Raven

Moving In

James hugged his daughter Raven, as they stood outside the house.

The last rays of the summer sun, beat down on the backs of their necks.
Soon it would be autumn and the cold, long nights would ensue.

After many months of heartache and legal loopholes, their dream home was finally finished.
He cast a sidelong glance at his wife Jacqui, not the easiest woman to please, and after taking a deep breath, asked...

"Here it is Hon, our new home."

He was met with a moment's silence as she scanned the entire layout.

Folding her arms, she tilted back on her heels, a smirk of disapproval played on her lips.

"This is it?" she asked.

He nodded, he could feel his pride crumbling away as he watched her.
Raven tightened her grip around her Daddy's neck, but she too, fixed a stare at her mother.

"Humph, I expected it to be a lot bigger." she replied sarcastically.

With that, she stomped off up the steps and into the house, to inspect the interior.
James turned to Raven, hugged her, kissing her cute little upturned nose and said...

"Well, you like it now, don't you? My little princess."

Raven giggled and snuggled deeper into James' woolly sweater.

Meanwhile, inside, Jacqui was seething.
For one thing, she didn't want to move in the first place.
Secondly, she hated being called 'Hon'.
And above all, she hated and despised her daughter Raven.


Sighing, she inspected herself in the mirror, searching for non-existent grey hairs and imaginary wrinkles.

From the age of three, Jacqui had been in the beauty business.
Pampered and fawned upon by her doting, if not, overbearing parents.
But that all came to an abrupt end when she found out she was pregnant with Raven.

James, forced to drop out of college a year early, decided that the only option they had, was to get married.

He supported her from his savings and the wage he brought home from his part time job at fathers' architect business.
But it was never enough for Jacqui.

So.

After Raven was born, he spent more time with his daughter.

Much to the disapproval of his wife Jacqui.

And so the battle began between them.