On the plane, Jasmine tells Kate's story to Carissa

Jasmine sat watching Carissa doze with her head against the airplane bulkhead. Asleep, her relaxed face showed an angelic beauty. Jasmine thought she could see more of her Puerto Rican father in Carissa's looks at rest, while her Irish mother was more evident in Carissa's voice and manner. There was a faint little scar behind Carissa's ear that Jasmine had never noticed before. Jasmine smiled. Maybe she'd got it standing up for Kathryn when they were growing up together.

Carissa stirred and Jasmine squeezed her hand under the blanket.

"Are we there yet?" Carissa murmured.

"Little bit longer," Jasmine said. "You could be awake now if you're ready."

"Such nice dreams," Carissa said. "Kate was on a horse with no pants on and we were trying to catch her and tell her to stop riding bareback, but she said it was okay because it was a girl horse." She shifted in her seat and whispered to Jasmine, "Oh wow, I'm wet."

Jasmine laughed quietly.

Carissa sighed and stretched.

The flight attendant rose from her jump seat. "I'm about to do a water and juice service," she said. "Would you two like something before I get out the cart?"

Carissa and Jasmine were alone in the back corner of the airplane with several empty rows ahead of them.

"Sure, thanks," Jasmine said. "Water."

"Me too," Carissa said.

The flight attendant handed water cups to Jasmine and Carissa. "You two on vacation? Coming back from school?"

Jasmine and Carissa were both wearing college sweatshirts.

Jasmine said, "Seeing a friend of ours. She and her boyfriend ended up here after their cruise ship had an accident."

"Oh dear, is everyone okay?" the flight attendant said.

"All fine," Jasmine said. "They made some new friends who invited them to kind of a cruise party at home for the days they missed."

"All good, then," the flight attendant said. "You two have a great time."

Carissa laughed. "We will!"

When the flight attendant had made it a few rows up with her tray of juice and water, Carissa looked over to Jasmine.

"Now who is everybody again?" Carissa asked. "It was three families plus somebody's girlfriend? And they're all fucking each other?"

Jasmine laughed. "Not quite," she said. "Okay, here goes." Jasmine cleared her throat and gazed up and to the side, remembering. "There are two couples with college kids, the Walkers and the Menards. The Walkers and the Menards have been going to swingers' parties together for years. So that's Jim and Sally Walker, and Hank and Veevee Menard. And all of them are bi. And fucking each other."

Carissa grinned. "Setting a good example," she said.

"So the other family is the Bernsteins," Jasmine said. "Joyce wrote 'Free to Masturbate' and runs sex workshops for women. Her daughter goes by 'Bernie'. She used to date girls but now she's dating Gary Menard. Okay so far?"

"Is their family just Joyce and Bernie?" Carissa asked.

"That's all Kate mentioned," Jasmine said. "And Kate said Bernie has this luscious body but doesn't think she's pretty because she's a little heavy and thinks her butt's too big. Oh, and Joyce and Bernie are nudists at home. And Bernie and her mom masturbate together."

"Oh-ho," Carissa said.

"Okay, now," Jasmine said. "Let's see, now Gary, he's dating Bernie Bernstein. But it just came out that Gary and his best friend, that's Peter Walker, they'd been having sex together for a couple of years off and on. Gary thought it was a secret but their moms and dads knew all along."

Carissa's face lit up with a grin. She squished it down into a smug little smile, then lost it with a little giggle. "Bi boys busted!" she said.

"So that just came out," Jasmine said. "Now Gary has a sister Lillian. She's had a string of bad boyfriends, and just broke up with one. So, you know Gary and Lil were staying at home while their mom and dad were on a cruise. And the ship had an accident and they had to come home?"

"Uh-huh?" Carissa said.

"So Hank and Veevee got back late at night, days early, and walked in on Gary and Bernie making love to Lil."

"Whoa," Carissa said. "So is everyone's head still on straight? Mine is starting to spin."

Jasmine smiled. "Hold on tight, we're only halfway through," she said. "Okay, Kate said they talked that one out and it sounded like everything was okay. So anyway. Then there's Peter Walker and his girlfriend Sandy. Peter just graduated from college. So Peter and Sandy were along on the cruise with Peter's mom and dad and Hank and Veevee Menard?"

Carissa tilted her head. "Hmmmm. So it was just a vacation cruise, not, you know, a party?"

Jasmine shook her head. "No, it was a swing party cruise from the start," she said. "You see, Sandy, well, her big sister Peggy goes to these bisexual swinging parties, and..."

Carissa laughed. "And Sandy went along one time, and..."

"Uh-huh," Jasmine said. "She met this nice couple there and had sex with them. More than one party. And then she meets Peter at school, and she likes him, they start dating, things are going pretty well. So she tells Peter she likes these parties, and he comes to one and..."

Carissa's eyes opened wide. "No."

"Yes. Sandy's favorite swing party sex partners were Peter's mom and dad," Jasmine said.

Carissa put her hands on the sides of her head. "Do not spin. Do not spin."

Jasmine cracked up in a big laugh. "So yeah. Kate said Peter and Sandy went to a few parties together. And the cruise, I guess it was supposed to be a romantic vacation for Peter and Sandy, and a quiet house party for the moms and dads, but, well, this is where Kathryn comes in."

"And Bryan," Carissa said.

"And Bryan," Jasmine said. "He's a sweetie. But it was really more Kathryn. So anyway, Kate gets this notion to sneak up onto the sunbathing deck the first afternoon of the cruise, I guess it's closed till they're further out at sea or something, and she's all by herself on a lounger, when..."

"I heard this. Veevee Menard gets the same idea," Carissa said. "Except she's topless. Veevee's super-twin titty powers activate, and suddenly Kathryn spills all her sex secrets, and Veevee invites Kate and Bryan to join them for dinner."

Jasmine laughs. "Kate's the biggest titty monster in the dorm," she said. "Worse than any of the boys. And Kate said it was really Veevee who made the move on her. But yes, Veevee invited Kate and Bryan. I guess it started out as two separate parties, younger and older, but ended up as one. Kate didn't ADMIT to bringing them all together, but I have my suspicions."

"Unless it was Veevee, like Kate was saying," Carissa said.

"Yeah. And they had a great time till the ship had an accident," Jasmine said.

"Okay, I think I've got it," Carissa said.

"Oh, yeah, another thing or two," Jasmine said. "Kate said she watched Peter get it on with his mom and dad during the cruise. And I guess Kate and Bryan seduced a steward, a woman named Amber, who joined in a bit with the parties."

"Tilt!" said Carissa. She pretended to freeze, eyes staring off to the side.

Jasmine laughed. "Now there," she said. "Kate only made it with four new women this week, if I'm counting right. And a little light play with the boys. She really has that wide-eyed, sweet and innocent look going for her."

Carissa lowered her voice. "And she squirts like a pressure washer."

Jasmine turned pink trying to hold a laugh inside. She managed to turn it into a couple of little coughs.

"Done with your cups?" the flight attendant asked. She collected the empty water cups from Jasmine and Carissa.

"Thanks," Jasmine said.

"That's it till landing," the flight attendant said. "But if you want anything I'm right here."

"You could sit with us and tell us what you'd do for fun in town," Jasmine said. "It's the first time we've been, and the first time for our friend too."