Joe and Ashley

Joe and Ashley had known each other for years and both could tell that something was bothering their partner for the day. Perhaps it was a good thing that they had been paired together? They had moved from William's bungalow and gone straight to the bar. The pair found a booth near the back and sat together for a while in silence and sipped at their drinks. Even though music was playing in the background, the silence between them bothered Ashley. She was used to Joe being this confident man that didn't seem to have a care in the world. But now?

"What is it?"

"What's what?"

"Don't play dumb with me Joe. I know you well enough by now."

"It's Tiff. Well, not just Tiff. I've only really told William. I was in an accident a few years ago."

"What happened?"

"Look Ash, its not something that I really want to go into, but... I'm sterile. Everything still works otherwise, but me and Tiff have been trying for years to have a baby. It's not working."

Ashley took his hand and stroked it. She wanted to say something to make him feel better, but what can you say to that?

"I'm sorry Joe. I can't even imagine how hard this has been for you."

"It's not like there aren't options. Fertility treatments and such. They just cost a small fortune that we don't have. The best option would be an outside donor, but my worry is how she might go about it."

"How she might... Oh fuck. You think she's going to try to get pregnant on this trip?"

"Yeah. If she was upfront with you and the others about what she wanted to do and someone volunteered, I wouldn't care at all. I would be grateful that we were being given the chance to have a family together. But she's likely going to lie because of the rules."

"William wouldn't break the rules, but what about Bobby or your friend Rick?"

"If I asked Rick, I'm sure him and Lisa would help us. Bobby seems to be a veteran of these kind of events, so I don't think I have to worry about him..."

"And then there's Anton," sighed Ashley. "Which is the crux of my problems as well. Anton would break the rules in a heartbeat. In fact, I know he wants to try and seduce Fiona and sort of own her. He wants to lord it over William."

Joe took a long drink from his mug as he took the time processing what Ashley had told him. If he had to take a guess, this was connected to the Miller incident last year. By the end of their trip, Anton had wove a web of seduction around Beth Miller to the point that it almost broke up her and her husband Frank. Beth had truly thought that Anton loved her and only her, and that he wanted her to run away with him, when in reality, she was just a plaything. How Beth hadn't realized what his game was still confused Joe. She and Frank had been around Anton enough to know. Joe suspected that he had been working on Beth well before the trip, and what had happened was just the messy aftermath.

"You and Anton.... Are you ok?"

"Not really. Joe, I'm giving serious thought to leaving him. This trip is pretty much his last chance to show me that he can be an adult and stop hurting everyone around him. I love him, but I can't take much more of his shit."

For a while they drank in silence and thought of what they had told each other. They both had a lot going on and this trip may be more trouble than its worth in the end. Joe was taking another long drink when he noticed Rick and Fiona slip into the bar and find a booth near the door. They seemed to be smiling and flirting. It was good to see his friend relaxing.

"Hey Ash... Lets have some fun. We can't do anything about our spouses at the moment, so lets focus on the now and just enjoy ourselves. And if something does happen, I'm here for you. And I know you'll be here for me."

"Yeah, I will be. You're right. Let's get out of here. I think one of William's brochure's mentioned a theater somewhere here at the resort. Want to see when the show times are?"