Sea and sun, buffets and soufflés, steel-drum music and tropical islands. I was working on a cruise ship, training tour directors during our hours at sea, with leisure time to explore the ports of call included in our 12-day package. The Norwegian Breakaway had departed out of New York, and every day since had been paradise—until I got news that my father was gravely ill back home in Alabama. Surrounded by the beauty of the Caribbean, I just wanted to get to my family. I’d never felt so alone.
My father had been living with a heart condition since I was 15. I was used to him being in and out of the hospital. Dad didn’t let it interfere with his life too much, and he didn’t want it to
