Chapter 33: Accelerated Learning

The following Wednesday evening just after dinner, Joan asked Dave, “Where are Alice and Pam? I thought they were going to be around here this week.” She’d brought her mug of decafé coffee over to join him after dinner

Dave chuckled, “They are around here, just not here at the Circle. They’re sleeping inside a Cessna Citation over at the main airport so they don’t have to commute. They’re halfway through getting their jet ratings and are very serious about the process. When I talked to Alice just before dinner, she told me they were waist deep in emergency procedures and the hydraulic systems of the plane.”

“Whoa!” Joan said. “Sleeping on the plane? That can’t be that restful.”

Dave smiled, “They’re highly motivated. Except for sleeping they’re devoting every hour to learning the vagaries of flying a jet and of the Cessna Citation that Owen borrowed from Mark Worthington in a swap of planes. Owen is funding their training because he ultimately wants them to get checked out on his Gulfstream 650LR. After they have a jet rating, getting another ‘type’ rating in a somewhat similar corporate jet won’t be as much of an effort.”

“Why the pressure to do the training on such a crash schedule?”

“A group of us – more or less the original founders of the Circle – are going up to christen Dev’s cabin in the Maine woods for two weeks to contemplate nature, each other, and to think about the Circle. The event has taken on a life of its own.”

“Sounds like fun. I loved Maine the one time I was there. I was along the sea coast – Camden and Booth Bay Harbor. It was beautiful, although a bit touristy in the summer when I went.”

“We’ll be far inland, actually; about two hours from where you were as the crow flies. We’re in ski country, but this time of year there’ll be ATVs and lots of hiking when we’re not enjoying water sports in the lake the cabin is on. The Appalachian Trail almost goes right by the cabin.”

Joan nodded, “If you need a substitute because someone drops out, think of me.” She gave a broad grin. “What are you doing about the kids?”

“We’ve farmed them out around the Circle and with Athena so we can have a very adult couple of weeks with lots of you know what. Aaron and Shelby are taking care of Johnnie and Robert. Heather’s not going because of work, and as usual her mother or Athena will care for Matthew and Rose during the day. Dale and Susan agreed to take care of James for Kat and Sean. Lastly, Dev and Wendy are having Willow cared for by Maddy and Bobbie.”

Joan said, “If any of those plans fall through, I’d be glad to help. I’ve worked up to the point where I can pretty much set my own hours. I assume that during normal work hours Taylor and Maddy are on duty.”

“They are. The two of them are also working on a curriculum for all the kiddies to go through to accelerate their little learning processes. All of the two-year olds now understand the alphabet, can read a few simple words, and have mastered the concept of numbers one through ten.” He waggled his fingers in the air.

Joan nodded, “I got a surprise on all of that when Lauren, in her own cute way, tried to explain to me that she wanted three cookies instead of one. She even held up the correct number of fingers, albeit awkwardly.”

Dave said, “I think this home-schooling idea you and the other moms have come up with is a great idea. There’s going to be some real accelerated learning taking place around this place in the coming years.”

Two evenings later, Dave was pleased when Chris and Jessica showed up. Their daughter Nikky, who had a grin on her face a mile wide, led them onto the patio during the cocktail hour.

Nikky got them to the bar and made sure everybody there had met her parents. She clearly announced, “My mom Jess and dad Chris are going to be around here more than they have been because they want to become members, so please take them under your wing and help them get the lay of the land.” She giggled about the expression ‘lay of the land’ because that had been an inside joke among Circle members involved in the rampant sexual encounters on the weekend nights.

After getting settled in one of the tall bar stools opposite where Dave was preparing drinks, Jess shed her blouse so she was topless like many of the other women on the patio and at the bar. Most of the men, including Dave, were wearing athletic shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops. Dave’s t-shirt said Salt Life on it.

Jess and Chris blushed at Nikky’s announcement that her parents were ‘pledging’ the Circle just the way she was, but gratefully accepted some glasses of wine from Dave and Sharon who were hustling around as bartenders that evening. Candy and Daryl were roaming between the more distant tables taking orders and delivering drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

Chris asked Dave, “Who do we talk with to get put on some of the work details you all do? Jess and I want to contribute. We also want to chip into the fund for all this and the meals.” He gestured around the bar and snacks.

Dave said, “The job of running the work details is a job all by itself with a six-month tenure to it. Right now Tan is handling it; she just took over on July first. If you see her, she’ll talk to you about various jobs and when the teams work on them. You should be able to piece that into your outside schedules.

“As for chipping in, my wife Julie is still the treasurer for the Circle, assisted by Nathan Ryder and a couple of others. They collect our dues, pays our bills such as landscaping and any maintenance on the common areas or kitchen equipment, and handle all the finances. She’ll work out the right amount to put you on an even keel with respect to your hanging around with us but living off campus.”

Chris said, “If I may ask, what do you pay in the way of dues or whatever they’re called?”

“I don’t mind. I pay about twelve hundred a month plus two hundred additional per person living in the house, but remember I also have a large home on the inner circle and there are seven adults plus three children officially in our home. People in the townhouses are paying six hundred a month plus the per person charge. The most we have in any of those units there are Daryl, Karen, and Candy and their two kids who’re renting Sheri’s unit. Child care is handled separately.”

“Are there any units available? Wait? I thought you had six wives. How’s that work with those numbers?”

“Scarlett, Athena, and Rose are now officially living over on Perimeter Road, so they have their own property bill to pay based on acreage, square footage of the home, and number of occupants dining here in our commons. Even though she’s gone much of the time, Scarlett doesn’t mind paying the full head tax for herself. In my home, that leaves me with five wives, but I also have Bridget, my niece, living with us.

“Oh, yes; there are no more townhouse units available, but the Circle Board has been kicking around the idea of building a third townhouse on the Airport Road. Why? Are you interested?”

Chris nodded. “Yes, assuming we jump over all the right hurdles and can become Circle members. We’re in a small condo now, but our neighbors are mostly snowbirds so six months of the year we’re the only people living in the whole building. The other six we’ve never met since we both work during the day when all of them are playing or around the pool chatting. By dinnertime they’re all tired and go to bed. We barely know anybody where we live.”

“What have you been doing for a social life?”

“Oh, we have a few friends from both of our jobs that we visit with a few times a month, usually on the weekends. The rest is just us, and now that Nikky has flown the coop, it’s down to Jess and me. We’ve been craving a more social setting to live in.”

Dave said, “The Circle lifestyle is a major commitment in each of our lives. That’s one of the lessons we hope you learn during your assessment period. I’m not so worried that we won’t accept you, as I am that you’ll see how socially intense the lifestyle is and, in the end, decide not to become full members.”

Jess had been listening. She asked, “Tell us what you mean in more detail.”

Dave set up a couple of glasses of red wine for Candy who took them and delivered them to Wolf and Carolyn. Dave noted that she got kissed as part of her ‘tip’. There was never any cash exchanged in terms of meals, bar, or service.

“There are a number of things in the Circle that are significantly different from what you’d normally have living where you are or in a ‘normal’ neighborhood.” Dave used air quotes to highlight the word ‘normal’.

He went on, “We are very social, as you know. Look around right now at what you see. Almost all of us are here or still arriving. We’re like this on most nights, not just weekends. We like each other. We look forward to spending time with each other. I guess you have to be a bit of an extrovert to participate in this, instead of introverts where you shun social contact with a group of people. We love to be together, to share our triumphs and hurts, and to work out solutions to various problems we face or our friends face. We’re very helpful and supportive.

“All that takes time and effort. It’s not just at cocktail time. Sometimes, especially if the weather is bad, subgroups may form in someone’s kitchen or living room, or in the core living space. The goals are the same. On those days the core living room is full.

“Of course, the other main disconnect we have with the society outside our gates revolves around sex. Most, if not all of us in the Circle are hypersexual. We need, want, and go after sexual relationships with our friends on a nearly around the clock basis. Our freedom to do this is unique compared to outside our gates, as you know.

“We also have a number of memes that are related and not at all in keeping with the bulk of society.

“We believe we were made to love many people and not just one other. We do that on the basis of mind, body, and spirit.

“We are non-exclusive and non-possessive. We don’t believe that the male should be dominant or ‘possess’ a female. We believe strongly and actively in equality regardless of any other trait you can think of. Nobody needs to seek ‘permission’ from somebody else to act, including having sex with somebody else. No one possesses or owns somebody else. You each control your own selves the way you want to and not at the behest of a mate or someone else.

“We do not believe that our sexual behavior qualifies in any manner to be labeled as promiscuous or slutty, even when that behavior involves multiple partners in one session or over one evening.

“We are nonjudgmental of each other’s relationships and sexual behavior, although we may comment on it or ask questions. It’s perfectly acceptable to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or anything else you can think of here. I guess like attracts like, because the women seem to enjoy being bisexual, and the men are tolerant but not playful with each other in sexual situations.

“We aren’t too concerned about the paternity of our children. I’m a fine one to talk about this because I seem to be the father to many of the tots growing up in the Circle environment. Fortunately, no one seemed to have an issue with those outcomes.

“We believe part of our expression of love and caring for each other is to participate in service to the community in some way. You must feel a sense of that because you asked about it and will be seeing Tan to sign-up for some tasks. You also sense some balance because you also want to contribute to the Circle’s finances.”

Dave paused and said, “Think about all that vis-à-vis the outside world – the communities outside of the Circle, including the one you live in and are comfortable in. I think you also have to think about your daughter and how she’s come to think about all of these things.”

Jess laughed, “Nikky is the Circle’s biggest advocate. Moreover, like the rest of us, when she discovered sex, she thought she was the first in many centuries to see its many facets. I’ve had to laugh and even bite my tongue so I don’t embarrass her. I’m sure each of us went through the same discovery process.”

Nikky adopted a pretend pout as she looked at her mother.

Dave commented, “So many people go through the discovery process – a loosening up process – and then discover the hard way that society doesn’t care for their revolutionary viewpoints about it. Sex is one of the major areas where society, especially American society, has their head up their ass. Instead of putting the light on a candleholder for all to see, they hide the light under a bushel basket, meaning we don’t talk about it at all.

“For the most part, society is in denial about sex. If we don’t talk about it, it won’t happen and all that nasty stuff will go away. It hasn’t, so we have lots of STDs around, lots of young pregnancies between misinformed kids, and underground industries that cater to the lustier side of mankind with prostitution, slave trades, malicious porn, and many related dark activities.”

Chris said, “You think all that is bad?”

“Absolutely, if it is taking advantage of somebody. I think the rest of the sexual stuff ought to be out in the open. Decriminalize it. If we can talk and debate about sex, we have a better chance to control it. Right now it’s mostly out of control. I say that, but most of us in the Circle have skirted along the edge of some of those activities either to have fun or to make ends meet.”