Chapter 22: Holiday Engagements

Dave heard the slow flying jet and looked up from where he was reading on the patio. He saw the distinctive design on the tail fin and recognized the plane as an Atlantic Airlines Boeing 777. Given the low altitude and size of the plane, it looked like it was crawling across the sky.

The aircraft radio for the patio crackled, “Circle Airport, Atlantic Airlines Flight 2, Salt Lake City to Raleigh to Sarasota is overhead. Crew will report in later.”

Dave laughed. He recognized Ken’s stentorian tones, and wondered whether Patti was with him in the cockpit, no doubt laughing at his shenanigans and looking out the window at the Circle from two thousand feet above. He’d probably got permission from approach control to extend his pattern so he could fly over the Circle compound.

Ken had mentioned he was qualifying in the newer plane, but his presence in the cockpit must mean he’d made great progress on that front. Dave didn’t move to respond but watched the plane lumbering away. He knew Ken would have to remain especially alert for other aircraft at that altitude, and keep in touch with Sarasota Approach and then tower.

Amanda and Gail came outside because of the low-pitched rumble of the jet noise. They looked up at the plane as it trundled along.

Dave said, “That’s Ken Toomey, and I’m sure he has Patti with him. They’ll be here in an hour or two. He’s at the end of a cross-country jaunt so they won’t expect him to fly again for a day or more. There’s another crew based here in Sarasota that will take the plane to Raleigh tonight.

Gail said, “Could he land that plane here?”

“In theory, yes, if it was empty and didn’t have much fuel in the tanks. The issue would be getting it to takeoff with adequate clearance and noise abatement from our neighbors.”

“Noise? Those kids with the fireworks on the backstreet make ten times as much noise as any of our planes.”

Dave nodded, “I hope it stays that way. Keep the attention on the kids and not on our planes.”

Amanda looked around the sky and asked, “Is anybody up taking a lesson?”

“Rachel is flying with Doug working on her instrument rating. My guess is that they’re in the practice area out to the east of us. It’s pretty desolate out there so there’s no one to complain about the noise on the ground if there even is any.”

“How’s you rating coming?”

Dave replied, “I just got started on instruments. I’m developing my skills for scanning the panel and not letting things slip away because I’m focused on only one of them. My real emphasis,” he said waving his iPad, “is studying for the written test. For the private pilot’s exam we needed to know something, but now I need to know the whys, wherefores, and how things might go awry and then how to compensate for them if they do.”

The two women went back inside and Dave went back to studying. Any second, he was expecting an inundation of friends and relatives to start for the Thanksgiving holiday. He’d taken the Wednesday off, ostensibly to help Bobbie prepare for the big meal, but she only needed two hours of his help that morning, so he decided to study until guests started to arrive.

Dave had initially worried about the Circle having an adequate number of rooms for all the guests, but Alice had short-circuited that concern by telling everybody they were on their own and not to overcommit their guest rooms. Gail was using one of the small studios in the core that used to be Bobbie’s, and Elise had claimed the other as her long-term pied-á-terre until she could get a townhouse. Dave noted that Amanda had been staying over with Gail with increasing frequency whenever she was in residency. There was only one bed.

Elise was the first to arrive with another more matronly woman in tow. Both were pulling their roll-on suitcases across the patio. She’d said nothing to him about guests, so Dave started guessing. Elise came up to him, and they embraced with a couple of kisses that probably showed they had more than a typical mother-son relationship.

“Davey, this is Betty Watson, Gail’s mother.”

“Ah, Betty, welcome,” Dave said with great sincerity. “I don’t think we’ve seen each other in twenty years.”

Betty patted her haunches, “Yeah, my shape changed dramatically over that time. I keep thinking I need to do something about this, but I need motivation.”

“Come on, Betty,” Elise said. “Let me show you my little apartment down here. Of course, I don’t sleep there too often. These men all love mature women.”

Dave saw Betty roll her eyes as she started to follow his mother across the patio towards the door nearest to the studio apartments. Later, he saw the two of them in bathing suits as Elise gave a tour of the core and his home. Betty was wearing a sedate one-piece suit with a large towel wrapped around her waist. Elise was in her bikini – a change from her usual monokini.

More parents arrived, made a brief showing on the patio, but then headed off to be inside the home of their son or daughter. Pam arrived carrying baby Robert Edward in a front pack, escorting her mother who’d arrived from St. Paul. Dave gave Darlene a warm welcome, and found himself surprised to get a kiss on the lips from the older woman.

Dave had a moment of total dissonance when he looked over and saw Alice and Julie escorting a woman near their age but older across the patio. The family resemblance was impossible to disguise. The trio of women came up to Dave. Alice said, “Karen, I’m sure you remember my husband, Dave. Dave, this is my older sister Karen Waldorf Simon.”

Dave blubbered out a welcome and then said, “You’re one of the last people in the world I expected to see here.” He smiled warmly despite the revelation. “We thought we’d never see any of the Waldorf clan ever again.”

Karen looked down at the ground, “I’m sorry for showing up unannounced. I got a room at the A-loft Hotel, downtown. I’m leaving on Friday. I’m kind of on a personal mission to heal some wounds in the family that our mom and dad created a few years ago when they were here last.”

Dave speculated, “They told us you were as hardline as they were about the way we live, even harder.”

Karen rolled her eyes, “They wish. I wouldn’t CHOOSE to live how I think you’re living, based on what they said, but I DEFEND your right to do so. Personally, I want a relationship with my sisters. If I find offense in our discussion topics, I’m sure we can find plenty of other things to talk about to maintain our relationship.”

Alice volunteered, “Karen just arrived about ten minutes ago, completely by surprise.”

Julie asked Karen, “How do you think we live?”

Karen glanced at Dave, “Well, I was told that the two of you and two other women consider yourself married to Dave.”

Alice shrugged and nodded, “That’s correct.”

Karen continued, “And there was some intimation that other men and women were often involved ... other neighbors. Dad thinks of your home as Sodom and Gomorrah Central, all ready for a sudden attack of fire and brimstone from a very pissed off God.”

Alice laughed. “Well, there’s some truth to that, too, but as with most things, there’s a lot of things that go along with our involvement with others.”

Karen smiled, “I didn’t mean to trick you, but I surmised what I just said about involving others based on various things mom and dad told me about how you were living and where. I deduced the real intimate connections.”

Alice said, “I think we told them that we loved other people, and that still hasn’t changed, except there are more of them now.”

Karen glanced around at the circle of homes. “How many, if I may ask?”

“About twenty-seven women and sixteen men live here now. Well, that’s not quite accurate because a few of them live offsite. One couple lives up in Ohio, near your home, but they come here often.”

Maddy came out of the house with a very alert Johnny in her arms. His eyes locked on his mother, and she took him in her arms. He smiled. Maddy handed him off, and went back inside to the nursery.

Alice said, “Aunt Karen, this is your new nephew, John Forrest.”

Karen was all smiles. The discussion took a radical turn towards Alice’s pregnancy and delivery. Dave watched the interactions carefully, and detected some warmth from Karen, but nothing over the top. Everyone was being cautious as they danced together.

The women took Johnny over into the shade and sat. Dave got some bottles of water and brought them over. “Would you like me to get a bottle ready for junior?”

“No, I’m going to breast feed him,” Alice replied. She hiked up her blouse and Johnny locked onto her left breast with obvious eagerness to nurse.

A few others came by to see the newcomer, and all were surprised to discover that the mystery woman sitting on the patio was Alice and Julie’s older sister.

Alice brought the conversation back to the main issue. “Karen, tell us more about why you’re here. I should add that Julie and I both miss our contact with you, mom, and dad.”

Karen smiled, “My reason is that I have two sisters, however distant in geography and age, that I would like to maintain a relationship with. It’s as simple as that. I loved you guys growing up, and was shocked when mom and dad came home and told me that you were henceforth expelled from the family because of your sins. It took me a few months to pry out of them what they thought those sins were. I found out the most after Dad had had a few martinis.

“I thought of calling you right away, when was that, two or three years ago? But to keep the peace with them, especially since they are so integrated into my family life, I decided to wait and see what would happen. Now I’m sorry I waited. I was selfish and I’m having guilt pangs.

“Well, too much time passed. Daryl wanted to see his parents who reside over on the east coast of the state, and I told him I wanted to see you and that I’d then drive over and join him and the kids over there. I had to see if I could help patch things together, at a minimum with just you two and me ... and Dave, with you, too. I don’t mean to shut you out of this.”

Dave held a hand up, “Thank you, but I’m in this with Alice and Julie. I have no axe to grind about you.”

Pam came out of the house carrying Robert Edward followed by Heather and Matthew. They came over to the four of them.

Alice did the introductions. “Karen, please meet Pam and Heather, two of my wives – and Dave’s. This is Matthew, Heather’s son from a prior relationship, and he gets bigger by the day.” Alice poked a finger in his ribs and he laughed at the teasing, also helping to lighten the moment. Matthew was wearing a dress shirt, tie, and long pants.

Karen commented, “Your family is gorgeous. The baby is... ?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, the baby is Robert Edward. He’s only three weeks old.”

Some pleasantries were exchanged, and then Pam, Matthew, and Heather went back inside carrying the baby.

Karen said, “Wives, huh?”

Alice said, “Yeah, it seems odd, but then much of what we do is counter to what society thinks of as normal.”

“Do you, you know, all together?” Karen blushed.

Alice laughed, “You mean do we have sex together? We make love together and, in every combination, yes. Am I bisexual and is Julie? Yes, and we love that we have that trait, and yes, we interact together.

“More than that, though, you need to understand that our ability to share love is the foundation on which the Circle is based. We opened ourselves to other men and women who we love and who in turn love us. We CAN love more than one person at a time, and we do. The more we do, the more love we have to give and the more we receive in return. Everywhere you look here you’ll see love.”

Karen nodded, “I assume you know what Pastor Miller would say about that.”

Alice and Julie both shrugged. Julie said, “Excuse me, but I don’t give a rat shit what that asshole thinks. He’s preaching trash, divisiveness, bigotry, racism, and intolerance. Where’s the love in that? I thought the Bible and Jesus’ message was about love.”

Dave could tell that Karen didn’t want to be in this debate. He kind of laughed to himself, interested to see how this would resolve.