Chapter 2 Happy Birthday to me

Chapter 1

Nakia's pov

I was excited because today I was turning thirty and my man was surprising me, or so he thought it was a surprise, but I knew all about this party. I spent the day at the spa getting my nails done, and my hair looking picture perfect. My man Trent kept calling my best friend Layla to see what I liked for my party, so I pretty much planned the whole thing without him realizing it. My mama Nola was with me at the salon telling me what nail polish to get, what make-up to wear to make my eyes pop, what way to have my hair, and what outfit would get Trent's attention.

Being so "perfect" was never easy. It took several hours to look this good. It felt like a full-time job just making my hair look the way it does, but beauty is pain, right? I was wearing the dress my mama picked out because she wasn't having it any other way. She said this dress made me look good and slimmed me down as well. She was always trying to get me to lose weight saying I was just to big, but I loved all my curves and they always got me a lot of attention. Of course, my mama would always say that was the wrong kind of attention. Only making a man want to bed me and not make me their wifey.

My mama felt in order to please a man you had to be a slim size four. So, my being a size twenty did not make her happy but that didn't bother me because I was happy with who I am. My mama would never be caught dead in just a simple t-shirt and jeans. I have never in my thirty years ever seen my mama not looking polished with her hair and make-up done and some fancy outfit on. It was as if she just rolled out of bed looking perfect. She always told me that's how you kept a man, yet my dad left her long ago.

I love my man and wanted him in my life, but I didn't need him. I made my own way instead of counting on a man for everything like my mama said I should. I went to college, got my education and diploma, found a career that I love, bought me a house, then found a man that I cared about. My mama said I should have skipped all of that and just found a man to support me. Her way of thinking was not how I wanted to live my life, but I didn't dare go against my mama. She was scary when she was angry and would always make me feel guilty. I just sucked it up and pretended to go along with everything.

Now here I was looking exactly the way my mother wanted me to look for this party. I didn't care though because tonight my man was going to finally put a ring on it. I found a ring box in his coat pocket so that's why I'm taking the extra time to look so good. We have been together for four years and living together for the last two years. It was time to take it to the next step, and I was happy that he finally gotten the hint.

I made the mistake of telling my mother about the ring box I had seen and now she's telling me what I have to do to make I keep this man happy and talking about how I am going to have to quit my job. There was way in hell I was doing that. I worked hard to get where I was at and Trent respected that. I couldn't be with a man that expected me to count on him for everything I needed. I was my own person or well I tried to be.

Once they were done at the salon and my mother said I looked as good as I could she dropped me off at my house so that Trent could come and pick me up for my surprise party. Finally, I had a chance to just sit down and be by myself. Once I had that ring on my finger there would no peace. My mama would be in full on wedding mode and would be on a whole other level with her craziness. After all it won't be about me on my wedding day it'll be all about her showing off for everyone. That's just how she was. I loved her, but I just didn't know if I could live the life, she wanted me to live.

I needed some music to calm me down before the party. It was my go-to thing that helped me deal with my mama and clear my head. I couldn't listen to the kind of music I liked around my mama or Trent because a lady doesn't shake her ass. She just cooks and cleans and obeys her man. To hell with all of that. Well they aren't around right now so Alexa, play All about that bass. I cranked it up and started to dance around my house and let all the stress melt away. Music was my therapy I listened to the song and let myself get lost in it so I could forget about everything else.

Nola's pov

Today was the day all my hard work was finally paying off. My daughter was finally going to bag her a rich man. He had a lot of money and could give her the kind of life I wanted for her. She was about to get that ring on her finger and have her man on lock down. Trent had my approval so that was saying a lot. He was polished and liked the very best of everything. He came from a very rich family so that didn't hurt either. It was a good thing I taught my daughter how to be the perfect woman. A man like him only comes around once in a lifetime. Now she just needs to do everything I taught her.

She should realize just how lucky she is to have me around to teach her all of this and not have to live the kind of life I did growing up. I was what most people called an ugly child. I had a nappy mop of hair my mother would never help me take care of and was way to skinny for my to tall frame. My mother would tell me every day how disappointed she was in me and wish that I was not her daughter. She would tell me how I was always going to be alone because I wasn't beautiful, and no man wanted something like me. It hurt me but I survived it and it made me who I am today.

The pain of hearing that every day is one of the reasons I push Nakia so hard. It's what makes me strive to be the best and have the best. I am proving my mother wrong every day. I must always look perfect, so I am never that little nappy girl ever again. If that made me cold, then so be it. That's just the way I must be in order to live the lifestyle we deserve. I will never let anyone break me the way my mother did.

I mean it must have worked because my daughter is beautiful and almost perfect. She is practically flawless. It took me a while to get her to realize that mama knows best. Once she did everything started to fall into place. Now I can't wait to plan her wedding. It was going to be a grand affair. One that everyone would be talking about for years to come. My daughter deserved only the best.