When I arrive home, I call my parents to set up a time to visit over brunch at their retirement community. Before we leave, my dad calls and asks for a ride from their townhouse back to the retirement community. They can get to the townhouse, but are having trouble figuring out how to get back to the retirement community. We pick my parents up. While my sister and I go to brunch with them, my brother is going to move the cars away from their townhouse.

When we arrive at my parents home, there are 6 messages on their answering machine. Three were from my sister two days ago – calling to find out where my parents were. My dad turns to my sister and asks her when she left those messages. He has no idea that two days ago they stood her up when they decided to get a cab back to the townhouse. My mom walks out of the room and starts playing the piano with my daughter.

I try not to imagine that she knew what they did, however, now it seems as if she is aware of the ditching.

My dad turns to my sister and apologizes. I believe that even if he were aware of it two days ago, he sincerely doesn’t remember and appropriately seems sorry to have ditched my sister for the dinner date she planned.

One of the few things my parents seem to enjoy are meals with company. Somehow, they were so bent on controlling their mobility that they ditch my sister who has flown into town and offered to take them out to dinner. Ditched.