The Girls

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 1

Kalana Pov

"Hey Daddy, today was my 17th birthday. I enjoyed it with my friends and family. We went out to eat and saw a movie. Gi-Gi gifted me a necklace locket with a baby picture of you, I cried like a baby. Whenever you're brought up I just always get emotional. I'm getting older now. Today's been good, would have been better if you were here. Luna, she's well, she's doing well with her business, she felt it'll be great opportunity to try to promote and sell bundles and lashes at my birthday dinner. She see I didn't do it anything at her birthday dinner. Isaac still being spoiled and becoming a lazy something. Mama she's doing everything, but relaxing. She overdo everything, I just feel she does so much for me because she feels bad for me. Pops is the only one who treats me regular because he knows I hate how everyone else treats me. I'm thankful for him , but you'll always be my number 1 dad. I know you're partying up there for me. I love you daddy , see you later." I said in the voicemail before ending the call.

I laid in bed just admiring the picture of my dad.

Minutes later I get a light knock on my door. "Come in." I said.

My mom came in, with Dad's journal about me. Every birthday she'd show me what he wrote

She sat on my edge of the bed. I'd forever be grateful for the tattoo of dad, I always get a warm feeling when I see him on her arm. "Did you enjoy your birthday celebration?" Mama asked.

"Yea."

Luna and I shared a birthday, but yet we always rotated on who would celebrate it first. So this year I celebrated today and she celebrated yesterday, on our birthday.

"That's good." She replied climbing into my bed, sitting next to me, then opening the journal.

"Day 17, you're about 3 weeks old! Today you woke up smiling. It'll be egotistic to say I was the reason you were smiling right? I swear you make me so happy, like it's a different kind of happy and a different kind of love. I want so much in the world for you, I want you to be so amazing, you to be smart, and successful, like right now you're not even a month old and today I was trying to get you talking already. Gosh I'm already being too hard on you and expecting things already, I apologize. I don't want to ever be hard on you. It's ok to make mistakes, I'll help you through them and I won't judge you. I know you won't be perfect. There will be no standard for you. You give yourself your own bar to reach. Gotta be happy with something that you did. Don't be upset about what you can't do, but be happy with what you can.Always be positive about yourself, everyday try to find something positive. Just because you weren't talking today you were smiling today. When I was holding you, you held your head up on your own longer than your usual time. You moving your head around a lot, I'm proud of you. Just don't start giving me sassy neck rolls lol. I love you Kalana, you're the best thing to ever happen to me. Always keep smiling for me. A smile from you and seeing you happy will be the greatest gift to me." The letter said. We never read it out loud. When we read it in our heads, thats when we hear it in his voice .

Mama hugged me, "I love you Kalana."

"I love you too Mama" I said. We looked at videos of dad together and then she left my room after our moment.

My mom and I relationship, I would say is awkward. It's not just with me, it's with Luna too. I don't think she knows how to raise girls. Nor does she know how to deal with our personalities. But like what's expected, how do you be a mother, if you never had a mother. Raised by a man and around men. Didn't have much female friends either. All she knows is that she has to protect and take care of us, that's it. Emotionally being there for us she doesn't know how. She doesn't know how to bond with us now. She kinda just let us do us and learn for ourselves, but like you can ask her for advice and she'll give it. She'll tell you life lessons, but that's all.