Chapter 3: Some Unfinished Business

The following Saturday Dave was reading on the patio when a very panicked Emma raced up to him. She was clad in the standard Circle weekend monokini, and looked absolutely beautiful.

As she approached, he again could hear her muttering, “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit,” repeatedly. She stopped in front of him and changed her mantra to one word, “HELP!” She stated the plea loudly, but only Dave seemed to hear her.

Dave put his hand out to her, “What’s wrong, honey? No, don’t tell me. I bet I know. Your parents are about to pay you a visit, only this time they’ve read the book and watched the reality TV series – Season One.”

Emma rolled her eyes heavenward, “Exactly. They’ll be here any minute. They called me five minutes ago and they were just getting off the Interstate at our exit. What do I do?”

Dave advised, “Take a deep breath. Relax. Become Miss Cool-Calm-and-Collected. You are the master of your fate and the keeper of your soul. You have done and are doing nothing wrong. You chose the lifestyle of the Circle for a number of reasons. You may or may not chose to share those reasons with your parents or sister. Just relax.”

Even the way Dave talked helped calm the young woman. Dave gestured to the chaise beside him and she sat with a plop. “Did you tell the guard at the gatehouse to expect their arrival?”

“Oh, no, I didn’t.” She whipped her cellphone from inside the left-butt-cheek of her monokini and hit the speed dial. In a couple of seconds, she gave some information to the guard and asked that he tell them where they should park and which homes to come between. The homes on Circle Drive had prominent house numbers.

Dave said, “OK, now stretch out in the sun and pretend that you haven’t a care in the world. I’ll tell you a story that you’ve probably heard that will ensure that your relationship with your parents and sister will turn out better.”

Dave quickly recapped the story about Alice, Julie, and Karen’s recalcitrant parents and how they’d ultimately tried to kidnap Karen’s two children and abduct them back to Ohio because it was their God-given duty to raise their kids in the Bible Church of Hamilton, Ohio. He talked about how Nikky pretended to be Christiana, and been the one to actually get abducted, and then the shooting, the arrests, and subsequent prison terms, including of the children’s grandfather on kidnapping charges. He also mentioned Karen and her family winning their civil lawsuit. He ended by saying, “That’s kind of the worst-case scenario about how parents might respond to one or some of their children being in the Circle. I’m sure your situation will be much better than that.”

Emma had visibly relaxed. “Thank you. I needed that. Yes, I’m sure I’ll fare better. At worst, they may sever ties with me.”

Emma rose and said, “I’m going to be proactive. I’ll go and greet them as they come up the Access Road to park.” She strolled away and between a couple of the homes and disappeared. She was barefoot but wore a nice dark red monokini.

A little over five minutes later, Dave saw Emma leading her parents and sister onto the patio from between the same two homes. She strutted proudly with her bare breasts leading the way. The day was warm, and most of the other women were also wearing monokinis.

Emma led them to one of the picnic tables, had them sit, and then went to the bar and got a couple of cans of Pepsi and some water bottles for them. She carried them back to the table and then sat with them. Dave waited for the detonation, but none came.

Dave watched a serious discussion breakout, and unless he was wrong it turned out to be the two daughters against the parents in terms of who was arguing with whom. After about fifteen minutes, Dave decided to intervene and strolled over.

“Hi. Dean and Marcia and Carla, right?” He put out his hand and shook Dean’s hand, and then Marcia’s. He gave a sideways wink at Carla just to let him know who’s side he was on.

Dean spoke, “Errr, we’ve been struggling with what we learned about the Circle since we were here two weeks ago. The ... sex bothers us.”

Dave nodded in a wise way. “That’s not surprising. I kind of had my own similar reaction when two of my stepchildren decided they wanted to be regular Circle members. It took me a few days to get used to the idea.”

Marcia said, “You have children Emma’s age?”

“A year or so younger, actually. Oh, they’re of legal age, but their mothers and I weren’t expecting anything like this until they were well into their thirties or possibly past age forty. It’s hard for parents to let go and allow their offspring to make tough decisions about lifestyle, friends, lovers, and how they will structure their relationships and family. I guess we kind of hope they’ll mimic how we grew up, but then they don’t and some form of disappointment sets in.” Dave tried to keep from getting preachy, but he hoped the message he was sending would get across.

Marcia asked, “Has this happened before in your Circle?”

Dave chuckled, “It’s not my Circle, but to your question, yes. He proceeded to tell them about Alice, Julie, Karen, and the Bible Church, and ultimately about the prison terms being served by five men, and the result of the lawsuit. Dean and Marcia sat with their jaws agape as the story unfolded in more detail this time.

Dave summed it up, “We reach a point where we have to let our kids do what THEY think is right. If it’s not, they’ll hopefully learn fast enough. Some of our members have gone through rocky marriages and divorced before they discover us; I guess that shows at least one recovery mechanism that can be invoked when a bad decision is made. None of the married couples in the Circle have separated.”

Dean said, “Is sexual intercourse really practiced between everybody in your Circle?”

Dave shook his head. “What we practice is building warm and loving relationships with people we really like and love. Unlike the world outside our gates, we grant ourselves the flexibility to build those relationships in multiple dimensions of mind, body, and spirit without limitations on any of those elements including sacred and Tantric sexuality. As I am sure you have found within your own family, the sex completes the love you feel and makes it better, and the love you feel for each other makes the sex something exceptional. This is our world and how we also live.”

There was a long silence. Dean and Marcia both stared at Dave apparently hoping he’d say more. He didn’t.

Carla finally said, “Based on what I read and saw in the video, this is the kind of place I would choose to live in if I had the option. Is this place totally unique?”

Dave smiled at Carla, “No, we’re not unique. There are polyamorous communities scattered all over the country – the world, in fact. They each create their own culture and rules of conduct. One estimate one of my wives showed me about the U.S. was that three to five percent of the population lives in some kind of structure similar to this. That might mean that up to fifteen million people live in a Circle-like atmosphere of some kind. The estimate for the number of people that have, at one time or another in their life lived this way, is higher as you might expect.”

Emma finally spoke, “Mom, Dad, you raised me in a loving home. I’ve now found a loving community that gives me even more loving feelings and includes me more than I ever felt growing up. That’s not a negative statement about how I was raised, but it is a positive statement about the Circle. We are loving and protective of each other, and each other’s feelings.”

Marcia asked, “Have you and my daughter ... you know... ?” She made a slight gesture indicating two things coming together.

Dave almost laughed. “I love you daughter very much. She’s a delight to talk with and interact with. The rest of your question is way out of line.”

“Oh ... yes, certainly.” She backed down.

Emma went and held onto Dave’s arm, clutching it intimately to her bare breasts. The visual message was pretty clear. She said, “And I love Dave, probably more than anybody else in the world. I do not expect to become one of his wives, but they are also people I love and have great relationships with. Dave and several other men and women are mentoring me, and helping me with my after-graduation plans. I’ve already told them that I don’t want to leave this area. I’ve found my home, and this is where I want to live for the foreseeable future.

“Mom, Dad, please don’t get your nose out of joint about the wrong things – and I emphasize that. What happens here are the right things. I am safe, protected, cared for in many ways, mentored, encouraged to take reasonable risks, and most of all I’m loved. This is NOT a cult. Don’t make me feel guilty or remorseful for selecting this as my new home and lifestyle. This was MY choice to make.”

There was again an awkward silence.

Dean finally nodded with some finality to where his thinking was.

Dean turned to Dave and said, “Emma said you were a jet-rated pilot and even had a plane or two near here. The last time we were here we saw your little airport and some of the planes? I’d love to see inside your jets.”

Dave smiled broadly, “I’d be delighted. Anybody else?”

Marcia stood, “I’d like to see that, too. I’ve never been in a corporate jet.”

Carla said, “I’m going to stay and talk to Em.”

Dave got one of the larger golf carts and off they went down Airport Road.

The Circle board of directors met in executive session on Wednesday afternoon. Ty was president and led the meeting. Also present were Dave – vice president; Alice – secretary; Julie – Treasurer; and Jack Anders – member. Dale sat in as the head of security.

Ty raised one issue at the interim meeting between the normal monthly general board meetings that many others attended. “We haven’t annexed any new members into the Circle in quite some time. I’m passing out a list of the people that have been in ‘pledge’ status for a relatively long time. Since they each act as members in word and deed, we’ve sort of not formalized their membership but I think we should.”

Alice said tentatively, “Shouldn’t we do this in a general meeting?”

Ty said, “I suppose you’re right. We used to have everybody vote or at least comment. We should do that again, I guess.”

Consequently, ten days later at the Members Only meeting of the Circle the following slate of candidates were put forward for a membership vote. In alphabetic order, they included:

Al Berker

Katya Boyko

Zachary Bright

Luke Cook

Brayden Couture

Ben Forrester

Zoey Foster

Toby Fuller

Jace Golden

Mandy Grafton

Jim Hotch

Lincoln Kiekert

Colleen McGuire

Barbara Nelson

Clee Noel

Merry Noel

Matt Prentiss

Rose Prentiss

Emma Roberts

Kellie Sawyer

Paris Sexton

Millie Shoberger

Amy Stulling

Ma Su

Marie Thereaux

Danica Turner

Helen Ursinger

Lane Wente

Jenn Whitaker

Lora Wylie

The room was amazed that thirty candidates were on the ballot. In the buzz of conversation as the list was presented, there were many comments about how one person or more thought someone was already a member.

Ty asked for comments about anybody on the ballot. The room was silent. Ballots were passed out and a second opportunity was given to make comments about any person on the list. Ultimately, there were no adverse comments, and everyone was admitted by acclaim.

The other items on the agenda included the allocation of some funds to upgrade the home-schooling work stations, and to upgrade the play area in part of the meadow between the racetrack of homes and Perimeter Road. These items called for a vote of the general membership because the expenditure would exceed $5,000 that the board could approve on their own. All items passed with no negative votes.

There was a champagne party after the board meeting as those that could be reached were asked to assemble on the core patio near the bar. Flutes of champagne were passed out and everyone toasted everyone else and the new influx of formal members into the Circle.