Extramarital Vacation
We talked for a long time about where we wanted to travel to for our dream vacation. We went back and forth between great cities and tropical isles or exotic destinations like the Greek islands or Asia or Paris. We just couldn't make up our minds. One day it was Fiji, then Paris, Crete, or the Caribbean. Finally, we realized we just had to make it a life long involvement and do as many as we could before we got too old and feeble to travel to anywhere farther than the mailbox.
So where would we start? It pretty much came down to a coin flip. I guess it didn't matter so much where we started, it was where we ended that was important. We had both wanted to travel, so we just wanted to go, see the world, and experience life and all it had to offer. We both had that need to try things, experiment, experience, learn all we could about the world.
We eventually decided to start with one of the oldest societies and begin with the Greek Isles and Crete. We would look for the cave of the Cyclops and explore the islands of the ancients. We were so excited about visiting other counties and places we had heard and dreamed about that neither of us could sit still. We were like kids with new toys. I didn't know whether to cry or just giggle and laugh.
We took off from LAX and flew to John F. Kennedy International Airport. We then caught a flight to Athens, then a ferry to Mykonos. Once on the island we took a taxi to our hotel, where we checked in to room 215, which had a balcony looking out on to the Aegean Sea. It was a dream come true. Below us was the pool, a jacuzzi, and a huge patio with a waterfall and a tiki hut. Tiki in the Aegean?
We showered off the travel dust and went down to the pool where we had drinks and Greek munchies and sat in the sun, before sunscreen came into play and fear of skin cancer. As we sat by the pool a fellow came out of the hotel who we'd seen on the plane and we nodded, then smiled and invited him over. He seemed friendly and we were there to gather friends.
He introduced himself as Julian from San Gabriel, which is not far from Manhattan Beach, where we live. He is a lawyer who is married to a doctor who doesn't like to travel. He said she has stayed home and would we care to join him in his room for drinks that afternoon. Since we didn't know anyone on the island we gladly accepted.
Julian was friendly and easy to talk with and easy to get to know. He said his wife, Carol, was a surgeon who was very committed to her work, and mentioned that they had an open marriage, which at the time I didn't know what it referred to. I must have looked confused, because he explained that each of them had their own circle of "friends."
"We pretty much have our own lives," he explained, "but we love each other, and we're happy with the arrangement. Sometimes, I watch her, like it is a sporting event, you know, with other people," he said. "I know it is unusual, but it suits us. What is the nature of your relationship, open or traditional?"
"Traditional, I guess, but we haven't thought about it," I said. Back in our room, I asked Claire what she thought of Julian's relationship with his wife.
"I don't know," she said. "It seems to work for them. I have nothing against it. You?"
"I like him," I said. "He is an interesting guy. I don't know. It is their business. Have you ever thought about that kind of a relationship?" I asked.
"Oh, sure, but not really seriously. I know some people who do it, but... "
"You know some who do that? Who is that?" I said.
"Brenda Crawley and her husband are pretty open about it," she said. "I mean they don't hide it. They seem to be comfortable with other people knowing what they do. They just socialize sexually with other people. They just consider it like a recreational choice."
"Do you think you could do that?" I asked.
"I don't know. Maybe. We both consider sex pretty personal, and I don't think it is healthy to put conditions on love. If one of us has feelings for someone, I think it would be good to recognize them and not throw the baby out with the bath water."
"Yeah, I guess that's how I feel too. I love you enough to give you space. Yes, I could see myself doing that," I said.
We went with Julian and a few others on a boat to a neighboring island, did some fishing, and talked about their arrangement. Claire seemed quite interested and kept asking him questions all day: Ever feel jealous? Do you have sex with each other? Do you see yourselves being together in your later years."
He was very willing to talk, and I could see he was quite taken with Claire. That night I asked her how she would react if he came right out and asked her to sleep with him. "I'd ask you how you felt about it," she said candidly.
