Chapter 5: Saturday

He mentally tossed a coin to decide whether to drive on home, or head back to the Lake Hanson resort. Finally he decided to let the road make up his mind for him. He decided if he saw a Ford before he saw a Chevrolet, he'd go to the lodge, otherwise he'd drive home. When he saw an old Ford Pinto, it was just in time to make the turn to the lodge. He half smiled when he thought even the fates couldn't make up their minds.

Pulling into the parking lot, he wondered if the other three were even there. They could have decided to head home themselves after he bombed out on them. He parked behind the building and took the stairs to their rooms. When he entered his and Diane's room no one there and the connecting doors between the rooms were both wide open. A quick glance showed no one was in the other room, either.

He was relieved to find the suitcases were still there in both rooms, so no decision had been made to leave. It was almost 9:00, and he felt gritty and tired. The only obvious thing he could decide on was a good shower so he stepped in and took a long, hot shower. When he stepped out, he felt that maybe this could be sorted out. Just maybe.

Don was just buttoning his shirt when the door opened and the three others walked in. Diane took one look at him, and started yelling at him.

The strange thing was he couldn't quite understand what she was yelling about. Joe on the other hand, as soon as Diane started on him, took Jenny's hand and pulled her into their room, shutting the connecting doors behind them.

Diane finally wound down, but she looked mad enough to come after him with anything handy.

"Diane," he started, "I understand you're angry, I'm pretty upset myself, but I don't really..."

"Don't try to sweet talk your way out of this, buddy," she interrupted. "Jenny and Joe already told me all about it. I've got no problem with helping Jenny out, but the rest of it was pretty low."

"Jenny told you what was going on, Diane?" he asked.

"Sure, did you expect her to keep quiet? That 'game' you wanted to play was pretty slimy."

"What the hell game was that, Diane? I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Jesus Christ! I can forgive you helping Jenny out. Wanting to play games doing it is disgusting but that's between the two of you. Assuming you planned on this being the one and only time. But pulling me into it was about as slimy as it comes. I'm your wife, you creep! What the hell did you think you were doing, giving me away?" She was almost shouting when she finished.

"Diane, yelling at one another isn't going to get my mind clear on just what happened. And right now I'm convinced I didn't really know what was going on." Don stopped and looked at his wife's angry face, "Diane, if I ask you some questions, can you answer them without attacking me?"

When she glared at him and then nodded, he continued, "First, you are madder than I've ever seen you. Is there reason to talk now, or should we wait? And maybe more to the point are you so mad at me there's no reason to talk?"

"Buster, we have to talk," she snarled at him, "and we start now! Ask your questions, and then I have some lulus for you."

"OK, second question; did Jenny know about what was going on? And second part, what did she say was going on?"

Snorting, Diane answered, "Of course she knew what was going on, it was her idea in the first place. I guess she wasn't too fond of the games you wanted to play, but didn't see any harm in them. She wanted to have a baby, couldn't afford artificial insemination, wanted it to be from her body and the only man she knew other than Joe that she wanted to father that baby was you. She's had some real second thoughts about that, I can tell you."

Don thought a moment. "And how much of this did you know about, Diane? Had Jenny and you been talking before we came up here?" he asked.

"How could I have found out, when you told them you wanted me to be 'surprised'. I guess Jenny figured you had cleared it with me, or she wouldn't have gone ahead with it. I found out about it when you went sashaying out of here and into Jenny's bed Thursday night. I woke up to what I thought was you getting amorous, but when the guy behind me crammed himself inside me, I knew it wasn't you.

"That was a real shitty thing for you to do to me, lover. If it hadn't been that Joe was so sweet and understanding I would have been back home by the time you completed your little fun and games with Jenny. Wow, was I mad! When you came back to bed I didn't even want to touch you I was so mad."

"So," Don started, then paused, looking at Diane, "uh, what did Joe tell you that night?"

"The whole story. When I found out about it, I did Joe just to get even. He was pretty good, so we ended up doing it the right way a couple times before you were ready to come back here," was her answer. Then Diane took a good look at her husband's face, and wondered if he had the flu or something. He looked really sick all of a sudden.

Don did feel really ill and thought for a moment before posing his next question. "Diane, I'd like to tell you what I knew driving up here. Is that all right? It's a bit different from what Jenny and Joe told you, and I'm pretty confused myself. Will you listen to me?"

Diane was a little concerned at the look on Don's face, "Sure Don. I don't know how you explaining what you were planning can help matters any. May have made a difference if we talked it over before. You may have been right that I wouldn't have gone along. Probably would have said yes to helping Jenny, but this game idea was pretty sick. I pretty much heard it all last night and this morning, but go ahead."

"Joe came to me a month or so ago and told me that Jenny and he wanted a kid, but he had no sperm in his semen. Gave me the same song about ways to get a kid if you can't have one the usual way." He paused, "That's pretty much what they told you. But Joe told me he was really worried about Jenny, and worried about their marriage. If he couldn't give her a kid, he was afraid she was going to leave him."

He paused until Diane nodded, then continued, "Joe said he wanted me to be the father of their kid. He told me Jenny didn't know about it, and figured she would be pissed if he suggested it, but it was the only way he could figure to save their marriage. Until Jenny came barging into our room where I was half paralyzed at finding you in bed and fucking Joe I still believed that. Guess I'm pretty stupid."

Diane slumped down in one of the overstuffed chairs, and just looked at him.

Don continued, "Honey, Joe said he had it all figured out. He'd get Jenny drunk, I'd sneak in and impregnate her while he waited in our room. You were supposed to be drunk too, so wouldn't notice all this. Then when I was done I'd come back here and go to bed. The only thing, when I tried to come back in here the door was locked. I had to wait almost twenty minutes before Joe opened the door and we traded rooms. I figured Joe had set the lock accidentally, not knowing I'd already unlocked it, and he had fallen asleep waiting for me."

"I had no idea we were trading wives too. I was trying to back out of the whole thing up until just before going into their room. After that it was too late to back out. I was trying to back out again last night. Only Joe was so sure only a baby could save their marriage, and I was the only one that could do that for them. It was all to help Jenny and Joe. I tried to make it as clinical as possible. At least for me. Jenny woke up and I had to give her a big orgasm to be able to make it back here without her being aware of the switch."

The two of them sat and looked at one another for a few minutes.

"Diane, the first I knew about you and Joe getting it on was this morning. I was with Jenny less then ten minutes, and took the room key with me so I wouldn't get locked out again. When I came in here I found you playing fun and games with Joe. It almost killed me."

Diane sagged back further into the chair, her face now as gray as Don's.

"I didn't know what to do," Don went on. "Your pillow talk with Joe didn't help me at all. I was so confused and was afraid that if I did anything it would be the wrong thing. I got dressed while you were making out with Joe. I was listening and watching you really enjoying him. I figured the damage had already been done, and my going ballistic wouldn't help. If I'd done anything I could have killed Joe. Diane, I was afraid I might go insane and scared I could even hurt you. We have a kid, and if I'd turned on the light and actually seen you and Joe naked together I know I would have killed him. I sure would have tried! He wouldn't have been able to stop me."

"Diane, I decided we had to talk when I was rational and it didn't matter what you were doing then, it had already been done. And from listening to you I knew it wasn't the first time. I'd gone to the door and was about to leave when Jenny came busting in. You pretty much know what happened after that. I've been sitting in a diner since then trying to figure out what was going on. Trying to figure where to go from here. I think I understand now, but before anything else I have to know if we, you and I, can get past this."