WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE FLU? My mom called me at work to tell me that my dad had to go to the doctor because he’s been sick with the flu for 2 1/2 weeks and hasn’t gotten any better. It’s scary because the doctor told him that he was very close to having pneumonia. Besides that happening, our family’s plans for traveling to Texas for four days were in jeopardy. A friend’s wedding is that same Saturday that they wanted to leave for Texas (they wanted to drive). To work out the schedule, I bought a plan ticket to fly down on Sunday to meet them ($150 for a one-way ticket). The plans were for me to ride back with them, which there was a great chance for them not to go. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Life is not good when your dad is really sick and you lost $50 on canceling a plane ticket.