Confusion Ch 05

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."

Diane sat staring at her husband. Don was sitting on the bed, elbows on his knees and his hands hanging down and staring at the beige carpet. She couldn't see his face.

Glancing up Don saw his wife collapsed back into her chair, both hands up and covering her mouth. He had never seen her with such a white, pasty complexion. All the blood seemed to have left her face. The two sat staring at one another, each looking at their best friend, each wondering at the others actions the last forty-eight hours.

Time drug on and on, until Diane spoke, "Don, are you telling me you didn't want to play games? That Jenny and Joe were lying to us?"

"I don't quite know what I'm saying now, Diane. But yeah, I'm not into games. You already know that. You're telling me today was the first I'd heard of this game. Honey, why would you think I'd do something like that? Have we ever played any kind of game?"

Before he could finish speaking they heard muffled voices coming from the room next door. They looked at one another, startled, as each recalled how sound didn't travel through the walls. But the voices rose and fell in volume, though they couldn't make out any words. Suddenly they heard a loud thump that sounded like it came from the hall.

Don jumped up and ran to the hall door. Yanking it open, he just glimpsed Joe's broad back as he disappeared down the stairs. Diane peered over his shoulder and they both just stood there wondering what was going on. Diane suddenly whirled to the door connecting the two rooms and was fumbling to open the door when Don heard someone rapping from the other side.

Gingerly opening the door, Diane was almost knocked over when Jenny threw herself into her arms, half-collapsing to sob on her shoulder.

"What's wrong," asked Diane. "Why did Joe storm out like that?"

"Oh Diane," Jenny sobbed, "Joe and I just had a terrible fight! It started when I asked him what Don was so upset about. He told me he hadn't had a chance to clue Don in on the wife swapping. When I told him I was upset about that too, he just laughed and asked me what else I expected. He said if another man slept with his wife, he was going to get a piece of his wife in trade." Jenny broke out in fresh tears, and Diane helped her over to the bed to sit down.

"When I asked Joe why Don was so upset when he was the one who came up with that stupid game. Joe just looked kink of embarrassed. Then I asked him if Don didn't understand they were going to swap wives, he just said 'not exactly'. When I asked him what he meant by that, he just clamed up."

Jenny broke into a fresh round of sobs, and it was some time before she could continue. "I kept on and kept on him until he got really pissed, and told me about this dumb story he found on the Internet. It was about some guy who couldn't have kids, like us. So he cooked it up with his best friend to have the friend impregnate her on a long weekend like this we're having now. In the story, while the friend was impregnating the guys wife and risking his own marriage as a favor, the guy with the low sperm count was in the next room fucking the friends wife..." Jenny broke into sobs again.

She was finally able to continue. "Both wives were drunk and out of it thanks to the guy setting this up. The guy with the low sperm count crawled in bed with his friend's wife while his buddy was in the other room trying to make his wife pregnant. Just to make the baby. Then when he returned to the room he found his friend stuffing his wife and he just watched. It was one of those stupid stories where the husband gets turned watching someone else make it with his wife so he thinks it's just dandy to be a cuckold. Anyway, in the story the two guys both decide it was great so the second night they do it again, but this time both men know the others wife is going to get pumped."

She sobbed again for a moment, "Joe's mad, because he can't figure out why Don's so upset. After all, Joe wasn't doing anything Don wasn't doing. Diane, he couldn't see the difference! Anyway, that's when we got to screaming at one another. How couldn't he see that Don was doing him a favor, and Joe was repaying it by sticking it to Diane. And then he lied to Diane, and he may have broken up you guys marriage. He lied to me, too," she sniffed. "I thought everyone knew about what we were doing. Joe told me the stupid game was Don's idea, since he had to get me pregnant. Oh God guys! I'm so sorry. Please, Diane! It wasn't Don's fault, don't blame him, please!" and she broke into another round of sobs.

Diane held her and rocked her in her arms, thinking how strange to be comforting the woman that had just taken Don to bed. Don wandered over and sat in one of the overstuffed chairs and kept quiet.

Jenny started talking again, "I started trying to find out what exactly happened, asking a lot of questions and we went at it pretty hot and heavy again. Anyway, Joe wouldn't let go of this 'getting even' thing with Don. I finally asked him what the big deal was. Did he want me to sleep with that little bimbo's husband where he worked because he had been fucking her? He got real mad, and instead of denying it, just told me that was different. I'd been pretty sure he was cheating, he had just admitted it and I blew my top."

Jenny looked at Don, "God Don, I'm so sorry. When he started shouting at me I figured it out. That little game I thought you wanted to play was all Joe's idea. Jesus, Diane! We had agreed to ask you two if Don could be the father. I guess when Joe talked to Don made it sound like it was all his idea and didn't want you or I to know about it. I thought you knew about it! I asked him why he didn't ask Don to clear it with you. He asked how I expected him to get Don to approve him doing you, as jealous as he was of you! Then I figured out he was more interested in getting in your pants than he was in being a father. That's when I really exploded! That's when I started throwing things and he stormed out of the room!"

Jenny collapsed sidewise onto the bed and buried her face in the pillow. Diane looked helplessly at Don, her own tears starting when she realized her judgement of her husband was entirely unfounded. Even worse, she knew how he must feel discovering his wife fornicating in front of him. And justifying her actions based on a web of lies. She hadn't even listened to what he wanted to say.

Don got to his feet, and silently walked to the connecting doors. Stepping into Joe's room he scooped up one of the keys off the dresser. First making sure both doors locks were set so they couldn't be opened from the other room, he walked to the hall door and set the security chain on the inside of Joe's room door. Shutting the two connecting doors behind him, he fastened the security chain on the hall door in his room. Then walked back to the bed and the two women lying on it.

Sitting next to his wife, Don pulled her into his arms and held her very tightly. Nestling her in his arms, he rested his chin on her head and looked out the window. When Diane had relaxed in his arms he picked her up, then carrying her around the king-sized bed he laid her down. Clambering over her he reached to pull Jenny against him from one side and Diane tight against him on the other side. Then lying quietly with an arm around each of them he let the women gather what comfort they could from his warmth and nearness. When he felt them finally relax, he could relax himself. After awhile, all three drifted off to sleep. None of them had slept the night before.

When he awoke he found the two women still cuddled closely against him, and both his arms were numb and 'asleep'. Looking at the clock he was not surprised to discover it was after 2:00PM. They must have been asleep for hours. Kissing each woman on the forehead to wake her, he suggested they get up and shower, then he would take them out to eat.

Using the key Don had picked up Jenny timidly poked her head into her room. When she found it empty she used that shower. Diane jumped into the shower in her room while Don sorted out clean clothes and shaved.

Once Diane was out, Don climbed into the shower. While letting the hot water sooth his tension he thought of the crisis the two families were facing. Dressed, he found Jenny back in his room along with her suitcase and toiletries. She was afraid Joe had been drinking all afternoon and he was pretty rowdy when he was 'under the weather'.

She didn't want to face him until he sobered up.

Leading the women to where he had parked the car, they were soon headed to a Denny's Don had passed on his morning drive. There they had a quick meal and then returned to the lodge after picking up some snacks and sandwich makings on the way.

Passing through the lobby on the way back to their rooms, they spotted Joe sitting at the bar. He was more than half sloshed and was being pretty friendly with a woman at the bar. A steely-eyed Jenny said she'd never seen the woman before.