Chapter 26 -- 'Frequent, Intense, and Wonderful'
The bold-faced newspaper headline in section two the Tampa Times Sunday Edition read:
"Frequent, Intense, and Wonderful"
The article delicately described the discerned lifestyle of the men and women in the Circle and their polyamorous relationships. After describing the lifestyle, including heavy allusions to the open sex, the article went on to point out how 'normal' the group was -- stable, professional, mature, not at all 'flaky', not at all hippie like, responsible, smart, friendly, and clean cut. Several paragraphs were then spent on the Prentiss family alone talking about seven people -- one man (a new CEO for a major company) and six women (each in important and socially acceptable roles) -- having special relationships that even transcended the others in the Circle. Fortunately, the last name wasn't used, but first names were. That was all over the press because Scarlett had mentioned Dave's full name when she confessed to being in a long-term committed relationship with not just someone, but someones -- one male and five other females.
Scarlett's story, with full names, appeared in the Entertainment section of the same paper. The article referenced the 'Frequent, Intense, and Wonderful' article to indicate how she was now living her life when she wasn't in L.A. or around the world someplace filming a new movie or making appearances.
Dave laughed. The article built up his professional stature with words that separated him from the common man and made him stand alone, like an Zeus and Adonis, high above all other mortals. This was necessary, the article stated, in order for Scarlett to deign a romantic relationship with him.
A sidebar in the paper by the 'Frequent, Intense, and Wonderful' article was entitled
Gateway to Divorce or Delight.
It was a well-written and well-researched piece that presented the counter-intuitive case that plural relationships were
less
prone to end in divorce compared with 'normal' marriages, contrary to the opinion of many highly judgmental people. Several notable sociologists were quoted in the article. There proved to be a longer list of items supporting loving multi-partner relationships than for monogamy.
The comparable piece in the main Atlanta newspaper blended what the reporter had learned from Dave during the press conference with snippets from four other polyamorous situations the paper had also interviewed and researched. There appeared to be little difference in the feelings the people in the various relationships had regarding their interactions and emotions with and about the others, other than the Circle was the largest group discussed.
The Jacksonville paper took a decided moralistic and admittedly 'Bible Belt' approach to the Circle, casting significant dispersions on the members and their 'errant approach to relationships and sex'. They had a number of quotes from some local evangelical church leaders condemning the practice of polyamory, stating that sex for purposes other than procreation in God's name, and talking about how such behavior was against God's way and how those practicing such sins would burn in hell for the rest of eternity.
The Washington Post had a feature article about polyamory and didn't mention the Circle specifically, except as a disguised example to make a few points. In reading the article, Dave could tell the author wanted to say more about the sex enjoyed in such relationships but held back. There was only the obscure reference to 'other pleasures' such plural relationships provided.
Erin had a hand in writing the piece that appeared in the Sarasota Herald. She also got it adopted by AP as a background piece for other similar articles across the country that used that news source instead of other reporters who had been at Dave's press conference. Her approach had been to tilt the news towards the Circle being more of a professional commune, with intimate, highly educated, and highly motivated members. The many professions of the Circle were mentioned along with the drug-free environment.
She told the Circle that her editor wanted some carefully worded paragraphs that talked about the sex enjoyed by members of the Circle. Erin scrubbed through the Tampa and Atlanta newspaper articles but built her own story, going a little bit further towards describing a typical Friday or Saturday evening from the time a stereotypical Circle member showed up for cocktails and fellowship with the other members, to when they went to sleep hours later, 'sated after intense and wonderful, multiple and creative intimate interactions' with a 'few others' in the Circle, and how they were cuddled and loved throughout. The 'love theme' prevailed.
Scarlett took the greatest additional press coverage. The coverage anchored her to the Circle in no uncertain terms, and further cemented her multi-sexual relationship with Dave and his bisexual wives. Some of the articles speculated that Scarlett also had sexual relationships with the other men and women in the Circle, since that was the ethos of the group that she'd affiliated with. Dave had ducked those questions during the press conference, leaving them for Scarlett to reveal in her own way.
Even the Hollywood press pilloried her for her 'errant and outrageous sexual behavior' in the Circle. Although many other Hollywood entertainers were known to be open bisexuals and in flagrantly open marriages, this was Scarlett's week to be in the stockade. Dave guessed that she was glad to be out of the country in relative obscurity depending on which scenes the studio was filming. She reported that the studio was overjoyed with the news because it got her name out and in the spotlight in a controversial and racy way.
Dave talked to Jason Riggs about whether the articles or the Circle's behavior was any cause of concern regarding government groups such as Children's Protective Services. He reminded him of the attempts by Alice, Julie, and Karen's parents to wrest the younger Simon children from their parents.
Jason and Robyn spent a couple of days and ferreted out multiple cases and judgments in Florida and other states where somebody had tried to invoke communal living as a basis for removing children from the community. All had failed unless there were other extenuating circumstances, such as drugs, and ultimate decisions regarding child rearing had been left to the parents.
Dave asked Jason about the nudity as a possible basis, but Jason laughed. Several of the cases had been based on families living in nudist colonies, one only about ten miles from the Circle compound. CPS and the petitioning grandparents lost that case, too.
Jason spoke at the monthly general membership meeting about how to treat and speak to anybody from the police or CPS showing up with any kind of warrant or other official or unofficial document regarding the children or anything else going on in the community. His words were reassuring and empowered everyone to stand-up to the authorities until legal help arrived on the scene.
After the original articles appeared in the papers around the southeast of the country, there were various flurries of Letters to the Editor of the various papers. The papers tried to print letters that were both pro and con the Circle or polyamorous lifestyle. That said the Circle took a beating.
Several days after the Tampa and Sarasota articles had appeared some handcrafted signs and graffiti about sin, hell, and damnation appeared taped on the main gate into the Circle. The signs and incidents were reported to the police. A guard had again been posted at the gate for several weeks.
