Marry my husband

Two weeks after they arrived back in Lagos, Julianna was angrily packing her's and her daughter's luggage getting ready to move out of the Benson's house.

"Julianna listen to me please, don't do this." Shade pleaded with the upset Julianna.

"Do you know what you've just asked me to do? You want me to be with your husband! Are you crazy!? Why would you ask that of me?... I thought you guys were happy? No! I know for a fact that you both are happy..."

"Yes, we are happy, just..." Shade was explaining before she was interrupted by Julianna.

"Are you guys into some kind of kinky threesome couple's sexual activities!?"

"Julianna, we...."

"No, no, no... Both of you should please count me out. I'll just leave with my baby right now, no problem about that. I'm not into such..." She didn't finish her sentence, she just calmly looked away from Shade's disappointed look.

"I'm sorry I just can't do it" She whispered and resumed back to cramming her things into the already filled bag on the bed

It's not her business what they do in the privacy of their rooms and she's not one to judge anybody based on the type of choices they made in life, and it goes both ways. They shouldn't blame her if she was not willing to be part of that choice. She's always believed in the saying: 'live and let live.'

"Julianna, I'm not just asking you to have sex with my husband, I want you both to get married."

Julianna's hands froze over the suitcase with a shirt in hand

"But why would you want me to marry your husband!?" Julianna asked looking aghast. You both are happily married with three beautiful kids... It just doesn't make sense to me... No woman in their right sense who have what you have here would wish for another woman to take her place."

"Yes we are happy as a family and I know it won't make sense to anybody... I just want you to know that I'm in my right senses, I'm not crazy! Which is why you have to at least listen to what I've got to say. If you then decides you don't want to help me then, it's fine.

That doesn't mean you should move out in anger, at least not until we help you settle at wherever you want to live. We will always be family no matter what Julianna..."

Julianna looked at Shade and saw how she was now slumped against the door in deep dejection. 'What could put the usually bubbly and lively Shade in such a depressive state?' She wondered.

The Bensons had been nothing but good to her and her baby all these months that she has been living under their roof. They were there for her when nobody was, so she owed It to them to at least listen to what Shade has to say.

"Julianna I'm not crazy and we're not into any kinky couples' threesome activities or whatever... Just please listen to what I've got to say before you make up your mind... Please!" Shade pleaded with Julianna again and secretly prayed to God to touch her mind so she would agree with her by the time she was done saying what she had on her mind.

"Okay then, I'm all ears" Julianna finally said and sat on the bed.

"Thank you! Hope you won't mind?... I want Tade to be here too since this also concerns him."

"He also knows bout this?" Julianna asked with surprise written on her face.

"Yes, he does. Not only him the boys knew about it too. They all wanted you to be part of the family."

"Ha!" Julianna said with her mouth left hung open in shock. 'What kind of family is this?' She wondered before replying.

"Okay, no problem. Let him come inside."

"Thank you! Excuse me while I get him then, he's waiting outside." Shade went outside and signal to Tade who was standing nearby, to come inside Julianna's room.

Tade came in and perched on the edge of the vanity table with his arms folded while Julianna sat on the bed and Shade took the only couch in the room.

"Tade and I are happy... But not as a couple, just as a family." Shade started by saying and her words shocked Julianna who raised both her eye brows at her. She stole a glance at Tade whose expression was just plain. 'How is it possible to be happy as a family but not as a couple?" Julianna wondered to herself as Shade continued her story.

"Tade and I were best friends... Almost like siblings since when we were children, and we grew up treating each other like one. So when our parents told us we would be getting married. We were surprised and naturally we kicked against that idea.

We explained to them thet the fact that we were best friends with each other doesn't mean we would be a loving couple. But they remained adamant. We had no choice but to compromise when my dad threatened to marry me off at sixteen to the most despicable man in our village then.

We got married traditionally when we were both nineteen years old. Julianna I want you to know that Tade is a good man. The best father to our children and he also tried his best to be the best husband any woman would wish for...

I asked you to marry my husband because... I failed as a wife. I couldn't love him like a wife does her husband. I tried. Believe me, I do but I just couldn't." She paused for some seconds picking at some invincible dirt from her already clean finger nails.

"I couldn't deal with the sex part especially. I hate, hate, hate it! I hate being touched and It felt like rape the few times we did it." She said and looked towards Tade, her eyes pleading for his forgiveness of what she just revealed to him.

"Tade I'm very sorry! Please forgive me for just saying this to you now."

Tade was shocked at her confession. His eyes had gone hard.

"But why didn't you tell me you felt this way?" He asked with a pained expression on his face. "Even though we were forced to get married, we were still best friends! Why didn't you say something?"

"Because I didn't want you to feel bad. We cannot fight against my father and I didn't want you to do what would make you go against yours... Plus I saw you really wanted to make us work..."

"Yeah, I wanted to make us work because I thought that was what you wanted too Folashade! And I would rather go against my parents' wish than be seen as a rapist by my best friend! I wouldn't have made you go through that if I had known you felt that way! I would have ensure..."

"I know you would have ensured everything in your power. That was exactly why I didn't tell you. I didn't want you to worry. I..."

"And who made you my personal Christ and saviour to think you could make my burden lighter!? That decision wasn't only yours to make Shade! Perhaps I would have known you were in pain each time if you had not insisted on doing it with the light off... Perhaps I would have known if you were not such a good actress. You moaned, smiled lovingly and pretended you loved and enjoyed it so much! Damn it!"