“You look surprised,” said the sweaty gnome, arms falling to his sides with disappointment and embarrassment.  “You told me to ‘come out of my shell…’ so I thought you knew….  No?”

Mary stared at him, horror-stricken.

“Ok… this is a big mistake.  I did not want you to find out like this.  I’ll just… I’ll just get back in, then?”

Hesitantly, the gnome climbed back into Mary’s husband’s stomach and flicked a switch on the control panel.  The hatch slid shut and the man-body whirred to life.  Blinking, it looked at Mary.

“I hope this doesn’t change things,” it said.