The Circle Ch. 26

Tracy said, "We're all that way. We also help each other through times like this."

Meghan pushed, "How'd you get past the strictures of monogamy and the millions of messages each day that promote exclusivity and couplehood?"

Bob shrugged, "You only have to realize that monogamy is a choice – exclusivity is a choice. There are other acceptable options. Many people don't find the options acceptable, but for us they all are. We all have friends in monogamous relationships; most of them know how we live. We get along because they don't try to force their model on us, or vice versa."

Adam asked, "With all of you living here, how did you get past various laws and such about living together?"

Bob said, "With a good lawyer. We are in Dillonville because it is under the looser laws and codes of the state, particularly as far as zoning goes. Living where we do, we don't have to do or say much except to abide by the fire codes in our construction and operations. We've built a good bridge with the police and fire in the area, and have had them come by for a tour of the house and to make sure things are acceptable to them. They see us as a commune or cooperative, and that's pretty accurate and just fine with us."

Alice and Brad came in and sat down. She had that rosy freshly fucked glow about her that I'm sure no one missed. Bob made introductions, and mentioned in the process that Brad was married to Sandy.

Tracy asked with genuine curiosity, "Where is Sandy?"

Brad chuckled, "In bed with Jim ... with the door open."

The four visitors looked at each other, and then studied Brad for any jealousy. He grinned at them. "My wife has a thing for Jim; he's one of her favs. She is so loving and appreciative after they've been together that for me this is a win-win." He squeezed Alice's thigh where they sat together and added, "Besides, I have a thing for Alice." They laughed.

More and more questions popped up and got answered. How is the house owned? What is the partnership like? How did the addition get funded? How are meals handled? Who does clean up and cleaning? Who does laundry? How are beds assigned? What does someone without an assigned bed do? How did new members get annexed? Why do some of the members not live in the house? What happened when news about the lifestyle got made public? What about neighbors? How did parents get informed about the lifestyle; how did they react? How do the babies get cared for? How would a pregnant mother be treated, or a nursing mother?

At six o'clock, Alice rejoined the group, having left to do some housework. She came in carrying two bottles of wine, and large number of wine glasses. "We hope you'll join us for cocktails, and then dinner. We're having lasagna tonight, courtesy of Monica, Zoey, and Nathan."

Adam said, "If it's not an imposition, and you have room and adequate food for yourselves. We'd love to see how this actually works at meal time."

Alice led them to the main kitchen. As usual, things were set up for self-service cafeteria style. People took a plate and served themselves salad, and the main course. Brad and Lolly were tending to drinks on the table, plus many people had brought wine from the bar area.

There were twenty-four for dinner, plus the four guests. Two large tables in the open plan dining room handled the crowd, and the four guests split themselves between the tables after introductions were made. The din of conversation equaled that of any restaurant, and there was a steady stream to and from the counter for seconds, or forgotten items.

After dinner, each person carried their dishes to a large sink with a commercial sprayer and dish racks handy. That night Matt, Sheila, and Kurt had cleanup duty, but standing and watching them the guest were amazed at how fast everything, got put away, rinsed, or put through the dishwashers.

Bob explained, "After we had more than twenty people eating here regularly, we upgraded the kitchen to a more commercial level. It's easier to keep clean and sanitize, and serving and clean up are much faster, as you just saw. This is one place where we do have some structure to our lives. There are weekly teams who buy groceries, cook and serve, and clean up and put away. I was part of the cooking team last week." He pointed, "Just outside that door, we have large cold storage and large freezers."

Adam asked, "What do you do if someone doesn't like the meal selection?"

Bob asked, "Ah, glad you asked. Leftovers are usually kept for two days, so you can always go back at least that long and hopefully find something you'll like. You can also do your own thing when the kitchen isn't busy, and save it to eat with the others."

Pam observed, "Everyone is so healthy looking."

Bob expounded, "Tina is studying to be a physical therapist and trainer. She puts us through our paces to keep us in shape. Each morning there also are at least a dozen of us that take a five-mile jog. Michelle, Don's wife, majored in nutrition in college. She's become a permanent member of the meal planning teams. Tracy, Jim's sister, is taking martial arts, and sometimes she'll lead us in some moves she's learning. So, we're taking advantage of some of the skills we've got."

The visitors stayed a little longer, and then left after some polite hugs, kisses and handshakes.