from our family for nearly fifty years finally began to unravel.
Dad was already dressed when I came downstairs at five that morning.
He sat at my sister Beth’s kitchen table wearing his favorite brown jacket, the one Mom had given him for their fortieth wedding anniversary. His suitcase waited beside the front door, and his passport, wallet, and boarding pass were arranged neatly in front of him.
Our flight wasn’t scheduled to depart until eleven.
“Dad, we’ve still got hours before we need to leave,” I reminded him.
“I
