We rushed to shower and breakfast to be on time to meet the driver in the lobby as per the studio instructions. We waited and waited then Caileigh accidently discovered our driver waiting outside way down the block. We raced through traffic, were met at the door by nervous producers, and rushed through security. I was zoomed up to the "dubbing" room where I tried to recover my breath and relax in order to do the calm, friendly, voice-over of our taping the night before. Three takes and I nailed it. Was I now a star? Nah.

I was escorted to the briefing room to find the rest of my family was there. Whew. We couldn't even pee without a guard, security was so tight and also to prevent Juan & Cindy from meeting Melanie before their live meeting on the show.. The entire staff of our show joined to go over our "script". We rehearsed a general over-view of what we were and weren't to discuss. We weren't allowed to state our professions, especially that we had a psychotherapist and lawyer in our family, nor our last names, our books, web sites, where we met, tantra, the Loving More conferences or the lovemore web site. I was a bit concerned if people were going to be able to contact us or poly folks afterwards because I wanted them to be able to get the real scoop after the editors got to our performance.

I was to go on first, all by myself (gulp). They swore up and down we weren't going to have any hostile adversaries in the audience. In fact, they screen all the questions so they're not going to allow anything mean or disrespectful. The "challenge" was supposed to be relatively neutral--there just to protect the show to establish that they weren't advocating our lifestyle, simply reporting the issues. However, there was one area we all were in agreement since John Walsh is an advocate for children and Cindy is Calieigh's mother, Caileigh was to be protected at all times and would not be subjected to anything cruel or harsh. The meeting finished at 11am. Our taping was at 4pm. Hurry up and wait. Caileigh picked up an etch-a-sketch and proceeded to entertain us bored adults as only a creative 12-year old can do.

Wardrobe ran to Saks next door and bought clothes for Caileigh and Cindy and they fit perfectly! Makeup lightly fluffed dark-skinned Juan while they caked everything they had on pale-faced me.

At the far right, first row were a handful of polys recruited by Justin Michels, a NY poly networker. I was relieved to find that during the show Mr. Walsh gave the mike to several of our poly supporters who asked relevant questions allowing us to establish our main points. Things were going too smooth. A holy-ruler scolded, "You're disobeying God's commandments." "They ain't my commandments, Lady," Sasha responded. After a commercial break John let her stand again. "You're committing adultery", she reprimanded. We forgot to warn Juan not to get into a no-win religious debate and he launched into a story about Solomon in response. It felt like a fumble, and we no sooner recovered when we were handed another offensive maneuver. One woman said, "I think you're really gross" while another man attacked us because Mel was new to the family, Juan and Cindy hadn't met her, so tried to make us look like swingers. "But wait, there's nothing wrong with swingers, it's about choice," I thought. "No, don't go there", I cautioned myself. "That's another trap hard to escape."

As nervous and afraid as I was, I suddenly found myself feeling a deep sense of peace, compassion and love as I realized how deathly afraid our attackers must be, how fragile their belief structures that they could be so easily shaken simply by someone else's beliefs. In the midst of the lights, tension, conflict and fighting the urge to defend, I got it. I opened up my heart chakra. I beamed love through my eyes. My whole aura swelled with compassion. I felt proud as we as a group showed intense love for one another. We hugged, held hands, looked in each others eyes. We believed and saw the future. We saw the lives we were touching out there in our unseen audience. We knew if we got it, others would get it too just by us showing them that we exist. Just because these people were hostile and afraid today, that doesn't mean they will be so tomorrow.

Another poly supporter was allowed to stand and express how brave we were. Cindy and Juan's children eloquently expressed how they supported their parent's choices while choosing monogamy for themselves. A woman noticed Mel's discomfort and asked how Mel felt. "Thank you caring about my feelings", Mel responded. "Actually, she added, "My grown daughter had discovered polyamory before I had." A light went on over John Walsh's head. He remembered his youth. "I get it, it's like a commune in the 60's." "Yes, we're a tribe", I responded. "People once believed the world was flat. It took them a while to change, but they did," John added.

Final commercial break, Caileigh was escorted in at the end, sat between Mom and Dad and shyly smiled. John Walsh said, "It was a long flight, wasn't it Caileigh?" "Yeah, "Caleigh replied. Polyamory, while not totally understood appeared to be accepted. "Leave It to Beaver" was finally laid to rest. Cindy had to give back her clothes but Caileigh got to keep hers because she's a kid. We had one day to recover, then back on the plane for another 20-hour, grueling flight. I had a horrible allergic reaction to all that heavy stage makeup and my faced puffed up and I looked like a monster for days, even after I go home. I love it. I wouldn't change a single moment of it for anything in the world.