— I’m sad – Gilbert said.
— Hi Sad, I’m dad.
— No dad! I’m serious!
— Serious?! I thought you were Sad!

Gilbert frowned.

— What’s up, doc? – said dad, biting a non-existing carrot.
— I’m gonna miss you, dad.
— Why!? Am I going anywhere?

He had already gone. Dad laughed. Gilbert cried. Dad wasn’t being facetious. He wasn’t there anymore.

The doctor had been clear. Idiopathic Paternal-Onset Jocular Cognitive Erosion. The “Dad Joke Syndrome”.

Nobody knows the cause, but since the 1st case in 2028 it had spread to 30% of men over 60. The only known risk factor is being a father.