Wife's Incestuous Family Ritual Ch. 04

***

I sat in the balcony of my parents-in-law's farmhouse, enjoying the night air. Mama joined me after dinner.

She inhaled deeply and said, "Nice, clean, countryside air. I love this place."

I had come to spend the weekend with Ananya and Vivan. Mama had accompanied me, to especially see her grandson. We had reached earlier that evening.

"I saw something strange," she said, "Just as I came upstairs, I saw Lata and Ayush head out towards the garden. They were wrapped in white sheets and carried some items of worship, I think."

I froze. Mama must have seen my mother-in-law and brother-in-law heading out to Ashok Vatika to perform the ritual. It was a secret that only I was privy to, outside of Ananya and her family.

"Oh... they uh... it's some kind of yoga meditation type thing they do. They're into the whole yoga, organic, health and wellness lifestyle," I said, trying to be as convincing as possible.

Mama nodded, evidently not too convinced but let the matter rest.

***

Early next morning, as Lata finished her yoga and Surya-Namaskar inside Ashok Vatika with her husband, she saw Sulekha enter the garden.

Brij exchanged pleasantries with Sulekha and left the two women to talk. Sulekha's gaze hadn't left the Ashoka tree since she had entered the garden. She kept glancing at it often as Lata tried to engage her in a conversation.

"What is it, Sulekha?" Lata asked, watching her move slowly, subconsciously towards the sacred tree.

"Um... it's probably nothing. I just had the strangest dream last night. I think... I was here in my dreams," Sulekha said, looking at the base of the tree.

Suddenly curious, Lata said, "Interesting. What exactly did you see? Do you remember it?"

Sulekha blushed slightly at the question.

"I uh... no, I don't exactly remember. You know how dreams are," she said with an uneasy chuckle. "One hardly remembers the details when they wake up."

Lata nodded. She's definitely hiding something.

"Nikhil said you come here to pray and meditate?" Sulekha said. "I saw you and Ayush heading out here last night. I asked Nikhil out of curiosity. I am sorry... I didn't mean to intrude."

"There's nothing to apologize," Lata said. "I understand the curiosity. Brij's ancestors believed that this Ashoka tree is sacred. Our faith and practices may seem odd to others, so we don't talk much about it. It's for our own privacy."

Sulekha knelt at the base of the tree and touched the grass. She whispered, almost talking to herself, "It felt so real... I can still feel it..."

Lata's eyes widened with surprise as she grasped the implication of Sulekha's dream.

"We believe the tree affects everything and everyone around it. It shows us our heart's true desires, even if we deny it ourselves. If you saw something in your dream last night, you should embrace it."

Sulekha was silent for sometime.

"Have you ever felt drawn towards something, Lata, or someone that you know is wrong... but feels right?"

Lata, now fairly confident of what Sulekha had seen in her dream, said, "We are all bound by the rules of society. Those rules are in place to help us prosper as a civilization. But not all of them are made with the right intentions. Our morality, our sense of right or wrong comes from our adherence to those social rules. But if you feel something is right in your heart and it's not hurting anybody, you should go for it."

Sulekha relaxed and nodded. "Thanks Lata. That was really insightful. Gave me some clarity. That's why I love talking to you."

Lata took Sulekha's hand in hers and said, "It's the least I could do. You're like a sister to me. I'll gladly help you anytime you need."

***

Next morning, I drove back to my parent's house with mama sitting next to me. I was slightly giddy with optimism after my private conversation with Ananya and Lata.

Lata told me she had a heartfelt talk with mama in the garden. She said mama had seen a dream the night before. Although she hadn't explicitly said so, Lata was fairly certain mama had seen herself making love to me under the Ashoka tree in the garden. I was shocked at first, then I remembered what I had read in Sanket's journal. Ananya's great-great-grandfather had written about his mother seeing such dreams about him. It was the divine spirit of the celestial Yakshini communicating with the mortals; showing them their subconscious incestuous desires.

"I read that story," mama said, breaking my chain of thoughts.

"Which one?" I asked, skeptical as I took a right turn into the city, getting off the highway.

"The one you'd sent me that day. About the mother and her son."

"Oh. Ok... I thought you were offended by it."

"I was. But then I thought let's read it and see if it changes my opinion."

"And...?"

"I still don't condone incest. The story was well written, though. It didn't disrespect or cheapen the mother-son relationship."

I nodded. "I mostly read stories on incest."

"Why?"

"I like the idea of close family members loving each other... in a more intimate way. I see it as an extension of the love they already share. Sort of a natural progression to their relationship, free from the boundaries of society."

Keeping my eyes mostly on the road, I glanced at her to note her reaction. She was silent for a while.

"It's taboo, Nikky," she said, quietly. "Most forbidden of the relationships as per society."

"Mama, most of the rules of society are meant to subjugate the masses. They turn a blind eye to actual evil but will crucify easy targets just to prove some useless point. You said yourself the other day, about the gender bias when you were growing up. That's the work of the same society and their bullshit rules."

I honked angrily at a motorcycle, joyriding in the middle of the road.

"Ok, ok. Calm down. Don't get so worked up about it," she said, pacifying me. "You aren't wrong about the societal rules. But, there must be some valid reason for forbidding incest."

I shrugged. "I don't know. I've heard about genetic defects passed down to children due to inbreeding. But in today's day and age of contraceptives, why forbid it between consenting adults not interested in procreation."

She nodded. "It's still one of the biggest taboos in society, though. And that'll never change."

I said, "It might be more common than we think. Done secretly and cautiously, with all the precautions, no one will ever know."

***

"There were descriptions of sex in that story I never knew possible," mama said, laughing.

I chuckled and said, "Yeah, that was particularly raunchier than erotic."

We were on the terrace, few nights later, having our nightly stroll. Exploring the links I had sent her, mama had stumbled upon a story about a cheating wife going to a nudist resort with her lover and participating in an orgy. She had read it, sent me the link and we discussed it after I had read it. Mama seemed to be coming out of her orthodox shell and trying out stories way out of her moral standards.

"So... are you in a mood to..." I asked.

"Yes."

"Here's something I got for you," I said.

I fished inside my pocket and handed her a tiny vibrator which I had ordered online few days earlier. It had been Ananya's idea; gifting mama a vibrator which she could use for her pleasure. Every time she'd use it, subconsciously she'd think of me as being the one who had gifted it to her, thereby linking me to sexual pleasure in her mind. At least that was Ananya's logic.

"Oh, what's this?" She looked at it closely, turning it in her hand.

"It's a vibrator," I said and pressed the power button.

She almost dropped it from surprise as it vibrated. "What's it for?"

"You can use it... down there... when you pleasure yourself. It creates a tingling sensation which feels really good."

I showed her the different modes of operation. She went and sat on the bench, pulled her nightie up and started touching herself. The moon light shone just enough to let us see general shapes but not the details. Soon enough, I heard the humming of the vibrator. Mama gasped and then started to moan. The sounds of her pleasure made me hard. I listened to her moans and sighs as the vibrator did its job efficiently and quickly brought her to a powerful orgasm. She gripped the bench tightly and cried out in her climax.

She pulled her nightie back down and said, "This is great! Thanks Nikky."

"I hoped you'd like it. You deserve all the pleasure in the world. Glad I could help."

She looked at the tent in my shorts. "What about that?"

"I'll do it in the bedroom."

"I thought you liked it up here."

"It gets too dry. I don't have any lubricant."

She went into the small storage room and came back with a small bottle.

"Here. Will this help?"

I was pleasantly surprised as she handed me a small bottle of baby oil. I sat on the bench, ready to jerk off. Mama scooted a bit on the bench, making space for me. I pulled my shorts down and sat next to her. Pouring few drops of the baby oil on to my erection, I started jerking off. From the corner of my eyes, I could see her glancing at my crotch from time to time. I relaxed and stroked myself, thrilled at this turn of events. It was so arousing to jerk off, with mama sitting few inches away from me. The slick baby oil really made things easier and pleasurable. Within few minutes I was at the edge. I started to moan and breathe heavily. She now openly stared at me without pretense. That aroused me further.

Taking a chance, I moaned, "Oh, mama!"

She put a hand on my head and gently ran her fingers through my hair. This simple action took me over the edge resulting in an explosive climax. She gasped in surprise but continued to caress my hair.

Once I was done, she smiled at me and said, "Feeling better now?"

I smiled and nodded.

***

Mama and I continued going to the terrace regularly. The nightly strolls were sexually charged; the talks and acts revolved around sex and masturbation. I directed her to other erotic stories, sending her links to the ones I liked. She loved the stories about incest, mature-young, cheating wives, nudists and orgies. I was pleasantly surprised at the type of stories she liked. She said those wild, raunchy and outlandish stories fascinated her; being so different from her limited, boring, real life sexual experiences. We continued to masturbate side by side on the bench, the general darkness of the vicinity helping us lose our inhibitions.

On Lata and Ananya's advice, I decided to push the boundaries with mama, one night. After our stroll, she sat down on the bench and started masturbating. I could hear the faint buzzing of the tiny vibrator. She was lost in her own pleasure; eyes closed; relaxing on the bench. I sat there and watched her. I couldn't see much of what she did down there, in the dark. I could make out her form in the faint moonlight; her beautiful face glowed, expressions of pleasure on it. She started moaning and breathing hard as she neared orgasm. As she climaxed, I held her free hand in mine. She squeezed my hand tightly as orgasm hit her. I squeezed back, letting her know I was there, participating in her orgasm in some form.

She turned off the vibrator and looked at me. "Not in the mood, tonight?" she asked, seeing me fully clothed.

I shrugged. "It doesn't feel that pleasurable, anymore, doing it on my own. I miss a female touch. Ananya used to masturbate me, during her pregnancy. Her smooth, soft hands felt good. I miss that."

Mama nodded, sympathetically.

Taking a deep breath, I said, "Um... I was wondering... maybe... you could do it for me?"

"Do what? You mean... you want me to masturbate you?"

"We are already doing it here, sitting side by side. Maybe we could help each other out, you know. Do it for each other. That would feel more pleasurable, don't you think?"

She was silent for some time. My heart was in my mouth, waiting for her reply.

"Nikky, that's so wrong. I can't believe you're asking me to do that!" she said, shaking her head.

Her voice and demeanor had changed. I knew I was in trouble. I started stammering, nervously, not sure what to say.

"I mean... yes, you're right. We shouldn't do it... Forget I said that..."

"You know what, I've been meaning to have a discussion with you for a long time. Now would be a good time to do that," she said in her strict, matronly voice.

Taking a pause and a deep breath, she said, "I saw you masturbate one night, in your bedroom, few weeks ago. I am sorry. I shouldn't have peeped. But the door was ajar and I became curious. I saw you, lying naked on your bed, touching yourself. I heard you moan 'mama'. Why? Were you thinking about me?"

My heart thundered in my chest. With everything proceeding so smoothly, I hadn't thought I'd need to discuss that event with her. Now that the cat was out of the bag, I decided it was time to confess and come clean.

"Mama, please don't be sorry. I had left the door ajar on purpose. I wanted you to see me. I saw you standing outside the door the entire time. It felt so erotic that you were watching me, I couldn't help but moan about you."

"Why would you want me to see you masturbate? Do you fantasize about me? All these incest stories you read... do you have those thoughts about me?"

"Truth is... I have been in love with you since the last ten years. Loving you, not just as my mother but also as a woman. I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world. I want to love you like a man, want to make love to you."

Mama gasped at this revelation. She was quiet after that.

"Say something, mama. I know you're disgusted" I said, disappointed.

"I probably should be, but I am not. I had guessed this after that night I saw you. Just wanted to hear it from you," she said. "I feel flattered actually, that you fantasize about me. I've never felt desired in my life. Nikky, you have to understand. Fantasy is... fantasy. Once it becomes real, it gets a whole lot complicated."

"Why did you stay and watch me that night?" I asked, throwing the ball in her court.

She sighed and looked away. "I was... aroused, watching you. I was ashamed to talk about it till now. It had been a few years since I had last seen an erect penis. I had never seen a man masturbate before. There was a curiosity, fascination, desire and thrill of the forbidden. I couldn't help myself, I was rooted in place, watching you. And then... you moaned 'mama'. I became more curious and even more aroused. When you were finally done, I rushed into my room and masturbated, thinking about you. Oh God!" she said and buried her face in her palms.

"Mama, it's ok. Don't be upset. There's nothing to be ashamed of. It's fine. It's completely normal."

"No, it's not! Don't say it's normal. Your feelings for me isn't normal. My reaction to seeing your erection isn't normal. What we're doing here most nights isn't normal," she said, slightly agitated.

After a brief pause, she calmed down and said, "Nikky, I love this new facet of our relationship. And that's what worries me. It's a slippery slope. I like that we've become so open with each other. I love having these sexual conversations with you. I love the time we spend up here. I love having you next to me as we pleasure ourselves. But... we mustn't go beyond this. Please. This is where I draw the line."

"You're right. I am sorry I asked you to masturbate me. I won't do that again, I promise."

Her voice softened as she said, "Some things are better left to fantasies. I appreciate you being so candid with me about your feelings. But I don't want us to do something that both of us may regret later. I think you should focus on rekindling your sex life with Ananya. Talk to her. Tell her about your needs and frustrations. I know you're being a caring husband but keeping your frustrations bottled up isn't good either. Have an open discussion with her. I am sure she'll understand and both of you can work something out."

***

Ananya and Lata were quiet for a moment, processing the news.

"Ok. It's not the end of the world. She needs time to warm up to the idea," Ananya said.

"It's more than that. Only time won't help," Lata chimed in. "She definitely wants to proceed further with you, but is afraid it'll hurt Ananya and ruin your marriage. She's your mother after all; your overall well-being is her first priority."

I nodded on the phone. Lata, being a mother to two grown-ups, definitely had more insights into mama's psyche.

"Bring her with you when come over, day after tomorrow," Lata said. "I'll talk to her."

***

Lata found Sulekha in the garden, staring at the Ashoka tree. It was early morning. Brij was out of the state on business. Nikhil and Sulekha had arrived at the farmhouse the previous evening.

"Another dream last night?" Lata asked.

Broken out of her reverie, Sulekha fumbled and said, "Yes... I mean, I think so. I don't remember."

Lata smiled at Sulekha's attempt to hide the truth. She let the matter rest.

"When we last spoke, you were conflicted about something," Lata said.

Sulekha nodded her head. "I am conflicted now, more than ever, Lata."

Lata led Sulekha to the base of the Ashoka tree. They sat on the soft grass.

"I am always here for you, whatever you want to share," Lata said.

"Do you think a mother should do whatever's necessary to help her son, even if it's highly unconventional?"

"Highly unconventional...?"

Sulekha sighed. "I had a friend, Sapna. She used to stay near our house back when Nikhil was in high school. She and I had a lot of common interests which made us very good friends. Her son, Rishav was Nikhil's classmate.

"After high school, both the boys took a year off to prepare for the medical entrance exam. They were both good students, had similar grades at school. During that preparatory year, Rishav consistently scored more than Nikhil at the coaching classes. One day I had a chat with Sapna about it. You won't believe what she told me."

Lata leaned forward, curious.

"She said it started with Rishav giving her unusual longing looks. At first, she dismissed it as a horny 18-year-old being interested in the female body. Then, she found couple of her missing panties in her son's bedroom. Finally, she caught him sniffing and kissing her bra from the laundry basket.

"She confronted him. He confessed that he was aroused by her and masturbated while sniffing her bra or panty. So, she made a deal with him. He was to study sincerely, get his scores up and aim to crack that entrance exam. In return, she would present herself in his room every other night, wearing only her innerwear. He could masturbate watching her and that was the only time he could do so."

Lata nodded, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"That's not all. She said, every time Rishav got high scores in the mock tests at the coaching classes, she would reward him by being topless that night. She also hinted at some special reward, she had in mind for him, if he got into medical college."

"How did you react when she told you?"

"I was shocked. I mean... this is scandalous! Yet, she never flinched; even suggested I do the same with Nikhil, to motivate him to get his scores up. I told her she was committing a grave mistake and being a bad mother. I reminded her she was also being a terrible wife to her husband. She said her husband already knew and approved it!

"After that, I couldn't bring myself to talk to her anymore. I avoided her. I think, she felt offended at trusting me with her secret and getting scorned for it. She started to resent me. Then, Rishav got into medical college; Nikhil didn't. I ran into her at a wedding few days later and she got her chance to gloat. She told me had I acted on her advice, rather than sermonizing, perhaps Nikhil too would've been in medical college.