Once the potatoes were boiled, Crystal turned off the stove and took out the butter and milk from the fridge that she would need when she mashed them. Then, as she was reaching for the strainer, her phone rang. She answered it without checking the Caller ID and was shocked to hear Lucy’s unusually anxious voice on the other end. Lucy was her parents’ housekeeper.

Lucy: “Crystal, come to the hospital quickly! Your Father is dying!”

When Crystal heard that, it was as if all of her bones ...