Fathers aren’t supposed to turn cartwheels.

“Is that your Dad…? What’s he doing…!?”

You don’t even have to turn your head. You know what he must be doing, again, to prompt that tone.

Ever since he went away for the weekend to ‘find himself’ he’s been acting strangely. Crawling around, sniffing at trees, drinking out of puddles. He asked if he could eat with no hands off a plate on the floor and mum put her foot down.

You turn slowly.

No dog costume in sight. No leads.

Instead your Dad’s upside down…then the right way up…then upside down again. “Wait for me!” you shout, as you start a tumbling line of your own. It’s true, Father’s don’t usually do cartwheels in the park, but yours always has and now you will gratefully accept this low level weirdness if it means Fido Franko will stay in his kennel!