Months after my grandfather was diagnosed with terminal cancer I got the call from my grandma in Minnesota telling me to get home as soon as possible. My grandmother told me that grandpa wouldn't make it through the night. Back then if you knew someone who worked for the airlines you could fly standby on what was called a "buddy pass." Essentially it was a very discounted ticket and all you had to do was show up at the airport. It was perfect for a situation like the one with my dying grandfather. I showed up to the airport nearly four hours early, only to miss the flight back home to say my final goodbye. When I arrived, my Grandmother told me that he had waited for me but had died an hour earlier. I was broken.
