Family Tradition: Next Generation

"At least he didn't puke, like I did." They each gave me a small smile.

"He's finding it the hardest decision he's ever had to make in his life, just as I did. Think about this. It's an easy choice for the guy who doesn't care: go ahead and fuck the mom, and when it comes time for your wife to be unfaithful to you, make sure you've already done it to her. The better the man, the more he wants to be true to you, the harder the choice is, the worse he'll feel afterward, and the harder it will hit him when his wife fucks someone else. David's a good man, so he's going through hell right now."

Cassie was almost in tears. "Is he considering...?"

"Yes." I watched them for a moment. "Just like I did. I even considered going into a monastery, remember?"

Mary looked nervously at me. "Are you ... are you sorry?"

"No. As hard as the choice was for me then, and as much as I hate what you plan to do Friday night, the truth is that I'm not sorry, I've never been sorry, and I don't believe I ever will be. Before you ask, Cassie, David did ask me that, and I told him exactly the same thing."

They both smiled at me with tears in their eyes.

"I love you, Dad." Then my older daughter was hugging me while my wife beamed at both of us. It should have been a healing moment for me, but it wasn't. I couldn't get my mind off what would happen Friday night.

I got another phone call, and another lunch date, the next day. Bill and Karen wanted me to come by their hotel. My Sherlock Holmes System (pat. pend.) wasn't needed: even Dr. Watson would have known what they wanted to talk about.

They started with the same question David had asked me: how did they come up with this idiotic mess? I gave them the same explanation I gave David, though the more I thought about it the less sense it made. They wanted to know how I felt about their son fucking my wife; that, I could tell them plainly, and did. They asked if I had tried to talk Mary and Cassie out of it, and if there was any chance they would change their minds. I told them I'd pretty much given up on that.

Bill got the look on his face that guys get when the preliminaries are over and they're going to get down to business. "Henry, our son is absolutely torn up right now. He's completely in love with your daughter. We've only just met her, but we're in love with her, too. She's a wonderful girl, she loves him to pieces, and she'll make a superb wife and mother. Then a week before the wedding, she pulls this out of her hat. David is beside himself, and somehow I don't think you're much better off."

I nodded; he was right.

"You tell me there's no chance they will reconsider." I nodded again.

"That's what we thought." He cleared his throat. "Karen and I have talked this over, and we have a plan to offer you. I'm going to ask Karen to tell you, partially because you need to know she's completely on board with this, and also because it was mostly her idea."

Karen took up the tale. "As Bill said, we've talked this over and agreed on it. David is really torn up about the choice he has to make, and this is the only thing we can think of to help him. Besides, we want to help you, too." Karen took a deep breath and went on.

"Had you thought much about what you would be doing while David and your wife are together?"

"Sort of, but I hadn't reached any conclusions."

"Bill and I are suggesting that you spend that time with me."

I nodded, and was about to say what a thoughtful offer it was, when I realized what she was actually saying.

"You mean?"

"Yes, I do. It's the one thing I can think of that might force Mary to reconsider. Sort of fighting fire with fire, you know? Don't worry," she went on, addressing the look on my face, "it won't be the first time for me with another man. We don't cheat, and I always make sure Bill is completely on board before I do anything, but yes, I've had sex with other men, and he has with other women. This time, we even have a good cause." She paused. "Well, what do you think?"

At first, all I could think of was, oh, crap, it's another one of those choices. Then I realized Karen was right: this just might make Mary change her mind, where everything I tried had failed miserably.

"Um," I began intelligently, "I'm not a very good bluffer, especially to Mary: she knows me too well. For this to work, we have to be ready to, uh, go through with it."

Karen gave me one of those woman looks. You know what I mean. "Would there be a problem with that?"

"Oh! um, no. Not at all. No problem. No problem at all. I'd, um enjoy it. I'm sure I would. You're beautiful and ..." I ground to a halt as Karen and Bill both laughed at my stammering.

Karen took pity on me. "We knew you'd never think of such a thing, let alone suggest it, because you're a good man and a faithful one. That's why we had to think of it for you. You understand it would only be one night, ever." I nodded.

Bill added, "We're both perfectly comfortable with the idea of Karen spending the night with you, in every sense of the word. Just so you know, I have a free pass for that night, though I haven't decided whether or not I'll use it."

"And if Mary calls it off..." I began.

"Then we're off too, and poor old Bill has to put up with me yet again." The look Karen and Bill exchanged told me they could handle that circumstance quite nicely, thank you. Of course, it's what I was hoping for, too. Karen was hot, and I was sure it would be good with her, but I really wanted to spend the night before Cassie's wedding with Mary.

We were each busy with our own thoughts for a few moments, until Karen spoke.

"So, do we have a plan?"

We did. I thanked them profusely, apologized for the family tradition, even though it wasn't my fault, and went home for a talk with my wife.

Mary looked tired. The stress of preparing for the wedding was telling on her, and her worries about me were making it worse. She did light up when I said I wanted to talk with her: we hadn't done that much for the last few days.

"Mary, what do you think I'll be doing while you and David are together Friday night?" She looked puzzled.

"I guess I haven't thought much about it. There's been a lot on my mind, you know. I don't think I realized just how much other people did for me when I was the bride instead of the mother! Mom probably mentioned it a time or two, but I must not have been paying attention. I'm always running somewhere, and half the time, I'm afraid I'm forgetting something.

"I'm worried about you, too, Henry. It's killing me that you hurt so badly, and I can't do anything about it. With all that, I guess I haven't thought much about what you'll be doing Friday. Why?"

"Bill and Karen asked about it. They figured I hadn't given it much thought either, and they were right. So they suggested that I spend the time with Karen."

Mary smiled. "Oh, how thoughtful of them! I do like them, Henry. That's a great idea. You're not the kind to go out and get drunk or go clubbing or something like that. This is perfect. I'll welcome David into the family, and you'll have some time to get to know..." Mary's smile faded as her words trailed off.

"Henry, would you be with Bill and Karen, or just Karen?"

"Just Karen."

"And would you ..."

"Yes, I will." Mary paled. I was glad she was sitting down.

"Henry, please tell me you're kidding. Please tell me this is some kind of sick joke."

"No, Mary, it isn't. If you fuck David Friday night, you will know as you do it that I'm fucking Karen."

"Henry, love, please. I know you're upset. I understand you're hurting, but please, please don't do this to me. I don't think I could take it. Please don't be unfaithful to me." She was almost in tears.

"I'll only be unfaithful to you if you are to me."

"Henry, I don't have any choice! Cassie's counting on me! Don't you see, I'm not choosing to be unfaithful, I have to do this!"

"Mary, there's always a choice. Always. I had to make a terrible choice twenty plus years ago. I did it, and I stand by it. Now it's your turn." Mary sat up straighter and challenged me.

"When you made that choice, you accepted what's going to happen Friday night. You know you did. I told you about it, I didn't hide it. You accepted this when you married me."

"You're right, I did. I never said there wouldn't be consequences."

"Consequences, I can live with. I already am. I don't think I can handle your cheating on me."

"It will only be the one time, just one night in our entire marriage. When you return to being my faithful wife, I'll return to being your faithful husband."

Mary stared at me, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You mean you would really be unfaithful to me over this?" She spoke so softly I could barely hear her.

"If you are unfaithful to me with David, I will be unfaithful to you with Karen."

We sat silent for a moment, then Mary gave an unearthly scream, jumped out of her chair, and bolted up the stairs to our room. I heard the door slam, then her muffled sobs.

I'd never heard Mary sob like that, and it tore at my heart. If I'm honest, though, I must admit that part of me said, "Now she knows how it feels." Then I remembered one odd thing she'd said: Cassie was counting on her to fuck David. What was that all about?

I wasn't particularly surprised the next day to find that I had a lunch date with Millie. If this kept up, I'd never have to buy lunch again. Which would be good, because being father of the bride is not cheap!

Millie spent several minutes telling me how horrible Mary felt, how disappointed they both were in me, how I agreed to this when I married her and she had to do it, and I shouldn't make it harder for her. I calmly gave Millie the same answers I'd given Mary. She told me I'd already had my one time, with her; I reminded her that was before we were married, and that she and Mary had instigated it, not me. Millie sighed.

"Isn't there any room for compromise in this, Henry? Is there any wiggle room here?" I remembered asking Mary the same question all those years ago.

"Millie, I'll give Mary exactly the same amount of wiggle room she gave me." Millie thought for a moment.

"I knew you would have problems with this. You're very different from Joe. If I hadn't known it before, I certainly learned that the night we were together." She smiled. I wished she hadn't brought that up; I was embarrassed both for myself and for Joe.

"You see, Henry, I do understand, but why do you have to go to this extreme?"

"Three reasons. First, Mary has a decision to make."

"No, she doesn't," Millie interrupted me. "She has no choice! She has to do this, and you already agreed to it!"

"Millie, everything we do is a choice. Yes, I agreed to it, and I won't try to physically stop her or tell her she can't do it. I can, and I will, insure that there are consequences." She thought for a moment.

"Okay, I guess you could look at it that way. For argument's sake, let's say that she does have a choice. What then?"

"If she's going to make the right choice, she needs to have all the information. A big part of that is, or should be, knowing how much this hurts. Now I know that she does.

"Second, I will not just sit at home while my wife fucks around on me. You've always known how important fidelity is to both of us. I won't go overboard, and this isn't about revenge. It's about fairness. If she has a night with another man, I will have a night with another woman.

"The third and most important thing is this. Cassie's fiancé is a fine young man, and he's going through hell right now, just as I did the week before my wedding. What should be one of the best weeks of his life has been turned into a nightmare. His parents and I feel the same way about it: the better the man who wants to marry into this family, the worse he gets hurt. We want to get David out of this."

I could see Millie getting more and more upset as I spoke. "You want to tear down the tradition that's lasted six generations now? The tradition that's made so many strong marriages?" She was aghast.

"It's not doing much for Mary and me right now, is it?" Millie looked at me for a long minute.

"You're completely serious, aren't you?" She could see in my face that I was.

"All right, you leave me no choice but to tell you the whole story. Mary, Cassie, and Penny all know it, but you'll be the first man in six generations to hear it. There's just one thing I want to ask of you."

"Yes?"

"Don't tell Joe. Please promise me this." I wanted to ask her why, but it was obviously very important to her, and I didn't want to pry. I gave her my word, and she began.

"The story, and the family tradition, begin in New York in the 1870s. A very rich man found out that his wife could not have children. He desperately wanted a son to whom he could pass on his business and his wealth. His wife had a maid named Keziah, who was very beautiful and similar to her in build and coloring. She came up with the idea that her husband should get Keziah pregnant, then adopt any sons she might bear.

"The two of them presented the idea to Keziah. She was horror struck, not so much at the idea that her master would have sex with her at her mistress' bidding (that was common enough in those days), but that she should be turned into a sort of brood mare to pop out sons for her master and mistress.

"'What if I have a daughter?' Keziah asked. 'Daughters, you can keep and raise yourself, or dispose of, as you wish,' Keziah's mistress informed her. Keziah was stunned by her mistress' callousness, as if she were talking about chickens, not children.

"'What if I will not?' she asked, greatly daring. 'Then you will have no place here, and no reference for a place anywhere,' she was coldly informed. 'If you will not, there are others who will.'"

I couldn't help shuddering. Millie continued her tale.

"Keziah's master was kinder than his wife, or perhaps he just wanted to avoid upsetting the girl whose body he was hoping to enjoy. He gave her some time to think it over; she needn't answer them for a fortnight.

"Of course, she was desperate. There was no one to whom she could turn for help, until she finally remembered a friend of her grandmother's from long ago, a midwife. She found the woman, now old and poor, in a run-down tenement. The old woman didn't want to see Keziah, but relented gruffly when she mentioned her grandmother's name.

"Keziah told her story to the old woman. Her grim expression never changed. 'Come back tomorrow,' was all she said.

"The next day was the last of the fortnight. Keziah knocked on the old woman's door.

"'Have you decided?' the midwife asked her.

"'What choice do I have?' Keziah responded sadly.

"'There's always a choice,' the old woman replied, 'but you've already decided. So be it, then. I can give you something to make sure you never conceive. Think well, though, because never means never, and you might marry someday, or your master might suspect you. Instead, I can give you something that lets you only conceive daughters. Your master will never have a son, but you will have children of your own.'

"Keziah took the second choice. The midwife gave her one potion to swallow, and one to put inside herself before the master took her for the first time. She gave her instructions for making both, in case she needed them again. Keziah tried to pay her, but she would accept nothing, saying she did it for her grandmother. A family obligation, she called it." Millie looked meaningfully at me.

"Keziah fell pregnant by her master three times, and gave birth to three beautiful, healthy girls. Her mistress wanted to throw them all out of the house and find another girl who would give them sons. Like most people of that day, she didn't know that it's the male's contribution that determines the sex of the child. Keziah's master had grown fond of her, so to protect her and her daughters from his wife, he found her a place with a friend of his, and sent her off with a large sum of money for their daughters. He never did have a son, as the midwife had predicted.

"Keziah never married, and raised her daughters by herself. She taught them to think for themselves, to work hard and enjoy it, and to value truth and fidelity above everything else. The only ill effect she showed from her ordeal was a horror of having sons, which she passed on to her daughters along with the secret of the midwife's potion.

"Each daughter, when she was about to marry, wanted to use the potion to ensure she would have only daughters. However, they had to figure out a way to administer it without arousing suspicion: inserting the potion might break the hymen, which in those days would have been a disaster. Keziah didn't have that problem: her master would not have cared whether or not she was a virgin. Besides, she was a servant, and servants were expected to have looser morals.

"Instead, the fiancé would sleep at Keziah's house the night before the wedding. She would be sure he'd have plenty to drink, then tuck him in and blindfold him. Keziah would enter the room in the dead of night, having taken the potions, and have sex with him, thus insuring that he would have only daughters. If the man remembered the sex at all, he would think he had dreamt it.

"That is how the family tradition started. I'm sure you've guessed that Keziah was my great great grandmother. Of course, a few things have changed; we no longer have to do it in the middle of the night, or in secret. In essentials, though, it is still the same. Before meeting you the night before your wedding, I drank the potion; before I undressed for you, I planted the suppository. If you were to look at a sample of your sperm under the electron microscope, you would not find a single XY chromosome. Mary has already made her potions for Friday night." I was about to interrupt.

"Just two more things, then you can ask whatever you like. First, through the years, this family has made almost a specialty of raising daughters who become great wives, faithful and true. We're good at it, you might say. Of course, the men we choose to marry have a lot to do with that, too, and you've done your part as well as any and better than most. Cassie and Penny are amazing. I think they'll be even better wives than Mary is, and you know that's saying a lot.

"The other thing is this. Cassie called me this morning. Henry, she's in a panic because if Mary doesn't sleep with David, she risks having a son. Your daughter is truly terrified.

"Henry, for Mary's and Cassie's sake, I'm begging you. Please understand, and let this happen. Please let Mary do this, without consequences that will break her heart. We both know Mary will do everything she can to make it up to you; we both know how much she loves you.

"The tradition requires that no man ever hear the true story. I've broken that by telling you. Now that you know, please give up just this one night, out of all the decades you'll have together, for Cassie's sake and for Mary's."

We sat quietly for a few moments as I digested what I'd been told. It sounded more like a fairy tale than a true story, but there had to be some element of truth in it, otherwise someone in this family would have had a son by now. I did have some questions, though.

"Millie, did you know how much Joe wanted sons before you married?"

"Yes," she answered, looking down at the table. "I'm ashamed of that, more than anything. I wished I could tell him the story, but I'm afraid it would shatter him to hear it now. Mom told me I didn't want to be the first in the family to have a son, and she was right. I didn't, no matter how much it would have meant to Joe."

You have a lot to answer for, Millie, I thought, but didn't say.

"We're a long way from the 1870s, Millie. How do I know that the women in this family aren't doing this because you hit your forties and need to feel attractive or whatever, and just want an excuse to have another man?"