Wendy was beside herself with anticipation. She had bought a travel guide at the airport and was reading sections to Marissa. Marissa didn’t have the heart to tell her that she couldn’t concentrate. Marissa was wondering what the hell she was doing flying off the coast of Australia.

Having made no progress whatsoever in their quest for information that might help them explain the origins of their infertility, Marissa began to seriously question the rationale for the trip. Perhaps she should have stayed at home and tried to get her life back in order. She wondered what Robert was doing, and how her leaving affected his behavior. If he were having an affair with Donna, leaving like she did would only give him carte blanche to carry on. If she’d been wrong, she wondered if her abrupt departure would push him into Donna’s arms.

“Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has taken twenty-five million years to form,” Wendy read, “and there are at least three hundred and fifty different species of coral, as well as fifteen hundred species of tropical fish.”

“Wendy,” Marissa said at last, “maybe it would be better for you to read to yourself. Statistics like that don’t register in my mind unless I read them.”

“Hold on!” Wendy said, not taking the hint. “Here’s one you can relate to. The visibility of water can be up to sixty meters.” Wendy looked at Marissa. “That’s unbelievable. That’s about two hundred feet. Isn’t that astounding? Can you wait?”

Marissa merely nodded.

Undaunted, Wendy read on. Marissa turned back to the window and looked out at the limitless Pacific Ocean. Again she thought of Robert, nearly half a world away.

Mercifully, Marissa’s thoughts and Wendy’s reading were interrupted by an announcement. The captain said they were nearing Hamilton Island and would be landing momentarily. In another few minutes their plane touched down.

The island was a tropical paradise. Although Marissa and Wendy were surprised when they saw several high-rise buildings which looked starkly out of place, the rest of the island was in keeping with their expectations. The vegetation was a lush bright green, highlighted by dazzling flowers. The beaches were a sparkling white sand, the water an inviting aqua.

The check-in at the hotel went smoothly. Their seaside room was ready for them. The resort’s lagoon-shaped pool tempted Marissa, but Wendy was not to be denied. She wanted to go directly to the marina to arrange for the next day’s diving. She offered to go by herself, but Marissa felt obligated to go with her.