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“Everybody, please take your seats.”
Kalei Kahue, the resort director, stood up in front of the stage. A band of musicians behind him stopped playing tropical music, and the murmur of chatter died down as people took their seats at their appointed spot. Name cards written in a sweeping script sat at each place setting, and sparkling silverware flanked fine china atop crisp, white tablecloths. Condensation formed on the clear crystal glasses that accompanied them. Each filled with decorative shapes of ice and water.
Ron turned to look at the expansive crowd gathered under the large tent.
Wow, there are a lot of couples at this retreat, he thought. I feel underdressed.
“We gather here tonight from the four islands of Second Chance retreats. You all came here to find a retreat from the troubles and distractions of the world. To reconnect to your spouse. To your love.”
Ron grimaced and shifted position in his seat.
“By this time, all of you have rediscovered some morsel of beauty in yourselves. In your partner. And so, at Second Chance, we maintain a tradition. To gather on this night and to give each of you a chance to share with the community. To tell us about your sacred union.”
A wave of murmurs and a few chuckles in the crowd.
“Now, don’t worry. We’re all here for the same purpose. It’s natural to be nervous, but you don’t have to share anything profound. It can be simple. But over the years, we’ve found this exercise inspiring, so I want everyone to share.”
Beads of sweat formed on Ron’s forehead.
Oh god, am I really going to do this? Ron thought.
“Is there anyone who would like to be brave and start us out?”
Kalei looked across the group, gleaming with a Sunday school teacher sort of patronizing smile. A few chairs creaked, and ice rustled around in a glass that someone lifted to take a drink.
“I promise, we don’t judge here. We only celebrate. Who would like to share first?”
The familiar voice of a woman called out.
“I’ll share.”
“Thank you, Jennifer. So, stand up and tell everyone your name.”
Jennifer stood. An elegant blue dress hugged her firm body. The single diamond hanging on a delicate silver necklace around her neck sent glints of light into the air, reflecting the canned lights suspended from the tent frame.
“Hey, everyone. I’m Jennifer. Jennifer Snodgrass-Armstrong. And this is my husband, Rex.”
Jennifer placed a hand on Rex’s shoulder, and Ron’s stomach turned. His eyebrows furrowed, thinking of the curious shift in demeanor between the two of them. Shy Jennifer stood boldly in front of the group while the once commanding Rex cowered in her shadow.
“Rex and I have been together almost a year, but in that short time, we’ve faced challenges. Challenges from the outside. And challenges from within.”
Her chin thrust out as if she clenched the back of her teeth, and her eyes glistened with a hardened resolve.
“Some of the toughest challenges have come in the last few weeks on this island. What I’ve learned is that some people will come against you. Try to disturb the peace that you have.”
Her volume raised, and her tone became more stern.
“But they don’t matter. They’re petty, immature little girls with nothing better to do. And they will pass. But we...”
She looked down at Rex and smiled. He winced into the light as he tried to smile back.
“We will outlast their childish games. They will fade. We will remain.”
Kalei clapped his hands.
“C’mon, everyone, let’s show Jennifer some love. Give it up for our first sharer.”
The group obliged with a brief round of soft clapping.
“Rex, would you like to share?”
He chuckled, and his voice cracked.
“Well, um...”
He stood up, his grand physique filling out the sports jacket and clean t-shirt underneath.
“I’m not much for words.”
Not now anyway, Ron thought.
“I’m just grateful for my lady, here. She’s the strong one in our relationship.”
He sat back down, and Kalei led the group in another round of applause.
“Well, beautiful thoughts. We do face challenges, don’t we? But we stand together as a couple, and we weather them. Thank you, Jennifer and Rex. Who will go next?”
Huda stood up and moved behind her chair, gripping it with lightening knuckles and squaring her shoulders.
“Ok, Mrs. Abbas. Thank you. What would you like to share?”
“Thank you, Mr. Director. And thank you to all of you who have come here in the spirit of morality and marital fidelity. Of charity and holiness. That is how my husband, Rayan, and I have come. To honor Allah and the sacred covenant of marriage. As I have knelt in prayer on the beach each morning and looked upon the mighty waves rolling onto the sand, I am reminded that righteousness will always prevail. The inequity of sin will be washed away by its power. And as I look at my husband...”
She glanced at Rayan, who kept his head down.
“I see a devoted follower of Allah, a servant of righteousness. And I am grateful that the temptations of the damned do not sway him.”
Kalei’s closed lips and wrinkled nose pushed into a smile as he nodded and clapped.
“Thank you, Mrs. Abbas. Rayan?”
Huda spoke again.
“My husband is taking a time of silence and reflection. To meditate on these truths.”
Kalei’s mouth shriveled into a small circle, and he cast a worried glance at Rayan.
“I see. Well, thank you both for being here. And thank you for those profound words of wisdom, Mrs. Abbas.”
The director put his hands behind his back and walked to Ron’s side of the crowd.
“Who else?”
His eyes glanced in Ron’s direction, and Ron’s heart skipped.
“I’m sorry to see that Mrs. Stroker couldn’t join us tonight, Ron. I guess you will have to speak for the both of you.”
A woman’s voice came from the back of the crowd.
“That won’t be necessary.”
Everyone turned towards the voice, and several gasped. Jessica Stroker stood at the edge of the tent wearing her red bikini. Her hands draped down to her sides with Jennifer’s green bathing suit in one of them.
Kalei cleared his throat.
“Mrs. Stroker. It’s good to see you, but perhaps you didn’t read the invitation? This is a formal gathering. The guests were all encouraged to wear something more...”
Jessica cocked an eyebrow, and Kalei’s voice dropped in volume.
“...appropriate.”
Jessica tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes.
“Really, Kalei?”
She stepped forward, her eyes locked on the director.
“You know, all my life, people have tried to tell me what to do with my body. Tried to tell me to cover it up.”
Her eyes left him and surveyed the crowd as she continued to walk through them towards the front.
“And I’ve been judged. Usually by women.”
She glared at the back of Jennifer’s head. Jennifer turned a fork in her hand and rolled her eyes as she looked at it.
“I’ve heard their lectures about being a lady. About practicing modesty and not giving a man a reason to be tempted.”
Jessica’s eyes returned to Kalei, and they burned at him.
“But I am NOT a lady.”
Jessica moved just in front of the table where Rex and Jennifer sat until she was on the opposite side of it from them. Jennifer didn’t look up to acknowledge her, but her forearm tensed as she continued turning the fork. Jessica’s voice lowered and growled.
“You snide bitch. You couldn’t handle my body, so you tried to cover it up.”
Jessica’s hand waved down her frame with one hand, and then she held out Jennifer’s suit in the other, her fingers clenched and trembling.
“And you were more than happy to give me one of your ugly suits so all these people could see less of me. Well, guess what? I like this body. I fucking love this body. So you can take your fucking suits back.”
Jessica threw the suit across the table, and it landed on top of Jennifer’s hand and turning fork.
“Oh, and wash that one. Ya know, since I used it to wipe your husband’s cum out of my pussy.”
Murmurs erupted in the crowd, and the tendons in Ron’s neck tightened. Jennifer’s mouth fell open, and her eyes moved to the suit laying on her hand. Her head tilted to the side, and her eyes filled with tears.
“Did you?”
Rex shifted towards Jennifer, shaking his head. He reached for her, but she shrunk back from him. Her voice raised.
“Did you have sex with this slut?”
“Babe, I...”
Jennifer jumped up from her chair and stepped back from Rex, her voice trembling.
“How could you?”
“I... I didn’t. She’s lying.”
Jennifer shrieked, and Rex threw up his hands to guard himself as she beat his head with the suit.
“How could you do that to me?!”
He tried to get up, but she threw the suit at him and ran out of the tent. The murmurs of the crowd grew louder as they watched her leave. Kalei tried to regain control of his gathering.
“Now, everyone, quiet down. Mrs. Stroker, I think you’ve said enough. It’s time for you to leave.”
Jessica spun around and hissed at him, her fists clenched at her side.
“Oh, really, Kalei? You want to silence me? I bet you do.”
Kalei shrunk back, his head shaking. His face turned pale, and he mouthed the word “no.” Jessica stepped towards him and extended a pointing finger at him.
“Let me tell you all about this mother fucker. The one whose island you all came to so you could work on your marriages. This shining example of marital fidelity and relationship wisdom.”
Jessica turned away from Kalei and faced the group.
“His cum tastes a bit too much like dish soap. I’ve had better from other married men on this island.”
Kalei dropped into a crouch and put his face in his hands. Jessica and Huda locked eyes.
“And you...”
Jessica took a few steps towards her table and stopped, putting a hand on her hip.
“You hateful, self-righteous cunt. You’ve judged me from the moment you saw me, and you think you’re so holy. So honorable. But you’ve got hate and murder in your heart.”
Leaning forward and narrowing her eyes, Jessica dropped her voice to a growl.
“I’m not afraid of you. Or your father. Or the thugs that he runs with who hijacked a religion so they could oppress women. I had a father just like him.”
Jessica held up a shaking fist.
“He beat me until I bled because I showed my body. And his church loved him. Made a saint of him. While they called me a whore.”
Her voice raised, and she looked up at the larger group.
“Well, they were right. I am a whore. Because I love to fuck. And not just my husband. Not just the cock that the rules say I have to keep my pussy for. I love to fuck whoever my pussy wants. Especially if someone’s rules say I can’t. Those are my favorite cocks to suck and fuck. Because when I take them...”
Her voice cracked up, and a tear formed in her eye.
“That’s when I feel free.”
She continued facing the group but looked aside to Huda.
“So, if I fucked your husband, I would have no problem telling you right to your fucking face so you could go running back to daddy. But I’d rather let you wonder. Did my husband cheat on me? Or was he faithful? Well, bitch, you’ll never fucking know.”
Huda stood up, letting out an animal groan, and threw her knife at Jessica. The sharp edge grazed Jessica across the cheek, drawing blood. Rayan reached for Huda and grabbed her arm.
“Huda, no!”
Kalei also stood and walked towards Huda, holding out his hands.
“Please, Mrs. Abbas. I know this upsets you, but we cannot have violence here on the island.”
Huda wrestled against Rayan’s grip while she hissed at Jessica.
“You’re a repulsive woman! The hottest fires of Jahannam are waiting for you!”
Jessica sneered, flipped Huda off, and raised her voice to talk over her.
“You can all hate me. I know you probably do. Because you haven’t walked in my shoes. But this is MY body. This is MY pussy. And I can and will do whatever the fuck I want with it. I don’t expect any of you to get that.”
Her head dropped towards the floor, and she turned towards Ron. Tears were streaming down her face, and she glanced up at him.
“But I hoped you would.”
Ron’s mouth fell open, and his stomach ached with the weight of a brick sitting on the bottom of it. Jessica rushed for the nearest edge of the tent and disappeared into the darkness. Huda’s voice screeched above the rising buzz of chatter all around.
“You will burn, Jessica Stroker! Burn forever!”
