Holding my arms, looking at me intently, tearing up, she said, “Montana, this moment is worth every second of those seventy-two and a half hours I labored with you, the thirty-five years I’ve been the laughingstock of this family having given birth to the only Moore family girl, post-slavery, ever to eclipse twenty-five, then thirty, then thirty-five and not be married. Montana, this moment is worth all the disrespectful, hateful, spiteful, vicious things that you’ve ever said to me, including the ugly, undeserved, mean, and despicable things you said to me this morning. Montana, this moment was worth it all. Like Dr. King, I had a dream, Montana. The dream was that one day…”

As she continued to recite the entire “I Have a Dream” speech, it suddenly occurred to me that my dream was alive, and that it had quickly turned into a nightmare. After she was done with Dr. King, she moved on to Jesse Jackson’s 1984 “Keep Hope Alive” speech, then on to Al Sharpton’s “No Justice No Peace,” then on to Farrakhan’s 1995 “Million Man March” speech, until finally, grabbing her purse and wiping her eyes, she left.

The look on Muggly’s face said it all. Montana Christina Moore, you’ve stepped in it now.

“Meoowww!”

Chapter 12

9:25 A.M. EST
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17TH

7 DAYS, 10 HOURS, AND 35 MINUTES TO “E-DAY”

You told your momma what?! Girl, are you out of your mind?! It was supposed to be a surprise!” Gail blasted me as we both welcomed passengers onto a short hop from Baltimore to Chicago. “Happy holidays. Welcome aboard. Good morning.”

“I know. But it was early. I was half asleep and she started attacking me, throwing up the fact that she had been married five times to my none. Welcome aboard! Then she started talking about Sheree and her engagement, and how happy and excited the whole family was for her and how badly they were all feeling for me, and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I had to say something to get her off my back. Happy holidays! And that’s exactly what I did. I said something. And it worked. Because now, she’s off my back. Good morning, happy holidays, welcome aboard.”

“Yeah, it worked all right. She got off your back, and a ten-thousand-pound gorilla hopped on. Good morning. Welcome aboard!”

“I know.”

“I know you know. Girl, you stepped in it now.”

“I know.”

“I know you know. A bird in the hand, Montana. How many times do I have to tell you that? A bird in the hand. You never ever send out the press release that you’ve captured the bird until you’ve got it locked up safely in the cage.”

“I know.”

“I know you know!”

“Well, it’s too late now. The bird has left the cage and is headed south for the winter.”

“Does anyone else in the family know?”