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 could celebrate its relaunch, meet my editors, and search for apartments. Dad, then 69, was up for an adventure as my plus one. He traveled by coach from his home in northern England, and we then got a 4.30 am cab from my house to Heathrow Airport .