear Steve said he reckoned there was something inside the bottle and began to wipe the years of grime off the outside. That's when the bottle shook and glowed and flew from Steve's hand and landed on the bed. The couple were in shock but the deep voice from behind them scared them more.

Well, what have we here?" The large bearded man boomed.

Who are you?" Steve asked.

Isn't it obvious mortal. I am the genie from that bottle. I am here to grant you three wishes."

I must be dreaming," was all Alice could say.

"No woman, you are not," the genie replied.

"This must be some kind of joke." Steve added.

"I assure you that I am real," the genie replied as he pulled a PDA from his pants pocket.

Alice and Steve stared at the genie, then at each other as he tapped in a new case number for his latest masters. He noted it had been forty years since his last customers, it was nice to stretch his legs again.

"So humans, what will it be? Youth, money, power, revenge?"

So this is real, we have three wishes?" Alice asked finally.

"Yes woman, just like in the story books!" The genie replied with a hint of disdain in his voice.

"Well we need some time to think," Steve said.

"I wish we were financially secure for as long as we are together!" Alice blurted out.

"It is done!" The genie replied.

"Alice! What the fuck are you doing?" Steve screeched.

"Fixing one of our problems Steve."

"You can't just wish away one of our wishes without consulting me." Steve said in obvious anger.

"But she has sire. From now on your bank account will never empty while you are a couple. No matter how much you spend."

"Cool!" Alice chirped.

"Not cool, what if one of us dies? "

"Sire, the wish was while you are together, if one is dead you cannot be together so the wish stays. Only if one leaves the other will both be ruined.

Great, so I'm stuck with her!"

Steve heard the words leave his mouth and was already regretting them. He held is breath as he knew he was about to get both barrels from his wife.

"What did you just say Steve!" Alice roared in anger at her husband who she thought she loved, up until this moment.

"I'm sorry dear, I didn't mean that." Steve back peddled as best he could.

"Steve if you didn't mean it you would not have said it. I just fixed our money problems in one sentence. More than you could ever do."

Steve was crestfallen, he had worked hard especially since he was the sole income earner in the house and he was only trying to keep things on an even keel until there was more money coming in. He knew he'd been a prick about it every time Alice wanted to spend a little cash but she never understood how tight things were. Steve began to rationalise things. In his silent pondering he got a little angry that Alice thought she was so clever, without that wish she could never have fixed their money problems.

"You know Alice, I slave my guts out to keep us above the poverty line and you think your some kind of hero. I wish you could see things from my perspective for a change." Steve was about to add a few other gems but Alice quickly cut him off.

"Oh really Steve, well I wish you weren't so smart and just did whatever I asked for a change." Alice fired back in a rage.

"DONE and DONE!" The genie suddenly boomed.

In a flash Steve and Alice felt weird before realising they were somehow different. Another second and it dawned on them. Steve was now Alice and Alice was now Steve. The couple looked at the genie who was adding some information into the file on his PDA.

"Well that is my work done here then," he rumbled.

"What have you done," a frightened Steve asked?

"Merely granted your wishes. And if I do say so, you two were most creative, best three wishes I've granted in a thousand years," the genie answered.

"But I'm in Steve's body?" Alice said, getting a surprise at her male voice.

"Yes that was the man's wish that you could see things from his perspective. You are now going to get his wish, I couldn't make that work unless your old persona existed so I switched your minds. You may now appreciate the man's life as he wished."

"That's not what I meant," Steve said in a tiny female whimper. He was bordering on tears.

"Did you not wish for your woman to experience being you," the genie asked?

"No I mean that wasn't a wish, I was just thinking aloud. Oh my what have I done?" Steve began to shake a little in fear.

"How can we change back? What was the third wish?" Alice asked.

"You cannot change back, you yourself used the third wish when you asked that your partner not be so smart and to do whatever you asked them to do," the genie explained.

"You mean I'm stuck as a man?" Alice asked. "And Steve is now my wife?

"Yes! She is now docile and compliant to your demands and unless you find another of my fellow genie's you cannot make any more wishes."

After a silent pause Alice in her new body spoke again, this time to Steve."

"Alice, remove your bra." Alice asked the woman sitting shaking like a frightened rabbit on the bed.

Steve heard his wife's words in his old voice and felt calmer instantly. He unclipped the satin bra and allowed it to fall down around his waist.

What did this all mean, Steve wondered?