She was about 14 when her mother dumped her on me. Taking care of a teen-aged daughter wasn't exactly a part of my lifestyle at the time, but where else was she going to go. Could I do worse than my ex, who was running off to San Francisco with another woman. It's the times, I thought. I'll do the responsible thing and the girl will just have to adjust to the world she's in.
As a single parent I didn't do half bad. The girl had a fairly stable home, stayed in school, and didn't react too badly to my frequent girl friends who spent the night. There was some initial hostility to my female companions but after a confrontation and some real tell-it-like-it-is dialogue, she understood that I had my own life also.
Actually, it wasn't long before she really understood such things herself, and I did quite well explaining all the sexual facts to her when she showed an interest. I even managed not to embarrass her too much when I told her about the vaginal secretions that occur when she had sexual thoughts or excitement, and how they break down with normal bacteria to cause that fishy odor that I sometimes noticed near her. It was a lesson in hygiene best done by a mother, but I think I did alright.
And so this parenting thing went rather smoothly for a few years or so, with the role of mentor/protege easily assumed by both of us. But then I started noticing the hidden things; things that grew as steadily as her changing body. Being the adult, I'll take the blame for these perverse thoughts, but I still feel that she was into the game.
It was like she knew she had the body of an attractive young woman and delighted in showing it off. I guess it's natural for a teen-age girl to play with men this way, exciting them with their budding womanhood, even if the man is her father.