We were on our way home. Rene was leaning against me the way Jason had almost two years ago. But it wasn't the same. Not just because she was my daughter and not my son. It was different because she wasn't my child sitting next to me, with my arm protecting her. She was my lover and I liked the curve of her hip and texture of her skin.

I liked this even better but I was afraid of what was coming. I wasn't certain when it was going to happen. I hoped she might wait until the last second. That would be when we saw Jason and Elly at baggage claim. But it might have happened already and I just wasn't aware of it.

At some point my lover was going to change into my daughter and that would be the end of ... The best affair of my life? I would have run away with her. Run any where if only it would last.

I thought we had a good chance of fooling Elly and everyone. Rene had lost twenty pounds. She looked like crap, except for the all over tan. We had an explanation for that. I'd pushed her bed out onto the balcony so the vacation in paradise wouldn't be a total waste. My own all over tan was harder explain. But I thought I could keep the "all over" fact from Elly.

Rene wouldn't be able to do sports for another month or so. When she read that Mono caused your spleen to swell and the sufferer was supposed to avoid all rigorous activity she'd said we'd have to stop fucking. I'd wrestled her to the bed and raped her, among giggles, right then.

She'd missed over a month of school, from "poor work notices" to "quarter grades." I thought she might have to do the semester over. I hoped she would. I didn't like the idea that you could miss a month and a half of school and not fail. But they were so committed to keeping their graduation numbers up I wasn't sure. (This was before "No Test Left Behind.")

But my thoughts were mainly selfish, again. I'd lost my daughter back there. Oh she'd say she was the same person but it wasn't so. I knew on the flight out that she wouldn't be the same when we came back. But unless things went very wrong she'd still be my daughter. But Rene had other plans, plans she'd only developed on the third or fourth day. She thought it would just be an experiment but ... It would never be the same, not for me. And if it appeared to be the same for her ... that would hurt.

But it was better, better then the alternative. Which is why I hadn't even suggested running off together. Having my lover disappear was better then what would have happened. If Rene had remained my lover eventually she would have grown bored with me and lost interest. Her mother had, my mistress Althea had and it would have killed me if my daughter/lover had.