I brought my dad to a work trip, and he forgot his passport. I flew without him.

The author with her father. Courtesy of the author Dad and I were flying across the Atlantic because I had a business launch, and he was my plus one. When we checked in, we realized that my dad had accidentally bought Mom's passport instead of his. He was distraught, and I calmed him down, as if I were the parent. Still, I left him at the airport. I was a Londoner and had recently accepted a job at a magazine in New York City. The new company paid for my father and me to fly to America so I...