"Okay folks. Gather round for a second. We need to decide what we're going to do for the next party," John, our host, announced to the assembled guests.
Kelly and I were one of eleven couples, all residents along Pecan Street, in attendance at the current party and we closed around John to discuss the theme for the next gathering. John was essentially the social director for the group, and had managed with his periodic events to create a scene that was unique for suburban life. His large house, at the end of the street in a cul-de-sac, with a pool, hot tub, spacious back yard and outdoor bar made it the ideal gathering spot. He relished the role of host and social leader, and because of his efforts and prodding most of the street residents would get together several times a year.
There were ten core couples that made most of the parties, along with a half-dozen more that would attend on occasion, and supplementing the group were participants from other nearby streets in the neighborhood or friends of residents that would often be invited in.
An interesting thing about the group was that it spanned all age groups. The youngest couple was in their late 20s and the oldest was in their early 60s. Kelly and I were on the younger end of the scale, both being thirty years old. Despite the disparity of ages, everyone got along well and enjoyed letting their hair down, and it was not uncommon for assistance to be needed in getting someone home after an evening of heavy drinking.
"Let's do something wild," Susan, the female partner of one of the forty something couples, blurted out.
"A woman after my own heart!" John replied, with a hearty laugh.
John was also a forty something guy and was tall, barrel chested with a smile that never left his face. He was one of those individuals that was instantly your friend and never met a stranger. Conversely, while John liked to be the center of attention, his diminutive, but very attractive wife Donna seemed to enjoy staying in the background.
"Let's do something fun and different," another of the wives suggested.
"Like what?" John asked the group, as he nodded in agreement to the comment.
John loved playing the part of facilitator, and he was a master at getting the various members of the group to open up and speak their mind. I knew from past discussions like this that he had something in his head, but would let the group dynamics form and then interject his ideas along the way.
"How about a costume party?" Jill, the youngest of the wives, replied.
"I thought we were going to be wild?" one of the men answered.
"Well let's think about this for a moment. Maybe there is a way to put both together. A costume party with a wild theme," John stated.
"Bikinis!" Carl, another husband, yelled which brought a wave of laughter from everyone.
"We're not in college, Carl!" a female voice quickly answered.
"T&A is timeless," Carl replied, bringing a collective groan from the group, and an elbow from his wife.
"What other ideas are out there? I like Jill's suggestion, but maybe it needs something edgy added," John said.
His question was followed by several moments of silence as everyone tried to think of a good idea.
"John, do you have an idea?" Dana, the oldest wife, asked.
"Well I'm just standing here listening and really haven't thought it through, but I was wondering what it would be like if everyone brought a guest?" he answered.
"Well that could be fun," Jill replied.
"How is that wild?" Dana shot back quickly.
"Yeah, I was looking forward to wild," a male voice in the back joined in, causing more laughter.
"Well to answer your question, I was thinking that everyone would bring a guest of the opposite sex," John said with a broad smile.
There was a gasp from the group as his words sunk in and another period of silence ensued.
"We aren't swingers, John. We're too old anyway," Dana finally answered, which broke the tension.
"John, I can see the wheels spinning in your head. What are you thinking?" Dana's husband Sam asked.
"Well like I said I'm kind of making this up as I go, but I was thinking that it could be edgy and fun if everyone asked someone to come with them. It would be a different party for us with half the people being unknown. Doesn't mean there is going to be an orgy here, in fact I'm pretty sure Donna wouldn't allow that," John explained, which brought more laughter, although it also carried some tension.
"That wouldn't be too bad. Craig, you can take Leslie and I can go with Phil," Cary said to her husband.
"Are Leslie and Phil married to each other?" Dana asked.
"Yes, they're our best friends," she replied.
"Well, I'm not positive, but I don't think that's what John has in mind," Dana answered.
There was now confused chatter from most of the group and John suggested a refill of our drinks. Since he had always been the leader, no one wanted to challenge him directly, but I could see trepidation on many faces. When everyone had fresh drinks, John moved to the center and started to speak.
"You know if you guys want to do this I guess there would need to be some rules. Like no husband and wife combinations, no family members, things like that if we want to get the right mix," he said.
"So, John, if I understand the proposal on the table it's that the next party, and we will have to set a date, is to be a costume party and each attendee needs to invite and come with a guest of the opposite sex that is not a family member or a part of an existing couple relationship. Do I have that correct?" Darrell, a very successful attorney in his late thirties and known for his bold manners, summarized for the group.
"Darrell, I think that's it," John replied with a nod.
"I'm not sure about this," a woman named Chris said, with a worried look.
"Oh Chris, don't be a prude. Ask one of those hot young doctors you work with," Susan replied immediately.
Soon after, it was decided that everyone would let John know individually if they wanted to participate and if enough agreed, we would go forward with the party on the first Saturday in October, some six weeks away. Walking home, Kelly and I discussed the idea.
"What do you think? Something you want to do?" I asked her, with her hand in mine.
"Who would you take?" she replied, which made me burst out laughing.
"I don't even know who to ask and you are already jealous," I accused her.
"Won't you be jealous?" she replied in a pout.
"Of course not. You know I trust you. Just make sure you behave," I answered with some sarcasm.
"I guess I'm game if you are, but I have no idea who to invite. God, it will be so awkward," Kelly replied.
"Yes, but it should be an interesting party. Which I guess is the point," I answered.
In the end, three of the eleven couples elected to pass, but two others who were not at the party wanted in, so it looked like there would be ten in total, which would become twenty people for the party.
It was actually much harder to find someone to invite than I imagined and I was starting to become worried that I would strike out. I wanted to stay away from work people or close acquaintances to avoid starting a rumor mill. Finally, I decided to ask Sharon, my hair stylist, who I was pretty sure shared no mutual friends. Sharon was younger, in her mid-twenties, blonde haired with a body people would describe as voluptuous. Her best features were her dimpled cheeks and full breasts that I had trouble not staring at when she was cutting my hair. Fortunately for me, she found the concept intriguing and agreed to go.
We decided to dress up as Bonnie and Clyde, although she didn't look anything like Mia Farrow and I didn't look anything like Warren Beatty. But, it was one of Sharon's favorite movies and she told me she had always wanted to go to a costume party as Bonnie, and since she had been so gracious agreeing to go with only minimal questioning, I couldn't say no.
Kelly knew who she wanted to take after a couple days of thinking, but it took her weeks to get the courage to ask. She was nervous about his answer and I had to reassure her several times that no sane man would say no. You see, Kelly is a lovely mother of one, and is 5'6" tall with sandy brown hair, dark brown eyes, long legs and peachy B-cup breasts. Her slender body filled out just right after the birth of our daughter and she now weighed a perfect 124 pounds.
Her proposed selection was the mechanic that took care of her BMW whose name was Josh, and like Sharon, was also in his mid-twenties. I had seen him only a couple times when picking her up, but I remembered him to be tall and muscular with a tightly trimmed beard. I was a bit surprised by her choice, as I thought she was not attracted to the jeans and work shirt types, but I supported her without comment.
Of course, when she gathered the courage to ask he quickly said yes, and since Josh liked motorcycles, they decided to come to the party as a biker couple. Josh assured her that he had all the paraphernalia needed and all she had to have ready were jeans and a t-shirt.
As the party date approached, two more couples dropped out taking the total to eight and there was some talk of canceling, but it was eventually decided to go ahead. I speculated to John that the couples dropped out from the stress of finding partners, and he agreed saying everyone had struggled.