Giving Fantasia: The Taking Fantasia Sequel

Chapter 71: Shatter

Chapter 71: Shatter

She burned it. She accidentally hit one too many buttons. 33:33 instead of 3:33. Peter's SpaghettiOs, tater tots, and dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets were decimated. Massacred. Ruined.

She burned a microwaveable dinner.

Wendy was beside herself.

"Ohhhh no. Well done Wendy Moria!"

Well done?! Ohhhhh....!

The unintentional pun almost drew tears. Scraping the carnage from Peter's dinner plate, Wendy dumped all confidence in the trash. She was convinced – the evening was spoiled.

Thus far, her wait for Peter had been tragic. She'd arrived at the Fitzherbert residence far too early, and spent most of the evening ignoring Flynn's uncouth insinuations. Rapunzel further (albeit unintentionally) dampened her spirits by suggesting Wendy 'freshen up.' Apparently Wendy looked a wee bit 'tatty.' Wonderful. Now she was lecherous and ugly.

After Flynn provided directions to Peter's "boudoir" (Wendy's conscience heaved), Rapunzel dragged him away. Granting Wendy full household clearance, the Fitzherberts departed for Aladdin and Jasmin's mansion.

Then the torture began.

At first Wendy sat absolutely still. Immobile, she listened to time drain away. Then, her thoughts started talking. Her agitations swelled.

Finally, Wendy broke. Although Peter was absent, she began preparing dinner. The silence was unbearable, she had to move, she had to distract her anxieties. So she set the table – and broke a plate. She lit the candles – and scorched a finger. She mixed the lemon-lime KoolAid – and mistook salt for sugar. She preheated Peter's dinner – and it burned.

She ruined everything.

Almost hysterical, Wendy collapsed at the table.

And oddly enough, she wished for Peter.

"He'd laugh." 

Gloomily, Wendy dropped Gushers into a crystal candy bowl. A little heartened that the dessert looked presentable, she calmed. "Peter would call me a silly girl...and laugh until I smiled. Then he would eat everything. Salty KoolAid, burned SpaghettiOs and all. He'd probably ask for seconds..."

Reflectively, Wendy traced the crystal bowl. Then, thinking of Peter, she smiled in realization:

Peter laughed at mistakes. Unlike Jim, Peter laughed mistakes into oblivion. Mistakes weren't the end of the world; mistakes were the spice of life! And through Peter's example, Wendy was learning to laugh at herself.

Now, Wendy was a perfectionist. A professional perfectionist. But she had to admit: loving a man that did not demand perfection was...nice. Peter took her, imperfections, flaws, blemishes and all.

Abruptly, Wendy wondered: Perhaps that was the secret of 'love.' Perhaps love'was not despite one's imperfections...perhaps love was because of them.

"Strange..." Wendy frowned at the candlelight. Shifting, she felt Ariel's slip beneath her dress. "Very strange."

The clock tolled nine. Wendy glanced at the door – still no Peter.

"Well." Briskly dousing the candles, she marched upstairs. "Let's freshen up."

And she did. Accepting Rapunzel's suggestion, Wendy locked the bathroom and left her nerves outside. She was scared. Scared to death. But Wendy was determined to look beautiful for her future husband.