It's a plot point ripped right from the pages of a mystery novel or a Hollywood script. A parent tragically passes away, but not before leaving behind a life-changing note for their child. The note could reveal a secret, bequeath a surprise inheritance, or send them on a journey of self-discovery via a series of increasingly elaborate clues.
TikTok user northernsass recently found exactly such a note after her father passed away. What was inside was, well, exactly what you'd expect from a dad.
Almost exactly.
"My father passed away unexpectedly and as we were cleaning out his house, I found this ominous note shoved in the very back of his dresser," the caption on the video read.
She then shows the note, which reads:
"Do not read unless you want the answer."
I mean, how could you not open it?!
@isyabootay One last joke on me i guess. 🙃 #fyp#notes#fypage#brickbybrick#dad
"My dad was a simple, straightforward man," the captioning continues. "Hardworking and honest so this is completely out of character for him."
Inside the note, slowly opened by shaky hands, is some kind of map, and a sequence of numbers.
Northernsass quickly realizes that inside her father's last message to her is:
The secret to beating the triangle peg game at Cracker Barrel.
kendiala/Flickr
No final confession of fatherly love.
No surprise fortune left behind.
Just one last Dad Joke from beyond the grave.
Now to be fair, that peg game is really hard — so this is pretty valuable information. But maybe not what northernsass initially had in mind.
However, this wasn't her first rodeo with her dad's jokes.
"The dad jokes are embedded in my DNA at this point," she wrote in a comment below the post.
Seeing the note, and the daughter's reaction to it, tells you everything you need to know about the man and their relationship. More than any earnest, heartfelt note could possibly convey.
The video went viral to to the tune of 4 million views, and a comments section full of love and admiration.
Did you know that a researcher once conducted a study on the importance of dad jokes?
The results were signifi-cringe.
(Sorry.)
In reality, this actually very real study showed that repeated exposure to corny humor had a surprising impact on kids as they grew up.
"According to the researcher, kids continually exposed to eye-rolling humor build up a natural immunity to judgement and embarrassment, and become adults who feel empowered to be themselves," ABC7 wrote about the study.
So while northernsass's father's final message might seem silly — and let's be clear, it is — that's exactly the thing that makes it so heartwarming.
Dad's aren't always the best at sharing feelings and having big, emotional heart to hearts. But we show our love in different ways, and we love to teach. The dad joke is the ultimate culmination of love and teaching — so what better way could there be to say goodbye?
Plus, the Cracker Barrel code is useful: another thing dad's love. Northernsass is, as she writes, now armed to "flex on the senior citizens during Sunday brunch."