There comes a time when you have to take away the keys from grandpa.

[no_hypocrisy]

14. Theme and variation on your tale

Same Dad. I expressly told him he wasn't going to drive to NYC for same-day surgery to have one of two cataracts removed. I would do the driving.

He snuck out while I was in the can.

He knew that his surgeon advised to have a driver or a taxi or whatever to drive him home after the surgery.

I immediately called the surgeon's office (it was in the morning) and introduced myself as the daughter of their surgical patient and he had intentions of driving back to NJ from Midtown Manhattan mid-day mid-week after they released him. And I am/was an attorney. If they didn't cancel surgery or hire a car for him pre-surgery and he injured or killed a driver and/or pedestrian with less than 50% of his eyesight post-operatively, I would contact the plaintiff's attorney and give the name and address and phone # of this surgeon as a co-defendant for allowing my father to drive home under these conditions.

Result: Dad had the surgery and drove home with no accidents.