It took almost a year until daddy let us see each other again, a year in which we phoned each other every morning, noon and night, mummy was great though, she kept asking me if I thought I loved Sammy and my reply was always the same.

"I don't think I love her mummy, I know I do."

One day when daddy was away on one of his many trips abroad, I sat with mummy in the living room fiddling with my mobile and wishing I could go upstairs early to ring her when mummy said.

"Did I ever show you my old photographs, Tabatha?"

She never called me Tammy.

"No mummy," I sighed. "You didn't."

"Her name was Anna," she said as I looked at a picture of a stunningly beautiful young girl in what passed for a skimpy bikini in the seventies.

"She's nice mummy." I said. "Who is she?"

"She's the wife of an American senator," she had a wistful expression on her face.

"But then, she was my soul mate, my lover, my bed mate, she was my life Tabatha and I loved her with all my heart."

I was stunned, this was my mother talking, my strait laced mother, the one who was the rock in my parent's marriage, the dutiful little wife who served the drinks at daddy's cocktail parties, the one who organises the coffee mornings for charity.

Mummy had never been away from daddy for longer than a week when she went to the States to see an old school friend last year.

Then it dawned on me.

"You went to America last year mummy."

"Yes."

"Without daddy."

"Yes."

"Oh mummy, why didn't you tell me?"

I hugged her tightly, "Do you still love her?"

"Probably, yes I think I do darling."

"How can you live with it though mummy, knowing you love each other and being married to someone else?"

"Well it was a different world then darling, I know it was supposed to be all about free love and drugs, but people's attitudes were different, women didn't live together openly like they do now, I met your father and we got married, he's a good man Tabatha and I don't regret it, after all he gave me a beautiful daughter!"

"Oh mum, thank you." I hugged her again.

"Your father and I have been talking darling."

"Yes and?"

I knew my mum well enough to know that something was coming, she was always like this before saying or doing something momentous.

"Well daddy's going to New York on Friday and he's asked if I want to go with him."

I didn't want my hopes to rise only to be dashed again, but I couldn't help the knot in my stomach as she went on to say.

"We've also spoken to Samantha's parents," she started to smile. "They told me she said almost exactly the same as you did about her."

The knot grew bigger.

"And the four of us have agreed that you probably are in love with each other."

And bigger.

"So, they're bringing her over on Friday morning."

"MUMMY, OH MUMMY."

I hoped the neighbours didn't hear my scream, mummy did though and I'm sure I almost snapped her neck, such was the force of my grip as I hugged her to me.

"Wait, wait, wait," she laughed."You haven't heard it all yet."

"There's more?"

"Oh yes and if you'll stop strangling me, I'll tell you about it."

"Sorry mummy, I'm so happy."

"Yes well, there's a catch, but there's also a rather big incentive for you both."

"Mummy, go on pleeeeeeeeeeease."

She laughed and went to the cocktail bar to pour us both a drink.

"Vodka and coke isn't it?"

I think I blushed a little bit, "You know it is, mummy."

Handing me the glass, she sat down on a high stool at the bar and looked at me.

"You know Tabatha, you remind me so much of me when I was your age, it's frightening."

At that moment I felt so close to her that I actually felt myself filling up with tears, but I needed to know the rest.

"Thank you mummy, I love you so much, but can you, you know?"

"Yes darling, I'm sorry, Samantha's parents will return on Moday morning to pick her up again."

I couldn't believe it, I had the whole weekend with Sammy, my lovely, sexy little Sammy, three whole days and three long, sexy nights.

"You mentioned a catch mummy."

"Yes," she said. "But I think you'll like it."

"I'll scream again mummy."

"All right, basically Mrs Holmes will be in on Friday as usual, but she'll also pop on on Saturday and Sunday, her job on those two days is to see that everything's in order and if on Monday when we get back, she tells us things are as they should be, , , , , ."

She hesitated and I opened my mouth to scream.

"No darling," she laughed. "Well you're both sixteen now, nearly seventeen, you can have the mews cottage on your seventeenth birthday."

"What do you mean mummy?"

"I mean that all four of us agree that you and Samantha can live in the mews cottage, by yourselves for as long as you want."

My mobile phone rang and Sammy's number flashed up.

"Hello?"

There was nothing, just the sound of someone sniffing.

"Hello?"

"Hello Tabatha, this is Samantha's mother, she seems to be crying at the moment, shall I have her call you back when she's got over her silly little outburst?"

The tears overwhelmed me and she ended up talking to my mother.

I had two whole days to kill before they went to New York, I cleaned up my room, I went all round the place with Mrs Holmes our cleaning lady, following her like a little puppy dog, everything had to be just right for the weekend, I was determined that it was going to be perfect.

Daddy came home on Thursday night and I flew into his arms.

"I love you, daddy," and he laughed as we hugged. "Just don't let any of us down Princess, especially yourself."

Good old daddy, always the pragmatist.

"I won't daddy, you know I won't."

They arrived early on Friday morning, because her Father had a meeting in the city which he couldn't miss, I watched her getting out of the Rolls and felt a lump in my throat, she couldn't resist the brief flash of knickers as she got out and mummy smiled at me as daddy went out to speak to her father.

"She's beautiful, Tammy."

All thoughts of Sammy were forgotten for the moment.

"You called me Tammy, mummy."

"Yes," she agreed. "I probably did, go and say hello."

"Mummy?"

"What darling?"

"I love you," and I ran over to the car.

We settled on a chaste peck on the lips, but there was no mistaking the look in her eyes as we stood together shyly looking at each other.

Suddenly the dam broke, we burst into tears spontaneously and clung together on the gravel driveway, tears streaming down our faces.

We weren't really aware of all the embarrassed coughs around us, or all the clearing of throats, all we knew was we were together.

What can I tell you? Do I tell you about how we stood together in the doorway of the house as my parents drove away, me with my hand up the back of her skirt, caressing her wonderful little bottom?

Do I tell you how we bathed together after Mrs Holmes had left, should I mention the champagne we imbibed, or how we dressed each other slowly and lovingly, just to enjoy the eroticism of undressing each other almost immediately?

Shall I mention that mummy had given me two identical diamond rings, telling me only to give one to Sammy when I was sure?

I probably won't even mention how we both cried as I slipped the ring on her finger after we'd made love for the first time in over a year and as for the commitment ceremony we went through about six months after that special weekend, well that's another story.