If I had a date with a man, I'd expect my mom to not make a sudden demand such as that. As compelling as it would need to be, it wouldn't have been in her nature to make any such demands.

I remember a time when I felt conflicted when I was visiting my ailing stepfather in the hospital. An opportunity for going to a Red Sox game came up, he looked at me and threatened to haunt me in his afterlife if I even considered staying bedside.