Chasing something that’s not where he is

My Dad has been staying with us because he lives between Fiji and Australia and needs to be here for medical appointments. He recently turned 80 and his health challenges, along with recent additions to ‘club 80’ in Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, have prompted quiet grief. I’ve been waking before sunrise so I can try and talk with him, as that is when he’s up and hovering in the hope of some coffee. His first comment to me this morning, after I poured him a coffee, was, “I have a dilemma.” I replied, “What’s the dilemma?” He said, “I’ve been offered a meeting in Fiji tomorrow morning.” My response was simply, “That’s not a dilemma. That’s impossible.” Through further queries, I discovered he “had to be in the room” (not online) and would “try to reschedule”. He’s 80, in Australia for a hernia operation and dental health problems, but contemplating a sudden return to Fiji for “a meeting”. My Dad has been chasing “projects” in Fiji for at least two decades. On paper they seem interesting…