Family Tradition

Thank you for all the comments on my previous stories. This one came to me after seeing a story in which a bride dumped her groom upon finding out he had slept with her mother the week before the wedding. I took a different approach.

It does include a woman having sex with a man other than her husband (although it is not described in great detail) so it should meet the Loving Wives criteria.

*****

We had just finished cleaning up after dinner when she made my heart skip a beat.

"Honey, get us a couple of drinks and meet me in the living room. There's something we need to talk about."

This longer, wordier version of 'we need to talk' didn't have me looking forward to this conversation, but I dutifully did as requested.

Mary and I had been together for nearly two years and were getting married next Saturday; exactly one week (7 days) from today. We already lived together and had been having sex (spectacularly great sex, I might add) since about 2 months after we started seeing each other. I had no doubts about our relationship or marrying her, and wondered what this might be about.

We sat together on the love seat and we each took sips from our drinks. I could tell she was having some trouble getting started so I thought I'd try to help her out a bit.

"Mary, are you breaking up with me?"

She turned to me with a look of horror.

"God, no, Henry. I love you and plan to be with you the rest of my life, and I can hardly wait to marry you. It's nothing like that."

"What then, baby? You know you don't have to worry about talking with me about anything."

"I know, love. This is just...well, it's a conversation I've known was coming, for years really, but it's still hard to get started."

I took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Whatever it is we'll handle it together, okay?"

Mary turned and smiled at me, then obviously just decided there was nothing to do but say it.

"Henry, baby, you know how close my family is to each other, and how much they love you."

I did. My family certainly loved each other but Mary's family, if such a thing could be ranked, would be much higher up.

"Sure, baby. And you know how much I love them, as well."

"I do. I told you early on how important that was to me and the relationship you have with them exceeded even what I had hoped for. But with our wedding a week away, there's one last thing that needs to be done. It's a family tradition, I guess you would say. It's something my family has done for generations as a way of bringing the family together whenever there's a marriage. Our feeling is that it makes the new member of the family, well, a closer part of it."

"Well, that doesn't sound too bad. What do I have to do?"

"You know, of course, that we talked about me staying with my parents starting tonight, and you wouldn't see me until I'm walking down the aisle with dad on the day of the wedding. Well, the Friday night before the wedding you'll be spending with my mom."

I liked Mary's mom quite a bit, and as they say that if you want to know what a woman will look like when she gets older then look at her mother, well, let's just say I was pleased with the expected result.

"Oh, that's interesting. So, your mom and I will be going to dinner, spending the time talking and really getting to know each other, that kind of thing?"

"Well, I'm sure dinner and conversation will be a part of it, but that's not really the tradition that I was talking about. You and mom will be getting, well, to know each other very well."

"Mary, please, can you just say what you mean?"

She took a deep breath to compose her nerves then looked me straight in the eye.

"Henry, you'll be spending Friday night fucking my mother."

Of all the things I might have thought this was about, that wasn't even on the list, and I think the evidence was quite visible in my expression.

"You're not...you're not serious?"

"I'm completely serious, my love. As I said, my family believes that intimacy between the husband-or-wife-to-be and the opposite parent creates an unbreakable bond and truly brings that person into the family. As I said it's gone on for generations."

"Are you telling me that your dad..."

"Fucked Grandma Agnes? Like a champ, from what grandma has to say about it; and yes, Grandpa Frank fucked Great Grandma Alice. And on and on back through generations of people you've never even heard of, let alone met. You've mentioned before how well dad and Grandma get along; well, now you know why."

"And the husbands...I mean, your dad, he's...okay with this?"

"Look baby, you don't have to decide right now," she said, avoiding my question. "The time I'm spending with my parents this week will give you time to think about it. Just remember how very important this is. You can say no if you want, but that means we can't get married and we'd have to break up."

I was really beginning to freak out. An hour ago I was blissfully waiting for my wedding day to approach so I could promise myself to the only woman I've ever known that I wanted to spent my life with. Now all of a sudden I was being told that if I didn't agree to something that, on first thought, I considered to be morally objectionable that not only would my wedding be cancelled but I would lose that woman entirely.

Suddenly my dinner was dissatisfied with its present accommodations and made plans to make a return appearance from whence it now was. I leapt off the couch without a word and just made it to the bathroom (thankfully out apartment isn't very large) before its presence made itself known.

I stayed there until nothing was coming up but air and my abdominal muscles were in full rebellion. Mary was right behind me when at last I felt confident enough to turn my head away from the Porcelain God and end my prayer, sitting on the floor directly beside it just in case.

"Are you okay, baby?"

I looked at her as if she had suddenly grown a green head out of each sides of her neck.

"No, Mary, I'm not okay. I've just been told that I have to do something that I find at least morally questionable at best or I lose the love of my life forever. Isn't there some leeway, some provision in your 'tradition' for a man that loves you with all his heart and soul but isn't comfortable with...with what you're asking?"

"There's not, honey, I'm sorry. Mom actually was engaged to someone before she met dad and he wouldn't do it, said he didn't think it was right. She dropped him that day and never spoke to him again."

"But you can break the cycle, Mary. We can just fly off to Vegas and elope..."

Suddenly, if Mary's look was any indication, those green alien heads had just sprouted from my neck.

"Henry, I'm surprised at you! I would never disrespect my parents, in fact my entire family, by doing something like that, and if you think I would you don't know me very well at all!"

I knew that, of course, and had I not been in such an emotional upheaval I wouldn't have even suggested it. Mary would never go against something her family considered so important. I apologized.

"It's all right, honey. I know this has been quite a shock. That's why I told you now, so you'd have a week to think about what you wanted to do."

Suddenly a thought popped into my head.

"My God, Mary, if I was to somehow agree to this and then we had a daughter then you'd..." I trailed off.

"Have to fuck our future son-in-law? Yes, Henry, that's part of it as well. But if we have a son then the responsibility would fall to you."

Now, I hadn't even thought about that, though the unbroken streak of daughters being born into this family didn't give me much confidence as far as that idea was concerned.

"Mary, this is...this is too much. I don't think I can do this."

She climbed into my lap even as I sat on the bathroom floor. She wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned her head against mine.

"Henry, my love, you are the strongest man I know in here," she said, tapping me on the chest. "I would trust my life to you because I know you have the strength to do what needs to be done for me and for us. I love you with everything I have, but this has to be a decision you make. I'm going to pack for the week and I have every confidence that you and I will be standing together at the altar on Saturday and getting married, and all that implies."

"Mary, I..."

I couldn't think of anything to say as she stood up, and I remained on the bathroom floor for the entirety of Mary's packing. I was completely numb and lost all track of time, but at least I didn't puke again.

She got on her knees in front of me, taking my hands in hers. She looked at me with sincere affection. I knew she loved me and that the thought of this coming between us was painful to her as well, but I knew her well enough to know that she would not bend on this.

"When you've made a decision just call my parent's house. This will be the last time I see you before our wedding. You need to either invite my mother out for Friday night, or you can ask for your rings back. I know you'll make the right choice. Would you like me to help you up, baby?"

"No, I think I'm just gonna sit here for a while, just in case."

She kissed me on the forehead and then walked out of the apartment. I truly wondered if I'd ever see her again.

*****

I slept that night on the couch, for some reason not wanting to be in the bed without Mary. It was like by not sleeping there alone then I could pretend Mary was there and that this whole nightmare hadn't just happened.

It didn't work, of course. I woke up the next morning just as alone as I had gone to bed the night before, and emotionally probably even more so.

The thought of eating breakfast nearly triggered the dry heaves again, so I just went for a walk. The fresh air seemed to help.

I considered again the scenario I was faced with. The only thing I could think of was how wrong it all seemed, but I didn't have anywhere to turn for another perspective. My very conservative parents would flip out at this very idea and probably demand that I break off all contact with Mary and her family, so I couldn't discuss it with them and the rest of my extended family wasn't any better.

At some point I realized there was really only one person, someone that had gone through it himself, that could possibly give me any kind of perspective on this, and that would be an awkward conversation for me to raise since we would be talking about, you know, me screwing his wife. But I saw no other choice because if I couldn't somehow wrap my head around this then I'd be calling for my rings back, and I didn't really want that.

I walked back to the apartment and dialed the number.

"Henry, my boy, I was wondering how long it was going to take you to call after that little bomb my daughter dropped on you yesterday. I assume you need to talk."

"Yes sir. Would you be free at some point today?"

"Let's meet at Clancy's Pub about 6:30. We'll have some beer and some food and talk through this."

"Thank you, sir. I'll see you then."

*****

The afternoon seemed to crawl by but at last 6:30 was approaching. I arrived 5 minutes early to find Mary's father already waiting in a back booth that would afford us some measure of privacy. I walked over and sat down.

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, sir."

"Henry, we've known each other for a couple years now. I think you can drop the sir bit. It's Joe, or even dad if you like, but not sir. And I was expecting your call. I already had the time set aside, though it took you longer than I expected."

"I was pretty stunned by what Mary said, s...Joe. I'm sorry, right now calling you dad seems a little premature."

"So you're considering breaking up with Mary?"

"I'm considering pretty much everything, including checking into the local monastery and committing my life to God."

"From what my daughter has said it would be a damn shame to take you out of the male population, if you know what I mean, so I hope you eliminate that option."

I shook my head at the thought of Mary sharing information about our sex life with her parents, and more specifically her father. He noticed.

"I'm sorry, Henry, but we talk pretty openly about this kind of stuff. It's not such a big deal if it's out in the open all the time. So, what can I tell you, my boy?"

"I guess my first question is: how do you feel about this?"

"Henry, I'd be lying if I told you that the idea of a virile young man fucking my wife is something I was happy about. I imagine I'll spend that night heavily under the influence of something and then sleep it off in a nearby hotel. But I knew what I was agreeing to when I agreed to this and had sex with Agnes 24 years ago, and I will do my part for the family."

"Did you ever, you know, when your wife was pregnant..."

"Did I hope it was a boy? Hell yes I did. And not because I was thinking with my little head and imagining what beauty my son might bring home. My entire focus was on not wanting to be where we are now."

"How did you decide to go through with it? I mean, I've always been taught that being in a committed relationship, even if you're not actually married, means that person is the only one you're intimate with. I understand that, in this case, everyone is aware of what's going on and has given their approval, but I'm still in conflict with what I was taught."

"And only you can decide how you're going to apply those things to your life, Henry. For better or worse, we're all raised as our parents see fit. But once we reach an adult age, as you have, we have to evaluate those life lessons and decide if we agree with them."

"I see your point. Just because that's how I was raised doesn't mean that's what I have to believe."

"Exactly. You're an adult now, Henry, and you have to decide what's right for you personally. That's part of free will. But the fact is that in your mind what's being suggested is wrong, and that'll be hard to overcome. Let's pretend for a moment that you don't have the moral objection of you being intimate with a woman other than Mary; what else about this situation bothers you?"

"Well, the first thing that comes to mind is...well, sir, I mean, Joe..." I stopped and took a deep breath. "My first thought is how I would face you...like, would it be awkward, what with my having had sex with your wife and you knowing about it."

A wide smile appeared on Joe's face, while a perplexed look came on to mine.

"You know, Henry, that was the first thing I thought of as well. How on earth was I going to stand at the altar and face Frank, whose wife I would have just spent the night with, as he walked Millie down the aisle, not to mention for the rest of our lives? So I called him, just like you called me. I told you I was expecting you to call."

He did, though it hadn't registered at the time. The more things change, the more they stay the same, as they say; I imagine the scenario has played out most every time. What man, after being told they were expected to have sex with their future mother-in-law with the full knowledge of the family, would have no problem with it? Calling the man whose wife it was you'd be with was a natural reaction.

"So you had a meeting with Mary's grandfather just like we're having now?"

"Sure did. And he told me the same things I'm going to tell you right now, Henry. And you need to hear this."

I put my drink on the table and gave him my full attention. He continued.

"I realize that this 'tradition', as they call it, is unorthodox. But the women in this family are exceptionally and fiercely loyal to their men, Henry. I guarantee that you will never have any cause to believe that Mary will be unfaithful to you, or even put herself into the position that it might appear that she has been. She would sooner die than embarrass you or make you doubt her love and faithfulness. With the obvious exception of your future son-in-law of course."

"I believe that. It's one of the things that made me fall in love with Mary in the first place."

"Your marriage will be the kind that all men seek. I realize that this is my daughter I'm talking about, son, but for the rest of your life she will be a perfect lady in public but the proverbial whore in the bedroom."

I felt myself flush as he talked about his own daughter that way, and the smile that crossed his lips told me he noticed. He continued.

"She will deny you nothing in the bedroom. You think the last couple of years have been good? You ain't seen nothing yet. But no other man will even get a peek at her...charms, let alone get a hand anywhere near them. Knowing what I know now, even with what is to happen on Friday night, I can tell you with absolute certainty that it has been worth it, and I promise you that Frank would tell you the same thing. I love Millie more every single day and would do anything for her. I would drop dead this second if that's what she wanted. That's how much she means to me. And on Friday night, if you make what I consider to be the right decision and move forward toward marrying Mary by having Millie in your bed, don't hold back. Enjoy it, and help Millie enjoy it.

This was all so much to take in. It seemed inconceivable to be speaking so casually with a man about my taking his wife to bed.

"So, you and Grandma Agnes..."

I couldn't really put into words what I wanted to say, but he seemed to know what I was asking.

"It was pretty incredible, Henry. Times have changed quite a bit, of course. You and Mary have much more experience than Millie and I had with our wedding a week away. Agnes was not just a pleasure to be with but she taught me a lot about pleasing a woman, and Millie has often thanked her mother for that."

"But everyone knows about this. Doesn't that make things...weird?"

"Actually, it's just the opposite, Henry. Since everyone knows about it, there's no secret to be kept. It's simply something that happens and everyone accepts it as normal."

"So no one even talks about it?"

"I wouldn't say that. It's just not a big deal. You'll probably be asked how it went, did you guys bond, that kind of thing. It may come up in casual conversation over the years, just like any other happening in our lives. But it's not like people will be coming up to you going 'Dude, I can't believe you fucked Millie. Was she hot?'"

"How about you and Agnes? Was there any weirdness with you afterwards? I'm worried about my relationship with Millie as well."

"Not at all. In fact, it gave us something very intimate and personal to share. It bonded us together and, by extension, bonded me close to the family as a whole. I know how they do it is unusual but the results are exactly what they're after."

We finished our drinks and I thanked Joe for his time. He had easily dismissed my concerns about what my relationship would be with Mary's family if I went through with this. It seems like it was just a part of being in the family and it was treated no differently than if Millie and I were to spend an evening together bowling. I found it very strange but then it was new to me.

So that left me with really only one other concern: agreeing to this meant doing so with the knowledge that one day Mary would have sex with another man, presuming she and I had a daughter of course. For the record, I am familiar with 5 generations of Mary's family and there have been exactly zero sons born in that time. Not even one.

That seems odd, since supposedly it is the male contribution to the fertilization process that determines the baby's gender. With all these sons-in-law joining the family you'd think some males would be born, but none had and I had no illusions of changing that undefeated streak. So to my mind I would be committing to a marriage that I knew in advance would contain an act of adultery, at least under its strictest definition.