after several days spent with my Dad, hanging out with his buddies at the bar, meeting his doctors, taking care of all manner of legal affairs, learning more about cancer than I ever cared to know, sleeping in the hospital waiting room, apologizing to icu nurses for behavior they are probably quite accustomed to, and a harrowing shuttle ride from the hospital to the airport with a caffeine-addled driver, I was finally going home.

Still, I knew this was just the beginning.

The sign on the plane's bathroom mirror said something about the courtesy of using your paper towel to wipe down the countertop after finishing with the facilities.

courtesy. why did it ring so hollow?

I slunk back to my seat and set about finishing a book. Life of Pi. When I finally learned who the tiger was, I was glad I'd left behind a little stuffed one on Dad's bedside table. Here's hoping Richard Parker can rip cancer to shreds.