Chapter Five

Doing What's Best For Raven

Jacqui had had enough.
Scenery painting just wasn't her thing, she stormed out after a row with the backstage manager, vowing never to return.

Trouble was, she was now out of work.
And she couldn't go back home to face James, because she knew what his reaction would be.

So, instead, she set about town for a bit of retail therapy.
That always made her feel good.

"Heck," she thought, "if he can splash out on a tired old piano for her, then I can treat myself to a few things. I deserve it."



It was whilst she was browsing through all the expensive designer wear, that inspiration hit her.

Up until now, she'd forcefully denied all knowledge of Raven.
She only felt vicious stabs of jealousy when she saw the two of them, and how closely they'd bonded.

But it was only just recently that she'd actually noticed how well Raven was growing up.

It was time for Jacqui to put matters into her own hands.

And start entering Raven into a few beauty pageants.

She'd hoped and prayed that Raven wasn't too old at eight.
Most children started off their careers from approximately two years old.

Rummaging around her purse, she found two of her favourite lifesavers.
Her cell phone, and an organiser packed with business cards.

One stuck out from all the rest.

With trembling hands, she dialled the number, hoping and praying that this guy would remember her.
It had been far too long.

At first the answer machine kicked in and her heart sank.
But then there was an audible click and a soft, almost effeminate voice spoke on the other end of the line.

"This is Linus Mortigan, photographer extraordinaire, how may I help you?"

Jacqui smiled, despite herself.

"Linus?" she paused, swallowing hard.

This was a lot harder than she thought.

"It's me."

A pause.

"Jacqueline Forrester."

There was a long uncomfortable silence and Jacqui was aware of the stares from shoppers who milled around her.

Then all of a sudden, there was an unearthly squeal from Linus.

"Jacqui!!!!!!! Dahling!!!!!!!!!!! How ARE you luvvy? I haven't heard from you in years!"

Jacqui smiled to herself.

He'd remembered her after all.
That was good news indeed.

She gave Linus a brief summary of what had happened since her 'early retirement', how she was married now with a pretty little daughter and that she was planning to come back into the limelight and bring her daughter with her.

But she desperately needed one big favour.

There was a long pause as Linus listened to her dilemma.

"My daughter is called Raven, she has the most beautiful deep blue eyes you could ever imagine and the blackest of hair. Her skin is of the finest porcelain. I need a portfolio to bring her into the public eye. Can you fit us in for a photo shoot?"

His silence was deafening.
For a long, sickening moment, Jacqui thought she'd pushed too far and had blown it.

There was a soft sigh in her ear.

"As you know," Linus explained, "I'm a very busy man and I have a heavy workload. I'm off on a photo shoot at the Riviera on Wednesday, but I'm sure I can fit Raven in on the Tuesday. After that, I'm fully booked all the year round."

Jacqui could hardly believe her luck.

"Thank you," she breathed, "I really appreciate this."

"I hope she's as pretty as you've described and that she's well behaved. I can't abide little brats who throw tantrums."



Relief washed over Jacqui as she hung up.
With a new spring in her step, she decided to look for new outfits for Raven's upcoming photo shoot.

The more expensive, the better.

Besides, it was all in Raven's best interests, after all.


That same morning, just as Jacqui had been arguing with the backstage manager, James had seen Raven off on the school bus.

Every morning and evening, Raven had fitted in at least one hour of quiet tinkling on the piano.
And James had been so impressed with her musical abilities, that he decided to hire a professional music teacher.

After scouring through the newspaper, he came across one name in particular.

Gretle Myers.

She had been classically trained and came highly recommended.
She fit the bill perfectly.

And without a moment's hesitation, James had invited her around for dinner that evening, in the hopes that this retired concert pianist would give Raven all the guidance she needed.

Chapter Four

A Birthday Surprise

At first, James felt apprehensive.
What he was about to do, was a mammoth task indeed.
A few doubting questions crossed his mind, but he only had to look down at Raven to realise that it was worth it in the long run.

Jacqui, on her rare appearance at the workshop, wrinkled her nose in disgust.
She peeled back the tarpaulin and grimaced.


"What on earth possessed you to buy this?" she demanded, wiping her hands on her jacket.

"It's for Raven," he replied simply.

"Her?" she snorted derisively, "it's highly inappropriate for that child. She'll soon get sick of it and it'll stand in the corner, gathering dust for years to come."

She walked out of the door, her stinging words still hanging in the air.


James was tempted to flop down on the saggy settee, but Raven burst in, soon afterwards, squealing with glee.

"Look Daddy! Look!" she yelled, hopping up and down excitedly.

It was her first A+ report card and she was so happy, she'd been bursting to tell her Daddy.

He plucked the crumpled piece of paper from her hand and read it.
He gave her a squeeze and kissed the top of her head.

"Well done, my little princess," he said proudly, "I always knew you were a smart one. Just like your Daddy!"

Raven giggled at him, before wandering into the kitchen for milk and cookies.


After clearing her mess, she came back in to ask James to help her with a little bit of homework she was stuck on.

He obliged, glad of the distraction, whilst he was trying to figure out how to start this restoration.

Not once did she question him about the tarpaulin or what lay beneath it.
Instead, she ran up the stairs to play with her doll house.

Besides, she'd spent so much time, watching him turning out beautifully crafted toys, that she knew this was going to be something great.

In between building toys to order, James struggled valiantly with his project.
There were days when he'd throw his hands up in the air in sheer exasperation.
Others where he'd be up all night, just to make sure 'that little piece there' would fit in perfectly.


Some nights, he'd look up and see Raven's light was still on.
So he'd steal upstairs, tuck her in and give her a kiss goodnight, before switching the light off.

But the months flew past far too quickly for James and he almost gave up every hope of getting this project completed for Raven's birthday.

On top of that, he had Jacqui chirping in his ear, telling him it'd never work.

But the day of her birthday, James was overcome with joy, as the last coat of varnish had dried completely.

Bursting with happiness, he could hardly contain himself.
He almost stumbled as he rushed up the stairs.


Raven was fast asleep, her head and body turned towards him.
She looked so sweet in her slumber, it seemed a shame to wake her.

He pulled the cover over her shoulder and glanced down, startled at how much she physically resembled Jacqui.
Her black hair, cute button nose and when they were open, those startling deep blue eyes.

Raven moaned softly and rolled over.
His heart lurched as he saw how sweet and innocent she looked.

Suddenly, as if aware of someone else in the room, her eyes flew open and she stared straight at James.

"Hi Princess," he said, smiling warmly.

She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Hi Daddy," she replied, her voice sweet and tender.

"Guess what?"

She shook her head, her eyes still sleepy, but smiled all the same.

"It's your birthday in......"

He glanced at the clock.

"....five, four, three, two, one.....Happy Birthday!!"

She clapped her hands with excitement.

"And your birthday present is downstairs waiting for you. Just get yourself ready first, and you can have a look. Tell me what you think."

Raven nodded, rushing to the bathroom to wash up and get ready.

While she was getting ready, James waited at the bottom of the stairs.
Jacqui just happened to be passing.

"I don't know what you're all excited for," she said sharply, "it's only going to be a five minute wonder for her. And then what?"

James turned to her, scowling.

"Aww, come on Jacqui," he said shaking his head, "lighten up will you. It's your daughter's birthday. Can't you be happy for her just this once?"

She narrowed her eyes before wandering into the lounge and flopping down on the settee.

Raven skipped down the stairs, her face bright and beaming all over.

"Wait!" said James, stopping her, "let's do this properly."

He covered her eyes with his hands and slowly led her into the lounge.
Jacqui rolled her eyes as she watched them.

"Oh, please," she said, exasperated.

James threw her a dirty look.

After a few short steps, they stopped and James pulled his hands away.

"Happy Birthday Princess!" he said happily.

Raven could hardly suppress her joy.
It's what she'd always dreamed of.
Her very own piano.

She flung her arms around her father, thanking him profusely and kissing his cheek.



She walked up to the piano and lifted the lid, running her fingers along the keys and tracing out the rich carvings.

"Go on," James urged, "it won't bite you."

Raven smiled, pulled up the stool and began to play the most beautiful melodies she could remember.

James was over joyed.


Even Jacqui was slightly impressed.

But it was James who, having spent the most time with Raven, had seen this gift of music.
Right from the minute she first started playing on the tiny toy piano.

From now on, the house would be filled with music.

As for Jacqui.

Well

She had other plans.

Chapter Three

A Chance Discovery

As the years passed, James continued to make toys for Stephen Tinker, improving as time went on.

Raven was the perfect 'quality controller', happily testing out every toy he'd completed.


A firm favourite of hers was a jack-in-the-box, which she hugged lovingly, whenever the little man popped out and jiggled in front of her.

In fact, the two of them were virtually inseparable.

But Raven's seventh birthday was soon approaching and she was speedily losing interest in fire trucks and building blocks.

It was James himself that had to test out the latest batch order.

A consignment of Kites.

It was by sheer accident that James discovered Raven's true talents.

Whilst out shopping for a pretty party dress for Raven, they were caught in a nasty downpour and were forced to take refuge in a nearby antiques shop.

It was dark and gloomy, accentuated by the dark, heavy clouds outside.
It also smelled of mothballs and dust.

Raven wrinkled her little nose as she peered into cracked glass domes.
And sneezed when she closed the dusty old book she'd been looking at.

She wasn't too keen on this shop at all.
Nor did she like the grouchy old man with white hair and a big fluffy moustache, either.
She clung to her Daddy's trousers, feeling a lot safer.

As long as she had her Daddy by her side, she always felt safe.

She knew he'd protect her.

They ventured further into the shop, where James pulled up a heavy tarpaulin.

And gave a gasp.

Hidden underneath, was the most beautiful antique he'd ever seen.

"How much for this?" he asked, pulling the tarp a bit more.

The old man eased himself stiffly from his stool and hobbled towards them, his joints in obvious pain. Most likely from arthritis, judging by his gnarled old hands.

"I was going to throw that out," he said, his gravelly voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard, "it's in dire need of restoration."

"I'll do it," offered James, "how much?"

The old man eyed James carefully, measuring him up and down.

"You've got to be totally dedicated for this little beauty, because restoration on this level can become very expensive indeed."

James grinned, ruffling Raven's hair.

"I'll take it."

The old man nodded wisely, looking down at Raven.

"Your dad's got a good eye for a bargain," he remarked, "and one for a pretty lady too."

James took out his cheque book and wrote down the price that was offered.
Luckily, the commission he was getting from making toys, more than covered house costs.
And with Jacqui's new job, they were financially secure.

By the time they got home, much to the relief of Raven, the rain had stopped, the sun was peeking through the clouds and the pavement was beginning to dry up.

Raven took hold of her father's hand and pulled it slightly, looking up at him.

"Daddy," she said, quizzically, "what did that man mean when he said about you having an eye for a pretty lady?"

James chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"It's a figure of speech my dear," he explained, "besides, what I bought today, was probably built specifically for a lady."

"Like me?" Raven asked brightly.

"Like you."



He bent down as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.

"I love you Daddy." she whispered.

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.