When my husband expressed his desire to marry me, I felt scared. I gave him an ultimatum: if he wanted to commit to me & be married, he had to accept that I would never stay away from my parents. I didn’t want to move out of my home because I couldn’t bear to be away from them for too long. If he agreed to my terms, I would accept his proposal. He did. Until death separated us, I never spent more than a week away from my father, unless I was traveling. My Papa was my biggest fan. My bestfriend.