Daddy Please Be Nice

She never really fully understood stranger danger, but afterall she was only 7. Out in the dark all by herself, because she couldn't face her father. Her mother had been crying, so Jade knew her dad would have been drinking when he got home.

She'd always hoped her dad would have got softer as he began to age, she wondered if he'd ever tell her he loved her. All she ever used to say to him, was daddy please be nice. He never took any notice, he didn't give her a chance.

When she was out that night, one of her dad's friends approached her, clearly drunk she tried to run away, but he screamed after her saying her dad was in trouble. She ran to the pub where she knew her dad went, but before she reached the door, a dark shadow was glooming in the alley. Slowly and cautiously she appproached the figure, she heard a soft and tender voice, saying sweetheart I love you. Who was this man? Could it have been her father? "Daddy please be nice" she said. "Sweetheart, you know I will be".

She ran over to the man, and gave him a huge hug, he swept her off her feet, but not in admiration. It wasn't her father, infact it wasn't any man she knew. The story's she'd seen on the news, were finally becoming a reality. She nver understood the news readers, so didn't know what to do. She started kicking and screaming, but he didn't let go. Then the door of the pub slammed open, and standing in the archway was her dad. "Sweetheart I'm coming" he said. She didn't care if he was coming, if she died tonight, she wouldn't care, she was so happy to hear those words coming out of his mouth. "Daddy, I love you for being nice" she said.

Daddy, thank you for being nice.