Charlisse could not bear to watch her father die. Yet with each labored heave of his chest and each fade of luster from his eyes, she knew it was close. With one final moment of clarity, he looked at her and said, "I love you, my sweet Charlisse."

She squeezed his handa hand that now grew cold beneath the inescapable pull of eternity. Tears streamed down her face as she watched the life slowly slip from his gaze. Finally, his grip on her hand loosened. He turned and stared ...