I'm a 45-year-old software engineer, which sounds important until you realize I'm basically a highly paid monkey who types code all day. My old man, he's 80 now, and needs daily medical attention and someone to keep the house from becoming a biohazard. I hired a caregiver, a nice woman from the Philippines, part-time. And I feel like a real heel about it. I was in the service, you know, disciplined, taught to handle things myself, but here I am, paying someone else to change bandages and make sure the bills get paid. It feels like I'm taking the easy way out, like I'm shirking my duty, and I can't shake the feeling I'm failing him. Maybe it's just the old military guilt kicking in, telling me I'm soft. But I just can't bring myself to do it. It’s pathetic, I know.