Special note for our readers: Brittany's cohort in these blog chats has been flying under the pseudonym "Kayla" in previous posts due to the strongly conservative nature of her day job. She has since moved onto another company and so feels comfortable now going by her given name, Angela, and sharing on her personal social media to help boost the signal. Just, ya know, in case you were confused. Kayla=Angela, same broad. 😉
We open on an overcast afternoon, with Brittany and Angela catching up on their day, waiting for it to rain. The conversation quickly turns... alternative.
Angela: I'm here!
Brittany: Same!
We open on an overcast afternoon, with Brittany and Angela catching up on their day, waiting for it to rain. The conversation quickly turns... alternative.
Angela: I'm here!
Brittany: Same!
Angela: Yay!
How are the puppers?
Brittany: They're
happy. There is a small field not too far from here. They seem to understand to
stay off the street, so we let them run around there.
Angela: Good
dogs! I have
to work just trying to keep mine from darting out the front door for her
favorite game: Jail Break (watch the humans chase me!)
Brittany: Thought
it was supposed to rain today, but fuck no. Kiara is watering the gardens. This
place has become like a humid desert lately.
Angela: Ugh,
yes. But my eldest had to walk to work today, so I’m ok with it holding out for
just a little
Brittany: Yeah.
We have the windows open. I was just going to water, but my 11 year old
volunteered. A preteen volunteering to do shit. Lol. Bizarro World
Angela: Definitely!
I ask our teenagers (multiple) to do things around the house and I get the
world’s longest “UUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH“
Brittany: Fortunately,
we only have 2. Charity is 13. They
aren't real confrontational over minor shit most of the time.
Angela: Well,
sprinkle some magic dust on her to keep her willingly helpful for as long as
possible.
Brittany: Lol.
They're a lot easier than I was.
Angela: I was
fairly compliant (natural people-pleaser). I just snuck around and lied about
shit.
But, I
saw on FB you went out with your ladies last night. How was that? It was
supposedly something super gay.
Brittany: Pretty
good. We actually ate at home, but went to see a late showing of Love, Simon.
Simon is totally gay.
Angela: I haven’t
even heard of this. (So, in white-cis-Oklahoma that means it must be Gay.)
Brittany: Yeah.
We found it surfing Fandango to see what movies are around. We'll probably see
A Wrinkle in Time sometime soon, too. We'll definitely take the girls to that one,
Angela: I want
to see A Wrinkle in Time, too.
Was Simon playing at The Circle (our little Indie arthouse theater that isn’t afraid of The Gay, for our out-of-town readers), or a mainstream theater?
Was Simon playing at The Circle (our little Indie arthouse theater that isn’t afraid of The Gay, for our out-of-town readers), or a mainstream theater?
Brittany: Mainstream
at Promenade. Maybe
other places too, but Promenade is close, so we generally go there.
Angela: When we
lived dover there, we practically lived at the AMC across from Promenade. Now
we live at the Warren because it has a cry room. (More clarification for our readers - if you don't know, a cry room is a nice little soundproof place where parents can take babies and little kids to watch a movie on the big screen without worrying that their screaming offspring will disturb other movie-goers. This is not, in fact, a place where you go to cry about your life. Unless the toddler in question is dumping a vat of pink lemonade onto your cell phone... then you might cry in there, too.)
Brittany: Last
night was a date night, since the girls weren't here.
Angela: Nice! I know
you generally have an IDGAF attitude about these things (which is enviable), but do you gals ever get any flack when you’re all out together? I
mean, do you think people realize you’re obviously together, romantically, the
3 of you?
Brittany: Now and
then, if we're being affectionate enough and not in a dark theater where no one
can see it. More often, people just assume we're friends because they're used
to seeing hetero monogamous people. Or at
least male/female couples, and they just assume heterosexuality and monogamy on
their part.
Angela: Do you
feel like you have to act differently in public (more so than a hetero couple
or even a monogamous same-sex couple) than at home? Like, do you consciously
keep the PDA to a minimum?
Brittany: It
depends on where we are and whether we care on any given day. We're kind of
careful if we're in an environment that seems sketchy. Then places like the
dyke bar are totally fine. People just find it interesting.
But
sometimes we honestly don't give a fuck.
If
we're at some gas station in the sticks between Dallas and here, we're more
careful.
Angela: That
makes sense. I was also thinking that it helps a little that you’re all women.
Women are known to be more outwardly affectionate than men, so seeing 3 girls
holding hands or with their arms around each other wouldn’t necessarily seem
“gross” or “offensive," like it would if you were men.
Sadly
Brittany: It
does. Until you get some perv wanting to get it on it.
Angela: Ugh. Right. More
of that toxic masculinity stuff were talking about last time.
Just
don’t kiss or anything. Because then you’re heading right into porno country,
cover the children’s eyes, you need Jesus.
Brittany: Lol. Shit
like that goes on everywhere, but OK can be a difficult place sometimes.
Angela: I know.
It’s just a bit more concentrated in the South. (And yes, I have had long
debates and in-depth research into what region of the US Oklahoma is
considered to belong, and we are officially The South. Fight me.)
Brittany: Yeah. I
consider it south, too. Southern culture here, good and bad, and I'm from MN, so
everyone is south to me.
Angela: Lol!
I’m from all over *gestures vaguely* so I don‘t have a preference, but
according to Official Sources, we’re definitely South. But I get why people
think Midwest, too, being right next to that region. We’re influenced by both.
But the bigotry... I’d never seen anything like it before I moved here as a
teenager. And I lived for several years in Texas! Like, we make Texas look
progressive.
Brittany: Well,
aside from abortion. We definitely have better access to abortion than Texans
do. Idk why.
Some
people seem to think to think love is a finite resource, so like for me to love 2 people, I have to
divide it so it's less for each. That isn't accurate at all.
Angela: I’ve
heard that perspective. I have
come to the conclusion that monogamy isn’t about love. I’m
monogamous, but it has more to do with a person’s ability to be open to more
than one person. And, depending on the person, that person’s ability to not be
jealous. There’s probably a more eloquent way to put that, but in essence...
Brittany: Yeah.
Monogamy is perfectly valid, though not for everyone. You put that perfectly.
Angela: It
would be a lot better if more people understood and accepted that fact. I don’t
understand why we define our entire societal structure on our tight definition
of “normal” relationships.
Brittany: We
aren't real prone to jealousy in general. A lot of people in poly relationships
or open relationships use the word compersion. The opposite of jealousy.
Angela: You
3... you’re raising kids, running a household, contributing to society. What’s
the problem?
Compersion. I have
never heard that term.
Brittany: Yeah. I
don't think it exists in the dictionary at this time, but it exists. In the
world.
But
yeah. We're just 3 women raising a family in a house with some pets. Our
lifestyle isn't super flamboyant. We're
fairly introverted most of the time.
Sure
threesome and some kinky shit happen with a certain regularity, but we're
pretty private about it.
Angela: Monogamous
couples do kinky shit, too. People just don't talk about it.
Do you
think there is much jealousy in many polyamorous relationships? I mean, I know
it seems counter-intuitive, but I'm sure it comes up.
Brittany: Yeah,
People tend to assume poly = kinky. Maybe we're more open to certain things,
but not all poly people are kinky, and not all monogamous people are vanilla.
It's not like there's a litmus test.
(Jealousy) isn't uncommon, but it can be addressed and processed. Boundaries in general
are important, and make a big difference.
Angela: I feel
like, and correct me if I'm wrong, that people getting into poly relationships
are naturally better at communicating and drawing those boundaries in a clear
way (better than many monogamous couples), simply because they know what they
are getting into isn't conventional. Is that right?
Brittany: I mean,
there are poly curious (and kink curious) noobs running around trying things
without looking into what it means. They can end up in an unhealthy situation,
but most other poly people I've come across seem to be a little better at
that.
Some
probably research it. I did. Others end up with someone who already understands
communication and boundaries.
Angela: That
makes sense. People are stupid, no matter what they're into. But It's good that
you did some research. More mono couples should probably do that, too.
Brittany: Yeah.
I've seen plenty of mono people with a horrible sense of boundaries. Maybe mono
people are more likely to assume it'll just fall into place like in the
romantic movies.
Angela: Exactly that.
When
did you figure out that you'd be open to a relationship like that?
Brittany: Trisha
and I were open sexually from day 1, but it wasn't until we got to know
Michelle that we knew we wanted her in the actual relationship as opposed to
some casual thing.
Angela: That's
neat.
Brittany: I met
Michelle 4 days into grad school. For a while, it was pretty casual with her,
then with all of us. Eventually it became a serious relationship.
Getting
close to 2 years of serious now.
Angela
That's
fantastic!
Brittany: I think
so.
Angela: Do you
feel like there are any alphas in the relationship, or are you all on pretty
equal footing?
Brittany: Trisha
is the most dominant sexually. I'm a little bit alpha when it comes to
finances, but I've always been on top of money related things. I'm the most submissive sexually. People who interact with me only outside of that context seem all suprised to find out for some reason. But, for the most part, we're on equal footing, and communicate in a healthy way.
Speaking
of finances, an advantage people don't always think about: Triple income
situation.
Angela: Right????
Brittany: Like
the mortgage is just over $800. Divide that by 3 and get an awesome number.
Angela: Ok,
that brings me to the living arrangement situation. Are you all 3 in the same
bedroom? Separate rooms?
Brittany: We
sleep in the same bed. "King size" is big enough. None of us are very
big.
Angela: But all
your stuff fits in the same room? You don't feel cramped at all? (these are the weird things my brain wonders when pondering how people fit even just one extra person into a long-term relationship, lol)
Brittany: There's a big dresser in the closet, and some clothes have ended up in the girls' bathroom since it's huge and has cabinets. They have their own dressers in their rooms, so it's not really an issue.
We have our things that we do alone and with different pairings (like kickboxing is Michelle and I's thing), but we always come together in the end.
We have our things that we do alone and with different pairings (like kickboxing is Michelle and I's thing), but we always come together in the end.
Angela: That's
great. Do Trisha and Michelle do things together, without you? Or are you sort
of the connective glue that keeps you all together?
Brittany: They
do, and that's awesome to me that they have their time.
Angela: That is
pretty great that you each relate to each other individually as well as as a
unit.
Brittany: Yeah.
And other than books and vinyls taking up space, it isn't too cluttered. Things
no one needed anymore either got sold, given away, or put that in the attic.
It's a
3 bedroom house.
Angela: So,
what does a typical day in your household look like? Schedule-wise. Does
everyone work outside the home? Do you juggle responsibilities? Housework? Cooking?
Brittany: We
share housework. I cook a lot of the time, but Charity likes to pretty
frequently. She wants to go to culinary school, which she'll be great at if she
does. Trisha works a 7am schedule outside the home. Michelle and I are both 8am
schedule.
Usually, we eat around 6 or 7pm and either watch tv or end up doing separate things.
Reading, on the computer etc.
Angela: Sounds
pretty standard.
Brittany: Yeah.
Not so exotic.
From here the convo dissolves into boring gotta-gos and promises of editing and publishing and plans for the next post. You don't wanna read all that.
From here the convo dissolves into boring gotta-gos and promises of editing and publishing and plans for the next post. You don't wanna read all that.
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