Loosening Up - Revelations

by Robert Wolf

©Copyright 2018 Robert Wolf

Chapter 1 - Holiday Spirit

Dave sat in the core living room looking at a spreadsheet he’d made of all the people in and connected to the Circle. He was astounded. There were twenty-three women and fourteen men as members or affiliate members who lived offsite. Thirty-seven people overall were Circle members.

Of the thirty-seven, twenty-two lived in the ten homes that form the perimeter of what had become known as the Circle, surrounded further out by Circle Drive. Just off that road on a spur to the airport Owen had built, the eight-unit townhouse accounted for ten more. The five people that lived offsite were Derek and Emily, Abby - Derek’s long-time girlfriend, and Martin and Sasha who lived in Ohio, but were making noises about moving to Florida if they could arrange jobs.

He listed the women: Alice, Pam, Julie, Heather, Dori, Wendy, Kat, Clarisse, Christie, Rachel, Grace, Nancy, Shelby, Holly, Susan, Donna, Erin, Megan, Ashley, Sasha, Joan, and Abby.

The men consisted of Ty, Dev, Sean, Owen, Mike, Roy, Jack, Aaron - his brother, Dale, Ken, Paul, Martin, and Derek.

Every dwelling on the Circle property was full: ten houses and eight townhouses.

Dave set his spreadsheet aside, but he’d come to one realization, and that is that the Circle had grown so much, that it needed some kind of structure or management to keep track of things. Christmas was just one example. Someone to help with arrangements would have been superb. Some jobs were becoming onerous despite having more hands to add to them,

Dave had a premonition that others would come along and become Circle members, maybe some people they already knew or people they had yet to meet that would think the same way they did. He’d talked with Jack Anders, the architect for the Circle homes, and suggested that he be thinking of another townhouse addition and some way to build a few more homes on the large acreage the Circle owned.

In an overflow housing emergency there were two small rooms in the hangar where Owen kept his jet and where the Circle Flying Club kept their Cessna 182RG. Each was like a very small motel room, with very modest accommodations. Some of Ken’s pilots for his jet slept there before or after especially long flights. A cleaning service took care of the units once they were notified that they’d been used.

He thought of the pilots in the Circle. Dave shook his head as he reminded himself of the feats of some of the Circle members. Owen had known how to fly simple aircraft in good weather when her arrived. He kept trying to advance his ratings, but just didn’t have the time. Alice and Pam had each gotten their instrument ratings and were working on their commercial certificates from the FAA. Pam was building hours faster than Alice, since she used one of the planes to fly for business.

Now that inclement weather and freezing temperatures brought ice to states north of Florida, Pam had given up flying herself for the winter.

Rachel was about to take her private pilot’s flight test. Joan Paige had just started taking lessons as an additional boost to her self-confidence. Dave had even taken a couple of lessons, and found that he loved the activity. It brought so much of his engineering background and interest in meteorology into play as an integral part.

He glanced up as one of the automatic timers turned on the Christmas lights festooned around the core living and dining area and made the whole room look festive. The large Christmas tree in the center of the room also lit up and started to sparkle.

Dave thought to himself, ‘This will be the best Christmas ever.”

There had been all sorts of discussions about whether some of the members would leave the Circle for Christmas to be with their ‘blood’ families - parents, siblings, and such. EVERYONE decided to be at the Circle with their ‘intentional’ family for Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning. Only after that time period would people start to scatter to the winds or welcome guests.

Dori had summed it up while they were meeting. “I was born into a family and put up with them the entire time I was growing up. When I was a young adult, I realized that I wouldn’t have chosen a single one of them to consort with. Instead, I ended up choosing all of you. You all are my Intentional family, and I love you to pieces. You are where I want to be. I am cared for here, loved here, and I can express myself in the same way with each of you. This is why I’ll be with my real family - my intentional family - for the holidays.”

Beginning, with a brunch on December twenty-fifth, the Circle would start to welcome relatives and other visitors into their homes. A roster of expected guests had been posted on the white board. There were about twenty-five guests, bringing the total milling around the Circle to just over sixty.

As the group had done on a few earlier holidays, everybody opened up their homes to visitors, so people could roam around and see how people had decorated and such. Even the townhouses were open, as well as the aircraft hangar, including Owen’s corporate jet.

The brunch was kept simple, and not the usual custom breakfasts. The meal had been delivered by a catering service the day before and then warmed up in special ovens starting early in the morning. Large urns of coffee were also evident in several locations around the core.

A special dinner crew of Circle members had volunteered and several large turkeys were put in the core kitchen ovens, and numerous side dishes started not only there, but also in various homes that all appeared when the tables were seating and the meals begun.

Donna flew her older parents in from the Boston area. They were staying at the new Westin Hotel that had just opened. She’d had a somewhat awkward discussion with them about her new lifestyle despite trying to downplay the sexual side of things and up play the loving relationships and caring she felt. They’d been after her to remarry after she’d been in a brief union shortly after she graduated from high school. She tried to explain to them about her criteria about feeling loved and being able to love others. Nonetheless, they didn’t give her too hard a time and were good visitors and vibrant conversationalists within the large group of the Circle and other visitors.

Aaron and Dave’s widow mother, Elise, came down from Ohio. This was one of her first trips after their father had passed away after a long illness. She was on the upswing and for the first time fully understood what the Circle meant. For a long time she sat with a glass of wine and watched the harmonious havoc that made up the interactions between Circle members that day. Eventually, Elise declared, “I think you’ve created the best community in the world here. I wish I were younger. I’d be knocking on your door.” As an afterthought, she said, “I may just knock anyway.”

Of course, not a word was heard from Alice and Julie’s parents. The sisters had put out a tentative invitation to visit again through their older sister Karen whose family lived near them, but the silence was deafening. The result was that the sisters just shrugged. Alice wondered whether the specter of a grandchild might eventually break the philosophical logjam, especially with her mother.

Kat and Sean’s parents also flew down for a few days. Paul and Kiki had already been fully clued in about the lifestyle, and were accepting and supportive of how their Kat lived. They tried not to be judgmental. Kat’s pregnancy was a draw for this trip, especially since she had only a month or two before birthing. Sean’s parents Art and Dell Marbury were also present.

Shelby’s mother and father were in town, along with Nancy, Pam, Wendy, Dori, and Owen’s parents. Owen had flown his into Sarasota on his jet. There were a few single parents and sibs, too: Holly’s mother, Ken’s father, Heather’s mother from only a couple of miles away, Dev’s mom, and Roy’s brother.

What caught Art and Dell Marbury (Sean’s parents) and Paul and Kiki Sylvan by complete surprise was the ‘relaxed’ paternity of the baby Kat carried. Kat casually introduced them to Mike, even kissing him in front of them as Sean stood nearby smiling at the couple. Heads rolled between the couple and then eyeballs rolled around, too. There wasn’t much anybody could say and so most mouths kept shut with tongues bitten, hoping to raise the subject later about their perceived morality of the situation.

Elise Prentiss had sensed the friction in the interchange within the Marbury family only a few feet from her. She’d been sitting with Alice, Pam, and the very pregnant Shelby at the time. She announced in a low voice, “Well, at least that’s not a problem in our family” in a matronly tone.

Shelby smiled and said in a contrasting tone, “Oh, it’s not? I’m almost a hundred percent sure that Martin is the father.”

Elise’s eyes rolled around in her head and her head spun around several times as though she were the demonized girl in the movie The Exorcist. “WHAT?”

Shelby calmly explained to her mother-in-law about her and her husband’s travels eight months earlier, and how their paths were seldom crossing at the ‘right’ time, how she spent several weekends with people they loved who were Circle members although they lived up north most of the time, and thus, she got pregnant. There was no tone of apology or regret or even resignation in her voice. The situation was what it was.

“Who’s this Martin character?” Elise demanded as she shifted to sit rigidly upright at the front of the sofa she sat on.

Shelby waved and caught Martin’s eye as he stood with a few others about twenty feet away. She motioned for him to join them. This had been discussed and even rehearsed over the past weeks, and so wasn’t a surprise although they knew it wouldn’t be a favorite discussion.

Martin came over and stood at the edge of the group next to Shelby. He smiled at everyone in his best winning way. He knew from the tension in the group that he was on stage.

Shelby introduced him, “Elise, this is Martin Hedrick, one of the men I love with all my heart.” She took hold of his hand and kissed it and then held it to her cheek, despite her sitting position. He looked down at her with love.

Elise challenged, “My daughter-in-law just said that you’re the father of the baby she carries. The baby that should have been my son’s, Aaron’s child.”

Martin looked surprised at the accusation, but nodded.

Shelby said sharply, “Elise! You just made an assumption that we don’t abide by. Many in the Circle do not think that a particular man has to impregnate a particular woman based on some rite of passage such as a marriage. We’ve ALL moved beyond that, fortunately. I thought you understood that from the conversations with your sons.”

Elise retorted in a stinging tone, “They don’t tell me squat - none of the important stuff, apparently.” She looked daggers at her two sons who were standing only a few feet away talking with Dori and her mother.

Dave and Arron came over to join the others in that conversation circle as they started to hear the sharp words and harsh tone from their mother.

Dave reminded his mother, “Mom, I did mention our philosophy about paternity, and well before Shelby got pregnant. I’ve explained the whole Circle to you several times, too.”

Elise relaxed slightly, her shoulder dropping. “Oh, I know. I can tell neither of you are upset about Martin’s relationship with Shelby. I suppose I shouldn’t be either, unless this is going to lead to divorce or separation.”

Arron spoke crisply, “It’s not; Shel and I love each other more every day. We just opened our hearts to include others. Everyone in this Circle loves everybody else. I happen to also love Martin’s wife, Sasha; she’s the pretty blonde serving coffee over by the refreshments.”

Elise challenged, “And you all have sex together?” No one was sure whether her statement was a question or not.

Dave responded, “We do. I told you that, too. I did not want to go into the details, so I was crisp about it, but I thought I was blunt and clear.”

“In only the most veiled terms, like ‘we all love each other in every way possible’, or something,” Elise replied. “Well, I have some news for you two men, just to show that you’re not the only two that can claim sexual enlightenment, tell somebody nonsense in confusing and vague terms, and feel you’ve done a good job of communicating.”

Aaron and Dave looked at each other, and then at their mother in confusion.

“Huh?”

Elise pasted a benign smile on her face, “You two are not really brothers - you’re half brothers. Aaron, your father has not been who you thought it was all these years, although he loved you just like he did your brother.”

By the time Elise made her announcement the circle with the Marburys and Sylvans had merged with the Prentiss family. They’d detected they had a common phenomenon in the question of paternity of their impending grandchildren, and then that a major family revelation had just occurred.

While Dave’s jaw had dropped at the revelation, he tried to keep things light. “Well, I always thought he was the weird one of the family.” He gave his brother a playful and light punch in his arm, partly as a gesture to keep things under control.

Aaron spoke in a way that displayed that he was rapidly becoming pissed off at having been kept in the dark for thirty years, “Care to share the details, MOM?”

“In front of all these people?”

“We don’t have secrets from each other. We are, as I’ve told you, an extended loving polyamorous family. We are completely open with each other, apparently unlike other families, including the one I grew up in.”

“Oooookay,” Elise took a deep breath and started going on the defensive based on his tone. “As you know, we were church goers before either of you were born, and very supportive of the Christian Bible Church you were raised in. Well, we got very close to another couple in that church - Bill and Betty Watson. We got so close that we started to enjoy sexual relations with them. When I wanted to get pregnant with David, we were careful to only do things without protection when I wasn’t fertile. After he was born, we didn’t worry so much. The pregnancy that became Aaron was a surprise to all of us, since I’d just started to have sex again after healing from the childbirth experience with Dave. Bill had been unusually attentive to me at that time, and we’re quite sure of the result. We all just agreed not to worry the situation any further.”

Aaron shrugged, “Nice to know after all these years. Now, you kind of understand why we’re not concerned about Martin and Shelby, except it’s not something we hide.

“Just so you know, I am not angry that Bill Watson is my father, I AM POSITIVELY RIP SHIT THAT YOU DIDN’T TELL ME!!!” Aaron’s loud voice echoed around the core living room. Everyone turned in his direction, and a few of the men prepared to come to his aid or the aid of someone.

Elise reeled back away from her son. She said, “Well, I’m sorry.”

“SORRY! YOU’RE SORRY! Sorry is what you say when you spill a few drops of milk on the tablecloth. This is WAY BEYOND ‘I’m sorry’. I don’t know that I’ll ever forgive you for not telling me.” Aaron was flapping his arms and sputtering.

Elise said in an increasingly smaller voice, “Your father was adamant that you shouldn’t know. He never wanted you to doubt that he wasn’t your dad and loved you in every way.” She paused and added sotto voce, “There also more to the story.”

Aaron crossed his arms and looked down at where she sat, “This better be good.”

Elise sighed again, “You have a half sister - Gail Watson. Your father - or dad, if you will - got Betty pregnant while I was recovering from birthing you.”

Aaron looked aghast, “GAIL WATSON! Shit. Mom, I dated her in high school and you knew that. We even made out and just about had sex. I wanted to marry her at one point.”

“We didn’t know how to tell you, and neither did the Watsons know how to tell Gail. We just decided to roll with it and let it slide, or I should say your dad and Bill Watson did. Betty and I wanted to tell you both. If your relationship had lasted, we would have had to do something. We were relieved when you went off to college and didn’t show much further interest in her.”

Aaron whirled in a circle on one foot, “I can’t fucking believe it. My own parents screwed me over thirty years ago. Do you have any other surprises?”

Elise said calmly, “Not for right now, and not of this scale. A woman always has to have her secrets.” She was cautious that neither son blew up at her again.

Dave said, “Just don’t hold things in at the expense of others. You did damage holding in what you just told Aaron and me. He should have known about the relationships and his parentage from the time he was able to comprehend anything. We BOTH should have known. Gail should know, too.”

Matthew wandered over and took his dad’s hand. “Is everything all right? Uncle Aaron is mad at grandma, right?”

“Yes. She didn’t tell him about the difference between his having a father and a daddy.”

Matthew looked at Dave proudly and then said to his ‘grandmother’, “Dave is my daddy. My father skipped town. I love my daddy. He’s the best.” He hugged Dave around his waist.

Aaron and Dave just stared at their mother.

---

Susan Hedrick lay asleep in Owen’s arms, but then her eyes slammed open as though awakened by a loud startling sound. There was no sound. There was, however, a large, attention-getting pang deep in her gut. She looked at the clock; it was 1:07 a.m.

Susan was naked with Owen’s muscular arm thrown over her body between her breasts and atop the immense bubble of stretched skin where her baby resided. She became wide-awake, but didn’t move except to roll slightly more onto her back. She liked the comfort of a man’s arms around her.

Another pang, this one with a sharp edging pain made her reopen her eyes again at 1:18 a.m. She almost said ‘ouch’ in a loud voice, but held it in as she evaluated what was happening below her bulging belt line. The pang continued for about thirty seconds, although she didn’t time it. Susan smiled to herself; she was in labor. She felt around the baby with her hands and whispered, “Not too much longer, Kiddo, then I can have my body back.”

After a definite third labor contraction had passed, Susan woke Owen. “Owen, wake up. Hello. Wake up my darling man.”

“What’s wrong? You OK?” He became alert instantly. They hadn’t had intercourse, but they had made love earlier in the evening.

“Darling Owen, I need you to help me home. I’ve started labor, and I think that might be the best starting place for me rather than your bed.”

“Right!” Owen declared as he jumped out of bed. He pulled on some blue jeans, a t-shirt, and loafers, and then got a large robe for Susan that he wrapped her in as she sat on the edge of the bed. He talked to her and learned what was going on. This was an entirely new area of life for him; Susan, too, for that matter. Bachelors usually didn’t have pregnant women in their beds.

The couple went downstairs and then walked partway around the Circle to the Hedrick home. Owen helped Susan sit in one of the posh living room chairs. “I’ll go get Dale.” He headed for the stairs.

As he went up the stairs, he announced his presence. “Dale, this is Owen. Dale, wake up. We need you. Dale, do you hear me?”

Owen stood at the entry to the master bedroom. Of course, he’d been here many times before when he’d made love to Susan in her bed. In the dim light, he watched Dale sit up in bed and rub his eyes.

Dale mumbled, “What’s happening?”

Beside Dale, Joan Paige sat up, her pert breasts appearing as she too tried to wake up. She asked, “Is everything all right? What’s wrong?”

Owen chuckled, “Nothing is wrong, but Susan has started labor. She’s downstairs. I think you might want to start thinking about your plans for having a baby in your midst.”

Joan rushed as she jumped out of bed, deliciously nude. She pulled on a bathrobe she’d left draped over a bedroom chair. “How far apart are her contractions? Did her water break?”

Owen shrugged, “Can’t say on either count. I don’t think her water broke.”

From the stairway the three of them heard Susan yell upstairs, “Oh, shit. My water just broke. I’ve made a mess. I need towels - about five large ones.”

Dale raced out of bed, past the linen closet when he took an armload of towels, and then he leapt down the stairs naked. “I’m coming. I’m coming.”

Joan and Owen followed. Owen picked up the jeans that Dale had probably been wearing when he went to bed with Joan.

Susan had felt something start to happen and had stood, so she didn’t ruin the nice chair she’d been in. Around her on the tile floor was a six-foot diameter puddle of amniotic fluid. Susan was holding her robe up around her hips to keep it from dragging in the puddle. She was on display but smiling.

“Hi Susan,” Joan said as she went to Susan. “This is all very normal. Do you want me to get Grace? Do you think you’re ready for the trip to the hospital?”

“Grace? Yes, please!” Grace was an RN that worked in the obstetrics unit at the local hospital. Joan left to get help as Owen and Dale mopped the floor. Dale got a rubber sheet they’d procured for just this situation, and got Susan seated again. She seemed to have a labor pang every few minutes.

Owen asked, “Do you have a ‘Go bag’?”

Dale nodded, “It’s by the front door.”

Joan returned with Grace in tow. Grace was wearing hastily put on clothes. She went straight to Susan and felt her pulse, felt her bump, and then produced a sphygmomanometer to take her blood pressure. In the meanwhile she talked calmly to the woman, remind her about breathing exercises and how normal all this was. She comforted her as another contraction occurred, and then put on a rubber glove from her pocket and did a pelvic exam.

Grace smiled, “Well, Mrs. Hedrick, I’d say you’re about an hour or two away from having a baby. I suggest that you get your sweet ass down to the hospital. I’ll follow you in my car just to be sure nothing happens en route, but you’re about five or six centimeters dilated, and given the short time since you’ve felt something, I’d say you’re going to have a quickie birth. Can you walk?”

Susan got nervous, “Yes, I can walk. What happens if the baby arrives in the car? Oh, dear.”

Grace laughed, “I’ve delivered about a half-dozen babies in cars in front of the hospital. They waited too long to leave home. I’ve done dozens in the delivery room when the doctor wasn’t prompt, so I have lots of experience. All that is why I’ll follow you. Dale, if anything starts to happen you just pull over and I’ll be right there. We’ll call 9-1-1, but I can handle whatever happens.”

Grace supported Susan as they made it to the front door and down the steps to Dale’s car. He’d raced ahead and opened the car door. Susan sat, and Grace reclined the seat slightly and put the seatbelt on her being careful about its placement relative to the baby.

Grace said to Dale, “Just slowly drive around the Circle to our house. I need to get my wallet and keys in the kitchen and then I’ll follow you. If for any reason she feels she needs to start pushing, tell her to try to hold back. Only stop if you feel that it’s really time.”

Dale nodded, “We went through all that in the birthing class.”

Owen commented, “I’ll close up your house. Go and be a great husband and great daddy.”

Dale got in the driver’s seat as Grace cut between two of the homes to cut across the core to go home. As Owen got back to his bedroom, he looked out just in time to see the two cars heading out of the Circle property to go to the hospital.

A feminine voice surprised him from his bed, “Just so you know, I hate to sleep alone. I also had an idea of doing something slightly nasty in the middle of the night that got frustrated by the recent events.”

Owen smiled, “Joan, I think I can conjure up something nasty we could share. I’m so glad you came over.”

Their nude bodies merged in the middle of his large bed, and as the moans began so did the words of love between the couple.

Chapter 2 - My Kid. New Jobs.

Dev usually was the earliest riser among the Circle, even on days when he wasn’t going to a job site. As he went into the core kitchen to fix himself his usual bowl of cereal, he found Dale.

Dale was grinning from ear to ear. He had six baby blue balloons he was placing around the dining area, and a large hand-lettered sign that read, ‘Mark Harnett, 7 lbs 10 ozs. 22” 3:33 a.m. Everyone healthy.’ He had a few pictures of Susan and the baby that he’d taken with his cell phone and hastily printed at home.

Dev congratulated Dale on the birth, wished them well, and commented about how his time was coming with Wendy. She wasn’t due until late March, but a lot would happen by then.

As others arrived, Dale regaled them with the complete and detailed description of the birthing process that he’d watched. Dale then went off and started to make telephone calls to various relatives to share the news with them.

Because it was only a few days after Christmas, many in the Circle were taking the week off. People didn’t rush off, and thus they hung around to talk to Dale and celebrate his parenthood with him.

Although it hadn’t been planned, an impromptu team of cooks decided to do a midweek brunch since so many of the Circle were around. Dave led the foray into the pantry and then organized the other chefs as they started on the large breakfast. Rachel went from house to house, and through the townhouses, to let people know about the breakfast.

Some visiting parents and sibs were in attendance as well, staying at the homes of particular Circle members. About thirty were there for breakfast when Dave took count. He was thankful that the nutritionists and shopping team had over stocked the pantries and larder, because the Circle was running through bread, bacon, and eggs at an outlandish rate.

As Dave cooked and joked with the others, he found himself wishing he were on the other side of the counter to participate more with his neighbors and friends. He came to think that his co-cooks felt the same way. He made another mental note about suggesting something more official someday.

The breakfast-brunch came to an end around ten-thirty as people drifted away to other activities. About eight Circle members swept over the tables and kitchen restoring the place to pristine shape as an ad hoc cleanup committee.

Dale came and saw Dave. “He bro, I’m going to head back to the hospital. Do you want to join me and see your kid?”

“My kid?”

“Oh, you know, as in a definite maybe. Susan thought you had some strong input around the right time of month when she was fertile. You know, I hope, that we don’t care, but we do joke about it.”

Dave thought a moment and said, “Yes, I’ll go, but I’ll follow you over. I figure that you and Susan have a lot to talk about. I’ll just say hello, see baby Mark, and then disappear.”

Twenty minutes later the two men walked into the maternity ward. Dale led them to Susan’s room, where they each leaned in and kissed her tenderly. Grace was sitting on the edge of the bed talking to Susan. The two women smiled up at the men and she got kisses, too.

Two nurses were also in the room, and greeted the men. One of them said, “Is one of you the father?” She gave a flirty smile.

Both men pointed at each other and simultaneously said, “He is.”

Everybody but the nurses laughed.

A third nurse walked in with the baby in a moment later. She glanced at the two men with uncertainty, “Does the new daddy want to hold his son?”

Both men took a step forward and put their arms out to hold the baby. Then there were three nurses confused.

Dave was slightly closer and ended up with the baby in his arms.

Susan was laughing but restraining herself. She told the nurses, “I’ll explain later. I live in a very complicated situation.”

One nurse smiled and teased, “With multiple husbands?”

Susan adopted a serious tone and said, “Yes, fourteen of them, but I’m only married to that one.” She pointed at Dale. She added, “But he’s likely the daddy,” and pointed at Dave and the baby.

“FOURTEEN!” One nurse squealed.

Dave teased, “When we’re all in town at the same time.”

Susan said, “It’s okay because I have a lot of sisters - about twenty or so. Of course, he has four wives but I’m not one of them.” She was still indicating Dave.

The nurses’ heads were swirling around.

Grace, who was well-known by everybody on the obstetrics floor smiled at her colleagues, “It’s all right, really. I’m one of Susan’s sisters, so to speak, and so is my daughter. She’s right; our life is kind of complicated to explain to someone else. Someday, I’ll draw you a map.”

Dave passed the baby to Dale, who nuzzled the child. “This is the greatest feeling in the world - fatherhood, I mean. I hope I’m a good dad.”

Dave said, “Just keep that thought in your head and you will be.”

Grace smiled at Dale and he brought the baby over to her. She said, “Oh, you keep holding him. I’ll have plenty of time over the next few months, along with all the other babies.”

“Other babies?” the youngest nurse asked.

“Oh, yes,” Grace said. “You are about to see a parade of women through here, and we more or less all live together in a tight little polyamorous neighborhood. Not every woman, mind you, is pregnant, but by my count five more will be in here over the next few months, and by then another group will be expecting as well. We think there’s something in the water.”

---

New Year’s Eve was like many of the Saturday night gatherings for the Circle, except it was on a weekday. There were several rounds of partner switching that the group enjoyed. Near midnight, everyone stood around, mostly nude, and watched New York City celebrate on the large TV screen in the media room, and then most people paired up and went to bed.

Dave held Alice, Pam, Heather, and Julie to him as they celebrated with kisses, and then a further round of love making in their immense bed. Earlier in the evening, Joan and Emily had sought out Dave for lovemaking, and then he’d had a surprise guest slip in beside him at around ten-thirty.

“I have an itch that I think only you can scratch, mister,” the mature voice said.

“Abby, how nice.”

“I always like to be with you, but Derek nudged me in your direction, in part to say ‘thank you’ for all that you did for him the past year. I agree and add my own thanks to that.”

Dave looked surprised, “He wants to thank ME? I have every reason in the world to thank him, including bringing you into my life. He urged Emily to be in the Circle, too; and then, finally, the two of you joined.”

Abby chuckled as she fondled the business end of Dave’s anatomy, “You would have had to keep me out with an armed guard after I learned what this place is like. As for Emily, do you think it’s a bit strange that Derek is now here with his wife and mistress?”

Dave chuckled as he stroked several of her erogenous zones. “Not a bit. Do you think it’s strange that you’re lying here with a married man who has a wife and three other mistresses?”

Abby kissed him and threw a leg over his supine body, she took hold of his cock, rubbed it along her slit, and then slowly lowered herself onto his shaft, “I guess not.”

“Are you still Derek’s mistress?”

Abby thought a moment as she rose and sank carefully on the hardness sliding out and into her beautiful body. “I guess I’m the mistress to fourteen men. That makes me a super slut by most definitions.”

“Do you feel like we’re all taking advantage of you?”

“Hardly. My only regret is when I have to sleep and stop making love with the others. I’ll have you know that I had sexual relations with Nancy and Julie earlier. God, Nancy can do that A-spot thing that you do. I passed out again from the stimulation. You really discovered something in that little ploy.”

Dave rolled them over so he was in a modified missionary position with Abby, moving slowly in and out of her body. He could feel the twitches and other aftershocks from the experience that Nancy had given her.

Abby said, “After that, Julie ate my pussy to three more orgasms. I had to stop, at least being on the receiving end. I did Julie and Nancy for a while, side-by-side as they made out. This sure is a sexual place. Has the level of sex diminished since your original group started?”

Dave actually laughed, “Diminished? No, you’re going in the wrong direction. We have more sex than ever. A greater percentage is extra-marital, but I haven’t heard anybody complain except a few of the parents when they learned that the man that they expected did not father their grandchild. Other than that things motor on just the way they always have.”

“I always knew I had a high libido and was over-sexed. Derek came along in my life at just the right time to help me scratch that itch on a regular basis, but this - the Circle - is beyond my wildest fantasies. I love this.” She pumped her pussy up to meets Dave’s down thrusts into her body. She pulled him down and they French kissed, their hands roaming wildly over the other’s body.

---

Susan was home from the hospital on New Years Eve day, and her mother was arriving the next morning from Long Island. She speculated that she’d come unglued at the seams if she had to contend with the open sexuality practiced by the Circle. Susan didn’t participate or even go into the core area that evening, but she did have a steady stream of visitors until Dale put a sign up that indicated the mother and baby were trying to sleep.

Dale was doing yeoman’s service as the new father in caring for the baby as Susan regained her strength from the birthing process. Several women gave Dale what they teasingly called ‘pity fucks’ to make up for his wife being out of service and healing.

After New Years, Dave went over one night and also helped play daddy with the new baby, in part so Dale could get a good night’s sleep without the interruptions every ninety minutes. He was able to help Susan get more sleep, too, as he and her mother did diapers, bottles, and other baby administration as he called it. The new grandmother and Dave had what might be called a ‘strained’ relationship.

The Club Ecstasy had a huge New Year’s Eve celebration. Christie was listed as the star attraction, and she’d practiced a new act and dance at the pole in the core living room, adding in some really sexy maneuvers that displayed her wares in just the right way she wanted.

Ty had suggested that we hold the Circle celebration at the club, but Christie urged us not to take up so many seats. “This is a huge money maker and marketing event for the club. We’ve got about every seat sold at this point, so even if you wanted, even I can’t get you all in.”

“We just want to support you,” he said; others standing around nodded.

“I love you all,” she said, “but don’t worry. I’ll make more that night than I do the rest of the month. Christmas was slow, but this will make up for it. January will start out slow until more of the horny snow birds arrive.”

The following Monday, most of the Circle trooped off to their normal jobs to start the New Year.

Derek, who Dave had seen only the day before at the Sunday brunch, was waiting in Dave’s office as he arrived with Nancy and Donna. He was smiling broadly, so he knew things were good, but he wondered what was up that hadn’t been discussed twelve hours earlier.

Derek pulled them all together in Dave’s office and made his formal announcement. “Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that the acting positions that Nancy and David have been filling are abolished; you are hereby confirmed as full-scale promotions with all attendant perquisites. Henceforth, you no longer are to use the term ‘Acting’ when describing your title to anybody. This will be confirmed to the rest of the staff later today in a blanket email from the president of the company, along with several other similar announcements.”

Dave said, “But what if Brian comes back?”

Derek grimaced, “If he’s smart, he’ll stay away, but he wasn’t smart. If that happens, we are only obligated to find him an equivalent position after this length of time. I’ve talked to HR about this and they’re in agreement with all of this. As for you two - Nancy and Dave - you needn’t worry. HR will be up to see each of you later today and talk to you about all the benefits and perquisites. Enjoy them.

“Donna, could you arrange for a small champagne toast to our two new executives, maybe about three o’clock in my office?”

Donna beamed, “Oh, yes. This is such a joy to do.” She went and kissed Nancy, lingering slightly longer than necessary just to tease the men, and then kissed David. Before he could react, she also kissed Derek. She whispered, “I love you, too.”

Derek and Donna disappeared. Dave immediately called Alice and caught her just as she was sitting down at her desk at Knightsbridge Manufacturing. He told her about what had just happened.

That evening when Donna, Nancy, and Dave got home, there was a large sheet cake congratulating Dave and Nancy on their ‘official’ promotions. Dave noted that one of the happiest in the group was Joan. He had completely taken over the position her ex-husband had held and now directly reported to Derek. Of course, he often slept with Brian’s ex-wife, as well. Nancy had moved into Dave’s old position, helping to break apart the glass ceiling at the utility a little further. Together, they were grooming another person so that Nancy could move up further without leaving a huge void.

---

The ides of January brought special news for one other Circle member. Ken came into the cocktail hour after getting home and retrieving his mail. As he walked into the core living room, he had a smile from ear-to-ear that defied description.

Alice intercepted her flight instructor and lover, and asked what had happened. He passed her a letter he’d been carrying. Alice read it aloud as a crowd of Circle members gathered around.

Dear Mr. Toomey,

Atlantic Airlines is pleased to offer you a permanent position in their cadre of pilots. We have reviewed your excellent credentials with the USAF and since then the part of your career as a flight instructor and charter pilot. You are the kind of person we need, want, and thus this offer of employment.

You will start as a second officer, but we believe with your background you will become first officer within six months of starting. This period will give you time to familiarize yourself with the routes and inner workings of Atlantic Airlines, our policies and procedures, as well as our aircraft.

The base salary for this position is $92,000, with additions based on flight hours and company profits. Full health care, matching retirement account, and an ESOP are also available as part of this offer. The information package accompanying this letter details those and other benefits.

We urge you to contact Dan Raymond, Chief Pilot, at XXX-XXX-XXXX at your earliest convenience to discuss this offer and arrange a start date.

We look forward to having you on the AA Team.

Sincerely,

Bradley Thomaston

Executive Vice President

A cheer went up from about twenty people and Ken started to find himself the subject of constant backslapping and congratulatory hugs and kisses. Everybody knew he’d been waiting for one of the airlines to offer him a pilot’s position. He’d even turned down one offer with a smaller carrier because the routes were all short haul. Atlantic was a large operation with many trans-continental and several overseas routes. Moreover, the company had a great reputation and was one of the more stable carriers in the transportation business. Ken beamed all night long. This was his dream, his biggest wish, and his passion.

Alice and Dave sat near him at dinner. Alice asked, “What will happen when you report for work?”

Ken said, “I’ll spend a day getting an orientation at the airline, and then immediately head off for training on the 737 aircraft. That’s over half their fleet, and I suspect that’s where I’ll start; probably on a Boeing 737-700 or something like that. About three weeks later, I’ll get an endorsement on my certificate just the way you did when you got your instrument rating that says I can fly as a second officer in that plane.

“After that I’ll get checked out by one of the senior pilots and then probably paired with one of them so they can see how I fly and what my cockpit management habits are. If I pass muster, I’ll be turned loose on some other unsuspecting pilot as his second in command. Assuming that goes well, I’ll become a first officer.

“There’s a hierarchy in the airlines just the way there is your corporate businesses. After flying second-in-command for six months or so, I’ll be certified to fly pilot-in-command. Those planes all require two pilots, so I’ll probably continue to fly copilot, but I could be the first officer if they were short handed or had a scheduling issue. That’s what they want; lots of flexibility in crew scheduling.”

Dave asked, “What will that mean for your time in the Circle? I have a feeling we’re going to miss you.”

Ken frowned, “Yeah, that’ll be the bad news for a while. The nearest hub they claim is Raleigh-Durham, with another in Salt Lake City. They share facilities here and there with other airlines. I’ll dead-head from here to Raleigh to start a sequence of flights, probably two weeks of intensive flying, and then have a few days off when I’ll come back.”

Alice adopted a sad face, “Oh, poop. We’re going to miss you. If you want, maybe one of us can pick you up in the 182 and fly you home.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Beyond what I just described, which just might be pure fiction when confronting reality, I’m really not sure where I’ll be or for how long.”

Dave teased, “You’ll have to find some cute flight attendants to take care of your bedtime needs.”

Ken rolled his eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind, too. Again, I have no preconceived notion of what my life will be like other that flying some of the nicest iron in the skies and helping people get from point A to point B.”

Alice said, “Will you carry a gun?”

“I think a lot of pilots do these days after all the craziness after 9-11. Yes, I will. I suspect there’ll be airline guidance about what to do in that regard. The airlines downplay all that. Some leave it up to the pilot.”

Dave said, “Don’t they use special ammunition?”

Ken nodded, “Yes. Hollow point. They do more damage to a human body, but if they hit metal they don’t penetrate; they just pancake out like a big metal splat.”

“Do you know when you have an air marshall aboard?”

Ken shrugged. “Good question. I’ll let you know in a couple of months.” He paused and said, “You have to realize that most of my recent jet experience is in the F-35. I wore a $400,000 helmet, highly sophisticated, to fly the $100 million aircraft. We were ready for just about any type of military situation. What I’m about to go through now with Atlantic Airlines will be a much different experience.

“The airline knows I can think ahead of aircraft going close to the speed of sound, far enough ahead to keep a couple hundred passengers safe and get them to where they’re going. Beyond that, I have one helluva lot to learn.”

The following Monday Ken disappeared up to North Carolina. He texted back almost every day, but was totally caught up in getting ‘re-educated’ to a new career, only peripherally related to what he’d done for the USAF.

---

“Hi Daddy.”

“Pam? What … are you sure? Who’s the father or shouldn’t I ask?”

“You, silly. I managed things just the way Alice did.”

“When?”

“I’m about eight weeks along apparently, so around mid-to-late-October. I had my first OB/GYN appointment today. I’m using the same woman that Susan and the other women are. She asked if we wanted to know the sex, and I told her ‘No’, just like Alice.”

“Good. How’re you feeling?”

“You haven’t noticed but I’ve started barfing in the morning. It’s part of the territory, and I’m told it’s good for the fetus because my body gets more in balance with the new hormones that help the baby develop and prevent a miscarriage. I also get rid of some toxins. It’s not that bad, but it’ll slow down my consulting for a bit until I get things under control again.”

“You know we all have you covered, right? You don’t have to work if you don’t want to. I make enough for all of us. The rest is our nest egg for early retirement and fun stuff.”

“Oh, I know that. You should know by now that I’m wired to want to carry my weight. I don’t want to use the ‘Baby Card’ just yet if I don’t have to.”

“Everyone in the Circle seems to be wired that way. I think we self select.”

Pam speculated, “By the end of the year, the Circle will be a much different place. We’ll be wall-to-wall in babies, diapers, formula, high chairs, and probably grandmothers. We’re going to have to curtail a lot of our spontaneous sexual behavior.”

Dave sighed, “Yeah, I expected it would come sooner or later. The men are going to go a little crazy. We’ll need to be weaned off the open sex and orgies.”

Pam teased, “Hey, so will the women. Of course, pregnant women need A LOT of attention.”

Dave stated flatly, on purpose, “But then comes the long dry spell as the babies grow. I figure until the last baby in a household goes off to college.”

“Shit. I’ll be in my fifties if that’s the case,” Pam said.

“I suppose we could figure out a way to have sex once or twice a month as an accommodation in there.”

“A MONTH!? I was kind of hoping for A DAY - you know, twice or three times a day.”

“See how you feel, babe. I think you, Alice, and every other mother is going to be consumed with the babies, morning, noon, and night. Of course, the daddies are going to be there helping. I think kids tire you out. You need more sleep just to be able to cope with them. Your attention span narrows. Things that were important fade to nothingness.”

“You’re just Mr. Happy today.”

“I’m trying to be realistic about it. I figure if I paint a bleak picture for myself, then anything better than that will be an immense improvement in my love life.”

“I commit that you and I will not lose that edge between us. I love you and I don’t want to become distant from you in any way at all, especially physically. Some times baby is just going to have to wait until we’re through.”

“I like your spirit.”

Chapter 3 - In a Family Way

Aaron and Shelby, assisted by Martin, had a baby girl - Linda Jean. She was born ten days after Susan delivered.

This time the exchange in the hospital room went a little differently. The same group of obstetrical nurses were present after the birth. Sitting around in Shelby’s room were Aaron, Dave, and Martin.

The nurses brought Linda Jean into the room and paused looking at the men. They recognized Dave. One said, “I don’t suppose you’re the father of this one, are you?”

Dave and Aaron pointed at Martin, “He is.”

She brought the baby to him and said, “Ah, so you’re the husband.”

Martin shook his head. “Oh, no. I’m not. Aaron is the husband. He pointed at Aaron just before accepting the small bundle of joy into his arms.”

Shelby laughed and said, “Well, there was a small chance that Dave was the father, but the timing kind of worked in Martin’s favor.”

Aaron was obviously happy with the situation, so the nurse backed off from further speculations.

Three weeks later, Kat and Sean had James Leonard Marbury.

As Dave arrived to visit, he saw the same three nurses in Kat’s room. This time as they brought the baby back to consort with the visitors they paused. One asks, “OK, which is the husband and which one is the father?”

Dave volunteered, “Different people again. I might be the father, but more than likely it’s Mike here. Sean, there, is the husband.”

Mike got to hold the baby.

The nurse said, “You guys must have an unusual neighborhood.”

Grace came in behind them and laughed, “They do. I live there, too. I’ll tell you about it on break … if you’re lucky.”

Dave brought Holly to the hospital in labor the next day. He held her and went through the birthing process with her as he’d promised. Zoe Faith popped out in the middle of the afternoon right on schedule.

Two of the nurses he’d come to know were in the delivery room. They raised their eyes to him several times. He pointed at himself and said, “Yes, father.” The nurses rolled their eyes.

One nurse asked, “Husband?”

Holly smirked despite her washed out appearance, “Not married.”

Four weeks later, Wendy was the one in the obstetrics bed, looking gorgeous as ever, but wiped out from the delivery process as Willow Rae Connor arrived.

This time Grace came in with two of the other nurses that Dave recognized.

One nurse said to Dave, “Let me guess, you’re the father but not the husband.”

Dave nodded, “Possibly. We’re less certain on this one.” He pointed at Dev, “He’s the daddy.”

Dev took the small bundle of baby in his large arms, his tattooed biceps bulging as he accepted the small package. Dev looked dangerous, as usual. If there were ever a protector of this small child, it would be Dev. Dave thought of the first few dates Willow would have when she became a teen, and the boys showed up to confront Dev with their plans for his daughter. He laughed at the mental movie.

Twelve days later, Alice waddled into the hospital accompanied by Dave and Pam. She was quickly whisked away in a wheelchair, prepped and soon delivered John Forrest Prentiss.

This time as Grace accompanied the three usual nurses into the room, Dave stepped forward from the circle of friends visiting the new mother.

Dave said, “I am the father AND husband, at least we think so.”

The nurses laughed as they put the baby boy in his arms. The cutest one of the bunch spoke, “I’m Mya. We heard about your Circle from Grace. I can’t speak for the others, but I’m jealous of what you’ve put together. It sounds wonderful, but I can’t believe it’s as great as it sounds from Grace.”

Alice had eight visitors standing around her bed. In perfect synchronization, nine people said, “It is.” The nurses reeled back. Grace laughed.

Grace told them, “You have to experience it to believe it. The babies will change everything, but we’ve assembled the greatest group of people that all love each other and take care of each other. It is a heaven here on earth.”

---

Joan Paige lay in Dave’s arms. Julie had spooned up against Joan with Heather behind her. Holly lay on the other side of Dave with her head on his other shoulder from Joan’s.

Joan said, “This is pretty nice.”

“The nicest,” Dave said. “I love all of you.”

“We love you.”

Julie reminded the group, “Alice comes home tomorrow. She gets preferential treatment.”

“Of course.”

Joan teased, “I guess I’ll have my time in a few months.”

There was a long silence as Dave and the women digested her comment.

Dave finally said, “Would you care to clarify exactly what you mean by that.”

“You’re going to be a daddy again, maybe around Thanksgiving.”

“You?”

“None other. I’ve courted you. You said it was okay, if you recall. I wanted to be certain of the parentage. I’ll get Dale to do the next one.”

Dave sat up and looked at Joan as she stretched out next to him in her gorgeous naked splendor. There was enough light in the room to see the exotic shadows and curves of her body as it continued to glow from their lovemaking that ended only a few minutes earlier. He bent down and kissed her.

“I love you, Joan Paige. I’m happy that you’re happy with your condition.”

She volunteered, “So far, I haven’t had any morning sickness or nausea. I just felt ‘different’, so I got a kit and that tested positive, and then I got that test validated by more sophisticated means. Dr. O’Reilly is sure making money off of this intentional family. We should negotiate a group rate.”

Dave chuckled, “I’ll go with you to see him and see what we can do. We need to do that with a pediatrician, too.”

Joan said, “I had some other interesting news today, as well. Brian goes on trial on April fifteenth.”

Dave snorted, “Ah, the ides of the month. I wonder if he’ll meet his maker that day the same way Julius Caesar did?”

“Maybe not, but the ADA we met is going to start to roast him.”

“He has a criminal defense attorney, who’ll try to turn it all back on you, you know.”

“Yeah, I should start to get my head in gear about this.”

“You’ll be called to the stand for sure. I mean some of the key evidence the prosecution is presenting mostly came from you: the tapes from your counseling sessions out in Austin seem to be the core.”

The worst stuff came out while I was under hypnosis or sodium pentothal. I can’t comment on those interventions except to say that I underwent them. Someone from the clinic has volunteered to come to Sarasota to testify as to their efficacy and such, as well as the veracity of the tapes.”

Dave said, “I think both techniques have been validated in the court system many times before this. I’m sure the ADA will have those citations on hand to buttress his case.”

“I’ll mention that to him. I have his email.”

Dave said, “The more important questions for you will be why you let yourself succumb to Brian’s browbeating and abuse? You seem so strong now. What was it about that period of time in your life that made you susceptible?”

“I’ll think about that.”

“He’ll drag the Circle into the trial, too.”

“On what basis?”

“That you were really nuts for a while. He wasn’t emotionally abusing you; he was trying to get you to be rational again. He’ll paint a picture that the Circle is not a reasonable activity, and he was only trying to nudge you back to the straight and narrow.”

Joan was thoughtful. “I’ll have to think about what to say if that comes up that way. Just so you know, I saw the Circle as salvation from what had been happening. Yes, it became a magnet, but that’s why.”

“Remember that. Your whole sex life will come to the fore, as well.”

“What about Brian’s affair with Amanda Tyler? What about his books on psychological warfare and his checklists?”

Dave speculated, “His lawyer will find some basis to dismiss all of that; to trivialize it and make them worthless pieces of evidence that have no relevance to the case.”

“Hmmmmm.” Joan got thoughtful. “What happens if he gets off?”

“We move forward with the civil case if you want. The standard of proof is lower in that setting. More than likely, there won’t be a jury, only a judge or tribunal of judges.”

The next few months are going to be interesting.”

---

The group sex frequented by the Circle all but ceased to exist.

Mostly mothers, and an occasional father, mother-in-law, or father-in-law, or combinations, started to arrive with each new baby. Moreover, they would stay and mill around the Circle with their new grandbaby in tow, usually in some kind of expensive new tricycle carriage if not in their arms.

Elise knew that Alice’s parents had no intention of coming to see their sinful Florida daughter’s child - their new grandbaby, so she took it upon herself to be the surrogate mother to Alice. Alice liked Elise, and was glad for the extra pair of hands for the two weeks that Elise visited. By the time she returned north, Alice had healed and been able to reassume the reins of baby care.

Elise also made nice with Shelby’s mother who appeared at the Circle for the first time. Doris Wynn was about the same age, but had been exceptionally naïve about how Aaron and Shelby lived. Elise had at least figured that much out, particularly after she learned that Martin was the father of that baby.

Doris had heard all the right words, but she hadn’t put them together and thought about the implications of what they meant: polyamorous, cohousing, diversified housing, sharing, commune-like, nonexclusive, non-monogamous, loving, sharing and so on.

Shelby admitted to a few of the Circle members that she had purposefully been a little vague and slowly introduced her description of her lifestyle to avoid the inevitable bomb shell explosion.

The shock nearly sent Doris to the hospital.

Shelby’s mother had arrived a few days after Elise. She watched a steady stream of men and women, neighbors, come and see her daughter. They each seemed so close to her, usually kissing and hugging her with such affection. Shelby obviously felt similar love for them, even the men - especially the men.

What tipped the balance was when Martin and Sasha appeared on her first weekend there. Martin swooped in, and definitely played the role of father to the baby, picking up Linda Jean, doing all the goofy baby talk, and snuggling and coddling the baby to him.

Further, Shelby openly displayed her breasts to the man as she started to breast feed the baby and talk to him. Martin thought nothing of the reveal, only continuing to talk to mostly Shelby about the baby and how often she thought he should come down. He wanted to be in Linda Jean’s life.

Doris heard some of the same words flash back to her as she watched Shelby and Martin, as Aaron sat on Shelby’s other side with Sasha’s arm around his shoulder.

“WAIT! Something’s wrong here!” Doris announced. She looked from one to another. “What’s going on between the four of you?”

Aaron took on that challenge. “We all love each other. We’re the best of friends. Martin and Sasha are part of our intentional family.”

Doris frowned, “Shelby, you called it a polyamorous family one time.”

Shelby smiled, “Yes. Poly meaning many, and amorous meaning loving.”

Doris muttered, “And non-exclusive and non-monogamous and sharing and … OH, MY GOD, YOU’VE ALL HAD SEX TOGETHER.”

The four Circle members looked at Doris as though she was the last one to get the punch line to a very obvious joke. They all nodded. Aaron said, “Yes?” as though, ‘Of course. Why didn’t you know that?’

Martin faced Doris more directly, “And I’m likely the father of Linda Jean.”

Doris crumbled into a pile on the floor, thankfully cushioned by the side of the bed that Shelby reclined in.

When Doris came to, she was on the bed beside Shelby. She shot awake and looked at her daughter. “You had sex with another man.” It was a statement not a question.

“Yes. I have sex with all the men in the Circle. It’s one of the many reasons we have the Circle and the cohousing project designed the way it is. I’ve told you this time and again. You weren’t listening.”

Doris closed her eyes and laid her head back on the covers. She counted to fifty but nothing changed in that time interval. The reality of the situation continued without change.

Aaron rushed back with a bottle of water from the refrigerator. He helped his mother-in-law sit up and take a drink. “What can I get you? Are you all right?”

“I’M FINE,” Doris declared loudly. “It’s the rest of you I’m worried about.”

Grace came into the bedroom followed by Emily. She greeted everybody, unaware of the tense moments before their arrival.

Doris had met Grace several times, when Grace came each day to check on Shelby’s breast feeding, the baby, and, of course, Shelby. She did her usual checks though both questions and observations, doing a quick unwrap and rewrap of the baby.

Doris asked Grace, “Do you belong to the Circle?”

“Yes. It’s the most profoundly wonderful situation I’ve ever experienced. I love it, but it’s not an ‘it’. The Circle consists of thirty-seven people, and we love each other, we care about each other, and make each other our priority. I have never felt so loved in my life, and I have a very attentive husband.”

Emily volunteered to Doris, “I’m a member, too. I have a few years on you, Doris, but I would say the same thing. I’ve never heard any of our members utter an ill word about each other or about our lifestyle.”

Doris slowly got her sea legs under her again, enough so she could stand and then pace around the room to work off some of her nervous energy. She turned to the older women, “But you have sex?”

“Yes. It’s one-way that people that love each other connect and express their love,” Grace commented.

Emily said, “Before I joined there was great attention paid to building an intimacy with Circle members, and I don’t mean the sexual kind. The sex we share with each other adds to the already great relationships we’ve built and catapults them into the stratosphere.”

“But … but …” Doris sputtered. She turned to Martin, “You said you lived in Ohio.”

“Sasha and I do. We’re trying to figure out how we could relocate down here and make our lives work. We still need an income and neither of our jobs are easily transferable across geography.”

“So, you’d divorce Sasha and live with my daughter?”

The others in the room reeled back at the thought. “Good grief, no. I love Sasha with all my heart. Things would be just the way they are now, only I’d be able to be around and help Aaron be a father to this child … and be a daddy to all the other children in the Circle.”

“Wait! You fathered more than one child? What are you?”

Martin laughed, “I don’t think I fathered any other children, but I am more than ready to do so and-or be an attentive lover and a daddy to any of the other children. I love those women and those babies just as though they were my own.”

Shelby said, “Listen carefully to the way we all talk, and think about what the unspoken messages are. You are over-emphasizing the extra-marital sex because you’ve been conditioned that way. To you, it’s scandalous. To us, it is another way we express our love and desire for affiliation and friendship.”

Doris said, “But I don’t have sex with my friends.”

Shelby laughed, “So, we do, but not if they’re outside our Circle. We haven’t let them in, because they would treat the culmination of our relationship with sex as a sin, adultery, an affair, an assignation or one-night stand, or something dirty and sordid. If they were married, they’d be after ‘a little on the side,’ or something equally salacious. We don’t want that, and we don’t think that way.”

“I don’t know about your generation. Ours seems so simple by comparison.”

---

The avionics transceiver in the core usually sat mute next to the miniature weather station, only making an occasional crackle on the speaker when some other aircraft at a remote aircraft broke through the squelch setting.

Alice sat at one of the core tables with her laptop reviewing a spreadsheet one of her staff had prepared earlier in the week. She’d come home early to take a nap. Being pregnant and now nursing had made her often have a need for a thirty- to sixty-minute nap in the late afternoon. She’d take work home with her and then work the rest of the afternoon and early evening to make up the time.

“Circle Airport, the is Cessna 8-0-0-1 Sierra, two-thousand feet, eight miles out over Lakewood Ranch, landing.”

Alice got up and carefully walked to the radio. “Circle Airport altimeter is two-niner-niner-seven, no reported traffic, C-A-V-U. Ken is that you?”

The voice on the radio beamed with a grin, “Yes, it’s me. The prodigal son returneth.”

“Hurry home.”

Alice went and sat down, but watched the skies. She eventually saw a yellow and white Cessna 152 enter the downwind leg for runway 09. The plane made perfect banks to base and then final, and from where she was sitting disappeared behind some of the Circle homes it looked like a short-field landing.

A few minutes later, Ken drove onto the edge of the patio in one of the golf carts and parked. He came over and kissed Alice. They both had tears in their eyes. He’d been away five weeks.

“We’ve given up on you. We figured the jungle of Atlantic Airlines swallowed you up and we’d never hear from you again.”

Ken shook his head. “I thought I had intense weeks in the military. These have been the toughest in ages, but I’m out the back end of it with my life and job intact, and my skills ratcheted up significantly.”

“What’d you do? We got your cards and letters and emails, but you aren’t a letter writer, we concluded.”

“I’m not. I am now fully qualified to fly second-in-command of the 737-800 and -900 series. I probably blew the top off the scores and flights tests, so I’ll get pilot-in-command pretty soon, I think. I am also a walking encyclopedia concerning every aspect of Atlantic Airlines, especially their policies and procedures.”

“And you’ve had your way with half their flight attendants?” Alice teased.

Ken teased back, “Not yet. That starts next Tuesday when I report for what the military would call active duty. I have some routes to fly all over the east coast - Texas to Maine, Florida to North Dakota.”

“Welcome home. As you can see, I am in a very family way.” Alice was nursing little Johnny as she worked at her laptop.

“Yeah, and you still have nice boobs, even if they are a meal source. Who’s around?” Ken gestured around the Circle.

“Moms and babies,” Alice said. “Shelby is probably trying to nap before Linda Jean wakes up for her next feeding. Holly took Zoe in for a nap about twenty minutes ago.

“Kat took Little Jimmy off to their studio. They were doing another in the series about college girls do porn, or something like that, and she was going to help out Mike. Wendy was around, but I don’t know where she went; probably to attend to Willow. I haven’t seen Susan today.”

“Well, this feels so comfortable to be back. I can’t believe I’ve been away for five weeks.”

“Where’d you get the plane?”

“Oh, I bought that for a song. If the Circle Flying Club wants it, I’ll sign it over for what I bought it for. The engine is only half used, but otherwise it’s in perfect shape. The flight school that owned it went out of business, and the bankruptcy executor sold it for ten cents on the dollar. I think it’ll be a much better trainer to have around here, rather than having students learn on the higher performance 182. That’s kind of like learning to drive with an eight-hundred horsepower Formula 1 race car.”

“You said you’d been staying in airline accommodations?”

“Yeah, Atlantic maintains a couple of dozen studio apartments on the edge of the airfield in Raleigh for use by pilots and crew passing through, as well as guys like me undergoing indoctrination and training. Since I was working on the stuff on weekends, I just put my head down and plowed through it all in record time. They have a large simulator facility there, too; I could walk from my apartment. I’d spend all day Sundays on the simulator doing emergency procedures on the 737. I bet there’s nothing I haven’t experienced on that bird at this point, short of landing in the Hudson River. I did a lot of engine out work, and then hydraulics failures. Those are what scare me the most.”

“Don’t you need someone to help run the simulator?”

“Yes. The airline’s attitude is that if you want to fly the simulator, they’ll provide the staff to help you. They see it as a major tool to run a safe airline. I like their attitude about safety and passenger comfort as well.”

Chapter 4 - Just What’s On Trial

Joan Paige, previous Joan Coswell, sat with Dave Prentiss, Dale Harnett, and Emily Wilson, in the spectator seat of the court room at the Sarasota County Courthouse.

The sheriff’s deputy called out, “All rise for Judge Margaret Hernandez.”

The portly female judge whirled out the side door at the front of the courtroom and took up the position on the bench. She looked to her left, “Foreman, is the jury ready.”

“We are your honor.”

She looked at the two attorneys. “Is the prosecution and defense ready.”

Both lawyers nodded, “We are, Your Honor.”

“Please proceed. Prosecution, your open arguments.”

Brad James, the assistant district attorney handling the case against Brian Coswell, stood and walked to a position in front of the jurors.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a simple case to present to you, today. The accused, Brian Coswell, mounted a campaign of psychological warfare against his wife, Joan Coswell, starting about two years ago. This was in part to cover up an affair he was having with a woman named Amanda Tyler and to drive his wife to divorce or suicide. We will show that he researched how to conduct this campaign and then executed the moves to drive his wife towards suicide. Thus, not only is he charged with spousal abuse, a felony in the state of Florida whether it is physical or mental, but he is also charged with attempted murder as he sought to drive her to commit suicide. As you will hear from expert witnesses, he was almost successful, saved near the last minute by friends who deduced what was happening to her. The evidence is tangible, strong, often in the defendants own handwriting or found on his own private computer. We, the people of the state of Florida, ask that you convict on two charges: spousal abuse, non-physical, and premeditated attempted murder. Thank you for your time.”

Brad sat down. He looked primed and loaded to present his case.

The defense rose. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I also thank you for your time, especially because you are here to listen to case that should never have been brought to trial. Mr. Coswell started to see his wife disintegrate in front of him starting about three years ago. He tried to steer her back to health, but she went deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole. Eventually, she became infatuated with a group of people - a near cult, if you will - that apparently practice free love and open relationships. She urged her husband to consider this group, something that conflicted with his moral fiber and upbringing in many ways. Shortly after that request, she disappeared, only communicating back that she was all right, was seeking treatment for her condition, and would be in touch once she was restored to health. By her own admission, she was mentally sick. Mr. Coswell awaited her return until he was served with divorce papers, and arrested with the bogus claims that the prosecutor just described to you. We urge you to see the flaws in his arguments, and to acquit the defendant of all charges, so that he may return to work and continue with his life. Thank you.”

There were some procedural arguments that had been posed to the judge before hand by both lawyers. These dealt with the inclusion or exclusion of evidence, the complete dismissal of the case, and how distant witnesses would be treated and interrogated. The judge ruled on all of the issues, one at a time, giving the edge to the prosecutor.

A short break for lunch followed.

As they filed out of the courtroom, Dale said, “Dave, you were right. They’re going to bore into the Circle as a morally corrupt group of people that unduly influenced Joan.”

Dave shook his head, “More than that, they’re going to bore in on ME. I reported to Brian. They see me as a threat that eliminated my competition so that I could move into his seat at work and benefit from the increased salary and perks that he used to get.”

“Ouch. Can they do that?”

“Watch. You bet. This guy is fighting for his freedom. His lawyer would do him a disservice if he didn’t go after the Circle and me.”

---

After the lunch break, the prosecution started laying out their case.

He started with Sheriff Will Tompkins, and had his describe accompanying the prosecutor and several others to the Coswell home to execute a warrant seeking evidence of plot of abuse and attempts to induce suicide by Mrs. Coswell. He described finding the books on psychological warfare, taking the computer, and finding the checklists and descriptions of things to say and do to intimidate the wife of the defendant.

“How did you know the pages found in the desk were to intimidate his wife?” Prosecutor James asked Tompkins.

“They were labeled as such in what our crime lab later determined to be the defendant’s handwriting.”

James turned to the jury. “We will now pass you copies of the documents in question. You will note at the top of the page the title, ‘Intimidation of Wife - Phrases and Actions’.”

When you read that page, Sheriff, what did you think?”

“I felt sorry for whoever was on the receiving end of those statements. It wasn’t so much any one statement, as it was the campaign that the statements all together represented. They were a consistent verbal plan to demoralize anyone at the receiving end of those words.”

“Do you know where those came from?”

“In some cases, yes. I studied the books on psychological warfare that we found in Mr. Coswell’s library. Together with Detective Sanders, we determined that the books specifically stated some of those phrases as to be used in a strategy to undermine and demoralize specific individuals. In some cases, there were checkmarks in the margin of the books next to the passages that had been copied to the other pages.”

“Did you examine the computer?”

“I’m sorry, I did not. Detective Sanders did, but I was not present.”

“Did you find any other documents relevant to this case?”

“Yes, sir. On October 4, we were summoned to the executive offices of the local utility company. The man who had assumed Mr. Coswell’s position at work had found further checklists and statements in the desk at work. We assumed possession of those, and reviewed them with the other paper documents. They showed the same kind of campaign, although they were more oriented to phrases that could be sent by email or text. Many had checkmarks by them. Our handwriting analysis indicated that Mr. Coswell wrote on the documents to add material to them.”

A few more questions passed by from the prosecutor and then the defense took over.

“Sheriff Tompkins, what made you assume that those books and pages were to wage a campaign of demoralization, as you called it, against Mrs. Coswell?”

“Errr, that was discussed in the van as we rode to the Coswell residence to serve the warrant.”

“Did you ever consider another logical explanation for the possession of those pages and books?”

“No, Sir. I did not.”

“So, if I were to explain to you that Mr. Coswell was an amateur author that hoped to write a novel or short story where one of the characters did indeed become on the receiving end of some of those phrases, would that surprise you?”

“I did not consider that option, as I indicated.”

“But that is a distinct possibility, is it not?”

“That’s not for me to decide, sir.” The sheriff knew better than to put additional judgments on the material he’d been asked to describe. He’d been careful to not specifically aim any of the material at Coswell’s wife. He was a ‘nothing but the facts’ kind of investigator.

Detective Sanders took the stage and described similar information found on the computer, some duplicating what had been found on paper.

The prosecutor asked, “Detective Sanders, is there any reason to believe that the defendant might have intended to use this information in connection with a novel or short story?”

Sanders responded crisply, “None, sir. We found no outlines or drafts of any kind on the computer suggesting what defense counsel suggested or any other writing project. Only the files I described to you in isolated folders bearing only dates instead of file names.”

The defense tried to get Sanders to say what the sheriff hadn’t, but he didn’t succumb to that trick either. These men had been on the witness stand many times before far better and trickier attorneys.

Court was adjourned after those two witnesses, although the prosecutor wanted to take Sanders in some other directions regarding the investigation.

“Are you glad you came?” Dave asked Joan as they walked to their car from the courthouse.

“Yes and no. I hate to see Brian raked over like this, but then, he did all that to me. He used those phrases on me.”

Are you ready to be called as a witness?”

“Brad James said I wouldn’t be, at least not by the prosecution. He thought they had enough evidence without me testifying.”

“Relax and just tell the truth if you do,” Dale said from the back seat. You should alert Brad ahead of time that if that topic comes up, you want to explain the timing and the situation to the jury. Don’t be concerned about the outcome of the trial. That’s the state’s problem, not yours.

---

Alice sat with Susan, Shelby, Kat, Wendy, Holly, and Pam. “Dave raised this issue a long time ago, well before any of us got pregnant, namely hiring a nanny. In saying that, how many of you want to go back to work?”

Every woman raised their hand for Alice to see.

“So, we need some kind of help. I made a list of the questions we need to answer in some way before placing an ad or contacting some of the agencies around town.

“My list might need some additions to it, so keep an open mind and make suggestions:

Experience and plans for future; why this position?

Daytime, evening, both, round the clock?

Maximum number of babies she could care for?

Minimum and maximum ages?

How does she entertain them as they get older?

What kind of space requirements would she need?

Would she want to live onsite?

Could she cover if one of us needed to travel for a day or two?

Can she do overnights?

Has she any formal training in childcare?

Wendy said, “Somehow we need to ask her about whether sex bothers her? She’ll run into some of us doing something sooner or later. We don’t want her to freak out if that happens.”

“Good point,” Alice said as she made a note.

Pam said, “Before you tell her any of that she should sign an NDA - a non-disclosure agreement. We don’t want some candidate that doesn’t get the job writing the ‘tell all’ book about us.” Alice made a note.

Kate asked about any medical or emergency care training. Shelby wanted to make sure the person was not a smoker or heavy drinker, and certainly no drugs. Holly raised the issue of pay and benefits.

The group discussed how they’d pool money to pay for the nanny, kind of a flat monthly fee unless there were specific needs one of them had for special care.

Holly also suggested, “It’d be good if they had others to back them up or help them in special situations. As we get more babies, we’re going to need a team of nannies, not just one. In the beginning, maybe one of us can take a day in rotation to be with her to get her started and to observe how she does with the kids.”

“Great idea.”

While the evening meeting about a nanny was going on in the core living room, Dave, Ty, Grace, Nancy, Donna, and Julie were meeting in the media room. Dave spoke, “Here’s my proposal. Fundamentally, we hire a chef and maybe a helper. I don’t know the hours but my vision is that they’d do five days a week, including over each weekend. They’d work with our meal planning squad, and then they’d take care of the implementation. Some of us would still help, but they’d be handling all the heaving lifting on dinners, and weekend brunches.”

There was silence as each of the others thought about the suggestion and the implications. The questions then started and Dave noted each of them. What about special meals for the children or diet restricted Circle members? What about extra meals when there are guests? Where would he live? Who would interview him and how would we know we were getting a good deal?

The discussion went on until Dave had a whole list of notes. He promised to type them up and distribute them for comments. The group also decided that they would start advertising and then have both a group interview, and then an individual interview to discuss salary and benefits.

Thus, ten days later on a Saturday, two different rounds of interviews were held.

Amelia Lockhart was prompt and crisply efficient in her interview. Her answers were to the point. She had no trouble signing the NDA, but rejected the position once she learned about the lifestyle associated with the Circle.

Brooklyn Martin seemed more relaxed. The thirty-year-old had been a nanny for another couple with two children, but they had decided to move back north for family reasons, so she became free. She signed the NDA, and upon hearing about the lifestyle of the Circle, shrugged and said something of the effect ‘to each their own’. The women interviewing liked her.

Avery Slowinski was forty, had finished raising her own children, and had no other skills other than childcare and housekeeping. She’d never worked. The NDA mystified her but she signed, and then rejected the position upon learning about the lifestyle of the Circle.

Madison Granger was in her late twenties, seemed smart and innovative, and was coming off a four-year position with a couple whose children grew out of the need for a nanny. She had studied elementary school education before working as a nanny. She signed the NDA, and laughed upon hearing about the Circle lifestyle.

Madison asked with a smile, “And would I be expected to participate?”

Pam responded, “Not at all. We have our own little Lake Woebegone here. You make your own choices. There are certainly no expectations about that.”

“I need quarters. I had a room in my previous job and full house privileges.”

Alice explained as they walked back from the core, “We were thinking of creating a studio apartment for the nanny in core in this space, down the hallway behind the media room. During the day, the media room will become the nursery and play room, at least for now. We use most of that space for storage now, but part of it has windows out onto the pool area and we’d create an attached bathroom with shower. If you want a tub, you’d have to use one in one of the homes. We can easily arrange that with complete privacy.”

“I’m a shower person,” Madison stated. Last time I was in a tub, was probably when I was nine years old or something around then. I like this arrangement, and the room would be nice. I assume you’d paint and furnish it?”

“Oh, completely. It might take a couple of weeks. When could you start, assuming we make you an offer?”

“Today, if you want. I have no strings at the moment. The couple I’ve worked with have nicely asked that I be out of the house by the end of April, but only because I think they want to have guests come after that time and need the space.”

“We’ll be in touch within two or three days.”

The nanny interview squad sat around at a picnic table after the four interviews. Alice summed up the interviews, “So, I think it’s down to Brooklyn or Madison. I could live with either one.”

Susan asked, “Which do you think is more likely to join the Circle?” She grinned at her assumption of future action.

Meanwhile, in the core kitchen, Grace asked, “Who’s our last candidate for cook?”

Dave shuffled through the resumes he’d received and said, “Looks like a Robert A. Wyatt. He has an impressive set of credentials: been to several French cooking schools, worked in three restaurants - they each had a four-star rating on the food, and even included some rave reviews about his work.”

Just then the chime indicating that someone was at the main gate asking for entry rang. Dave responded by opening the gate. He’d emailed directions about where to park and come once each candidate arrived.

A few minutes later, a sharply dressed woman appeared on the patio, looking around wondering where to go. She was somewhat thin, and looked like a French model, especially with her hair done in a swept wave.

Dave was puzzled, but went to greet the visitor. Maybe this wasn’t his candidate for the chef’s position.

“Hello, may I help you?” he said.

“Yes, hello. Bonjour. I am here for an interview as a chef, but my directions as to where to go only brought me this far - the patio.”

Dave said, “Errr, we were expecting a gentleman.”

The thin, statuesque blonde rolled her eyes. She said, “You were expecting Robert A. Wyatt?”

Dave nodded and said in a tentative tone, “Yes.”

She smiled and held out her hand, “I am Roberta Wyatt.” She put great emphasis on the last syllable of her first name. “My friends call me Bobbie. This has happened before with this agency. They seem to think that a chef must be a male, so when they process my resume, they insist on separating the ‘A’ from the end of my first name and making it an initial.”

Dave chuckled, “Not a problem, but we’ll all need to correct our thinking. Please come in. We thought we’d start in the kitchen, although while you’re right here I can point out some features about our community.”

He pointed, “This is an intentionally designed community of close friends. There are ten homes in a surrounding circle, as you see, with this shared core space where we meet and socialize. This is the patio, pool, kiddie pool, cabana, and gazebo part of things. The other half behind you comprises a large living room, dining area, kitchen, media room, and a couple of spare rooms we’ve been using mostly for storage. There’s also a sauna, Jacuzzi, gym, and workout area there, plus apartment space for our future chef and our future nanny for the children.”

Dave led her into the core building, through the living and dining areas as they talked. He waved at the Nanny Committee talking in one of living room conversation pits. He continued the tour, ending at the bar in the large kitchen.

Bobbie didn’t sit; she went straight to the appliances to assess them in terms of the job. She turned back to Dave and the others, “These are top of the line equipment. Whoever designed this, chose well. The layout reflects a great sensitivity to a small crew putting together meals for a modest size group. I wish they’d had something like this at some of the places I’ve worked.”

Grace smiled, “I’ll pass on your comments to my husband. He was the architect for all this. We also live in one of the homes.”

Introductions were made to the others on the Chef’s Committee, and various questions were asked of the candidate.

After a superficial description of the Circle and the expected duties, Dave asked one especially probing question, “Bobbie, with your background, I’d expect to find you applying at some five-star hotel instead of to this relatively small group. Why?”

She nodded, and Dave became enthralled with her high cheekbones, coloration, and sense of style and demeanor. Her slim fingers waved slightly in front of her, almost hypnotizing him. “I have accomplished many things in the restaurant trade and I am sure I could continue to do so. I am at a point in my life where I need some ‘Me Time’.

“I am spiritual but not religious - what some people refer to as SBNR. I want to be able to meditate and study, and not work full time. Because of the workload of a good chef, I have accumulated only a few friends in my life, and that activity is increasingly important to me. I want some lasting relationships, and being tucked away in a restaurant kitchen is not conducive to doing that.

“I am hoping that in this position, if it works, that I can enjoy myself more, have friends over even while I’m working, and have that personal time I crave. These things are so important to me, that I am giving up the ‘dog eat dog’ world of being a restaurant chef. That’s not really who I am.

“Your description of the thirty or forty of you that live here, and your needs seemed to suit me to a tee. I thought about what it would be like. I could have beach time, exercise time, meditation time, and yet serve all of you and keep my skills honed.”

Dave looked at the others. They were all nodding. Ty slid the NDA over to him with a pen.

“Bobbie, this is a non-disclosure agreement. It is simple and short. We will tell you more about ourselves, but this is your commitment to not talk to anybody other than us about what you learn. We will be glad to answer questions.”

Bobbi read and signed, but then looked in a questioning way at Dave and the others on the committee.

Grace began, “Bobbie, we are a close-knit polyamorous family of about twenty-five women and fifteen men, plus an ever-increasing number of babies who will become toddlers and children with us.

“We are open about our relationships, and there is no jealousy or friction about the flow of relationships between families or homes. We tend to be exhibitionists, but not in an egregious way. We just like to be near each other, often on the patio depending on the weather. Nudity or near-so is often the style of casual dress. As our babies get older that may change, but that is the way it has been since we moved in here two years ago.

“Do you have any questions?”

Bobbie looked puzzled. “I think I understand what you said, but could I hear it said differently without some of the window dressing.”

Dave laughed. “I’ll take that on. Bobbie, we have sex with each other in public - at least our version of public here on our own land. That overemphasizes the coupling. I prefer to say that we ‘make love’ with one another, because that is what we do. We are the most loving place you’ll ever find. We are all friends AND lovers.”

“Oh!” Bobbie said. She sat up straighter as her brain shifted into high gear to evaluate what was said.

“And this goes on all the time?” she finally asked.

“Usually, it’s an after-dinner activity, since many of us work off site, and I suspect with the prospect of toddlers that will become even more so. Occasionally, a man and woman might be inspired mid-day, but it’s less usual now than it was in the past.”

“And you all love each other?”

“Very much.” Dave answered, but the others sitting there also did.

“How did this all start, if I may ask?”

“Eight of us were very close as neighbors,” Ty said. “Dave annexed another woman into his family, and then a man, and then another couple of two that we knew joined with us, and then we met some others that thought alike and they became members. Eventually, we created this cohousing project, more people joined that we knew from work, a seminar one of us went to, someone’s parents, and someone’s brother and sister-in-law. We’re about five years old now. I can’t say that we won’t continue to grow, and I certainly can’t predict from where any future members will come.”

Bobbie gave a comfortable smile, “Thank you. I’ll take the job.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll take the job if you offer it to me.”

“But we haven’t talked about money or benefits or anything.”

“I’ll take the job if you offer it to me. The rest can follow. I think your group and I are a match made in heaven. I won’t say more, except that we vibrate on the same frequency.”

Dave pushed another page to Bobbie. “This job will pay $55,000 per year, with four weeks of paid vacation, and two weeks of sick or other time as needed for doctor and dentist visits, and such, but that time won’t distinguish itself from vacation time. We will set up a 401k plan in the coming year, and after one year we will contribute three percent of your annual pay on each anniversary date.

“We will also provide you with a room here in the core, and complete access to all core facilities round the clock. We are friendly, and if you need space for guests or friends that visit, I’m sure we can arrange something with one of the guest rooms in someone’s home.”

Bobbie grinned from ear to ear, “I’ll take the job if you offer it to me.”

“It’s yours.”

Chapter 5 - The Weight of Specifics

“The defense calls Mrs. Joan Coswell to the stand.”

There was no motion in the courtroom. As rehearsed, Brad James rose and said, “Your honor may I approach the bench.”

The judge motioned him forward. The defense attorney came forward as well. There were some whispered words, and then the men returned to their tables.

“The defense calls Joan Paige to the stand.”

Joan rose and walked to the front of the courtroom. She was sworn in, and took the witness chair.

The interrogating lawyer said, “Up until a short while ago and for ten years prior were you Mrs. Joan Coswell, the defendant’s wife.”

“I was.”

“And you divorced him.”

“I did. He had been abusing me and driving me towards committing suicide.”

“OBJECTION, your honor. Please instruct the journey to strike the witness’ last remark. This trial is about proving my client innocent of exactly those charges.”

Joan looked anything but contrite. The judge said, “Sustained; the jury will disregard.” Everyone in the room already knew the message had gotten more firmly embedded in the jurors’ minds by the objection.

“What kind of marriage did you have with Mr. Coswell?”

Joan looked puzzled. The question was a strange one and invited wandering in many directions. She responded, “I came to use words like controlling, demeaning, and repressed. We initially had a lot of love and caring for each other, but after we’d been married a couple of years, that seemed to change. Brian became very career oriented, but he was insistent about what jobs I should take, and how I should behave at home. We had many arguments over his controlling attitude. It was not a good time.”

“When did you first contemplate divorce?”

“Oh, not until my friends rescued me and got me in counseling. It was then that I realized I had become an abused woman; that’s what the counselors called me. I also learned that my husband had been in a long-term relationship with a woman named Amanda Tyler. At that point, I realized I couldn’t continue being married to the man.”

“At one point in your marriage you went to a party where some other colleagues of your husband were there. Did that change you?”

“Yes, it did. Greatly. The place where the party was held was a large cohousing project, and we were by the pool. I remember it well. I heard people discussing the group that lived there. They were kind, loving, and fostered and nurtured their relationships with each other in positive ways, exactly what I wanted to have happen with my husband. I even asked him to stay and listen to some of the group’s philosophy and how they put it into practice. He would have nothing to do with the subject, and walked out. I had to run after him to be sure I had a ride home. He was very dismissive of me after that.”

“You claim that he made abusive statements, did those start then?”

“Oh, no. Those had started a couple of years earlier. They just became more intense after that party. In hindsight, I think that might have been when he wanted me to harm myself.”

“Can you cite a specific occurrence or are we left to use our imaginations to conjure up what MIGHT have occurred.”

“Certainly,” Joan responded. “On Friday, September 14, 2015, I got a several texts from my husband. One asked whether I had done anything useful that day. It wasn’t teasing. That was his attitude. A second one, an hour later, asked why I was such a poor excuse for a woman. A third one, in mid afternoon, told me I should be thinking of ways to get him to respect me, because I hadn’t done anything that he could think of to deserve such. At night, at home, he repeated those, and then would use little words under his breath about me such as ‘worthless’, ‘slut’, ‘waste of flesh’, and things like that. He kept making those remarks all weekend, and otherwise ignored me.”