"David, where'd you go?"
I returned to the room. It was a pretty day outside, and I liked looking out the window. "Nowhere."
"I was wondering how things were going with your tenant."
I looked at my therapist. She was wearing a navy-blue suit and a stiff, white blouse. For not the first time, I wondered what she looked like naked.
"I bet you wonder. I'm curious what you think I'd do with the situation. Shall we make a bet as to whether you're right?"
"She's been there for 10 days, and you haven't mentioned anything."
"Biding my time."
"Biding your time with me or with her?"
"This is why I trudge across town to see you. You're funny." I paused. "So, you want to know whether I've slept with a teenage tenant?"
She bent her head, by which I assume that she meant, 'hurry up and tell me whether you're a bad person.'
I thought about the sex I'd been having. It was transgressive and secret on multiple levels, and I debated how much to reveal. Ah, what the hell.
"Well, yes, I have. It's been fun, and I don't think anyone has gotten hurt. Well, there's been some pain, but there is always a little pain in a good sexual experience, at least that's been my experience. Long-term psychological pain remains to be seen."
I think I saw her slump a bit in her chair. Hard to tell. She's a pro.
My doctor was asking about my 18-year-old tenant for the month of August. She's my 1st cousin's daughter. I'd spent a whole damn session talking about my hot cousin, with whom I've maintained an--ahem--relationship since we were teens. My cousin, Caroline, got married at 20, and they stay happily married. They have four kids, two of whom are mine, depending on one's definition of parenthood and responsibility. The eldest of those kids is 18, and she is my August tenant. Unlike actual tenants, which I've never had, she doesn't pay rent.
"Well, I'm off for the summer, as you know. Life of an academic has its perks. And it has given me the opportunity to get to spend some alone time with her."
"Uh huh."
"Did I mention she brought a friend with her?"
"A friend?"
"Yeah, one of her school friends. She's also a long-time family friend, from their fundamentalist church. The two of them thought it'd be fun to hang out with old Uncle David before they went to college."
"Which have you been sleeping with?"
"You've gotten very directive lately. I thought you were more of a 'say what comes to mind' kind of gal."
"I'm a gal?"
Silence.
My therapist cleared her throat. She does that all the time. Well, she alternates the throat thing with uh huhs and tell me mores and the occasional leaning of the head. Did I mention she has very pale skin, my therapist? And especially pale for someone who lives in southern California. I've asked her what sort of sunscreen she uses, but, unsurprisingly, I got no answer.
"Usually, you let me just talk, talk, talk. I bet you're worried about her. Y'know, she's not officially my daughter. We wouldn't be breaking any laws. And it might not be a law."
"Might not be one?"
"I want to be brutally honest in here. Well, I don't like being brutal, but I do like to be transparent."
Clearing of throat.
"And some might get legalistic about this situation. Maybe we would be breaking the law, but she doesn't know about the family drama, and neither Caroline nor I are planning to send out an announcement. Is there some sort of rule that says you'd have to out me? If so, now's a good time to air your scruples."
"David, this therapy is about you. I don't do police work."
Silence.
"Both of those are true statements. The therapy is about me, and you aren't a policewoman. But you know, my impression is that it is illegal for a father to have sexual intercourse with his daughter--regardless of their ages and whether she is as hot as her mother, and even if they are both having the best damn sex of their lives, and even if one of the two might think it's second-tier incest rather than the big kahuna transgression. So, my question, doctor, is whether you are obligated to report, if this would be considered a crime for which there is mandatory reporting. I ask not just for my sake but for yours--I wouldn't want you to be an accessory after the fact. And I also wouldn't want to have to lie, and I obviously wouldn't want to hurt the girl, or her mother."
Silence.
"And I'd also add that I haven't said that she's actually my biological daughter or that we'd had sex."
"No, I wouldn't report you."
"You're sure?"
"I've checked. We agreed it wouldn't be the right thing to do."
"Excellent," I said, "because I would very much like to discuss the details of my dilemma, and you're the most trustworthy person I know. Of course, I don't know who this 'we' is that you just mentioned, but I'll assume you didn't point him to my Wikipedia page."
"Uh huh. So how has it gone?"
"I think I should start with a diary. A diary of yet another 18-year-old girl. I'm afraid this summer's sessions are crammed with 18 year olds, though only two are currently 18, while two have been adults for decades, though one of those adults has passed away."
"Who's dead?"
"I'd have to tell you about the diary."
"You're getting sidetracked."
"Or I can talk about my interest in mentorship. That's also crucial to the situation, though that's probably secondary."
"Maybe stick with the visit, and then we can get into diaries and your unique expertise at mentorship."