The rest of my July passed on in a haze of work deadlines, baby-sitting for Danita, and dotting I’s and crossing T’s for my wedding. My mother’s announcement of her plans to come up the last weekend in the month to help shop for my wedding dress put me at ease. Danita and Yolanda have each done their tours of duty to help achieve my mission, but it was time for the general to see me to victory. As dusk crept across the Raleigh skyline, my mother arrived with my seventeen-year-old cousin Kenya. I am sure Kenya’s decision rested more on a chance to go shopping in a bigger pond than Pitt County than a desire to see me.
“What took y’all so long?” I asked, engulfing them in hugs.
“We got a late start because of an emergency meeting with one of the principals and Kenya needed to stop at the ma
