Saturday morning.
'What the fuck?!' Kelly thought as she was startled awake the next morning. She looked at her watch as the sound that woke her warbled up and down the notes of some tune. Seven-o-clock, it read. The brassy song finally ended, and she wondered if this happened every morning as part of this strange retreat that Steve had gotten them to go on.
"Good morning," her husband said. "I guess they like everyone to be awake by seven."
"What was that?" she asked.
"A bugle. It was playing reveille. "
"This is some strange shit you got us in to. What the fuck happened that we have to be here?"
"It's complicated."
"Did you get caught with your pants down? Who did you fuck that they caught you and forced this on us?"
"Are you really going to complain? I guess Triston wasn't very good last night."
"Oh, he was good. I came at least four times. I lost count after that. Then he kicked me out. Said that his wife would be back and need her place to sleep. Where did you end up sleeping?"
"Here. I was with Emily Moore last night while her husband was with his daughter and son-in-law, but she wouldn't let me stay the night either."
"Mom? Dad?" came Amanda's voice from outside the tent. "Come on. They're only going to be serving breakfast another hour."
"Shit," Kelly muttered. "Alright, dear," she answered louder.
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Allison approached Kelly after she was done with breakfast as Steve walked towards the portable johns. "Have a moment?" she asked.
"Sure."
"I wanted to talk to you about how we do some of the things we do. You know that most of us are open to sex with others."
"Obviously."
"But, we don't want to have any real relationships ruined, either."
"Yeah?" Kelly said uncomprehendingly
"So, to protect that, we follow certain rules."
"Meaning that we have to do so too?"
"Not exactly. But we do expect you to honor our rules. That's why Triston didn't let you stay the night with him. Let me explain what I mean.
"First, our marriage, and for that matter everyone else's here, isn't completely open. That is except for yours, I guess. What we have is a semi open marriage. That means that Triston has a say in whether or not I fuck somebody. If he says I can't be with some individual, then I won't be with him."
"So, you make yourself subservient to your husband?"
"No. Not at all. It works both ways. I have a say in who he fucks, too. If I told him I don't want him fucking Emily, then he won't, although I wouldn't tell him not to do it with her. It's one way that we make sure that we honor our marriage and don't cheat on each other. Also, the other person that either of us would be with, has to be single or if attached, his or her significant other must know about it and be okay with us having such a time. We don't want the other person cheating any more than we do.
"Next, we don't keep secrets. Emily told us about when she and Jim first started swinging. She had kept a big secret from Jim for quite a few years about how she had sex with her sister and brother. It almost ended their marriage. So, they made it rule number one that they don't keep secrets. It can ruin a marriage just as fast as an illicit affair."
"I don't think I could tell Steve everything like that. He might not like some of it."
"That's what I mean. If he isn't okay with things, then there is a problem. That can cause marital strife. I'm not telling you that you have to adopt these rules, but you might want to consider it.
"The last thing is that we always are together at the end of the day. Neither of us will spend the night with someone else even if we have been spending time with that someone. We consider spending the night with that other person to be cheating and we don't want to do that. Coming back together as husband and wife at the end of the day strengthens our marriage bond. Anyway, that's how we do things. I thought telling you about it would help you understand why we do the things we do. I know that you and Steve have a more open relationship and we don't want to force anything on you, but I hope that you will consider our rules. Maybe at least you will stop helping your various partners cheat. In the long run, though, it's up to you."
"I'll think about it," Kelly said. "We'll at least honor your rules while we're here and not spend the night with someone."
"Thanks. It means a lot to us."
Kelly was unsure about what to think of these rules. By their definition, she had cheated on her husband. Of course, it was absolutely true that she had helped a number of men to cheat on their spouses or girlfriends. She had no idea how many of the men she had been with might be married, but knew that at least some were. Of those, she didn't know for sure how many would have been open with their wives about their extra-marital activity, but she knew many that would not. She hadn't really cared. It was there place to care about their marriage, not hers. She needed to think. She needed to process what she had been told.
The hiking trail that went around the lake was plainly visible. Motion had always been a way for her to think things through. She rose from the bench, grabbed her towel, walked to the beginning of the trail and began her hike.