When I was a kid I wanted to be just like my dad.

He was smart. He was big. He had a great job. And the most important thing, he had a fast car. Yes, I lusted after his car. And I wanted to be big.

For his birthday mom always took me shopping, we usually bought him a tie from me. And she would buy him something expensive from her, and also get him chocolate.

Let me tell you a little secret. He just wanted the chocolate, if he wanted something expensive he could buy it for himself. And he loved my mother, he just wanted the chocolate and her.

As I approached the age of getting my drivers license I seriously wanted him to give me a car. So what did I do? You'll never guess.

For his birthday I skipped the tie and went for the jugular, a friends father who was a pastry chef in a fancy restaurant taught me some basics, I made a concoction of nuts, dried fruit and dark chocolate for him.

The day after his birthday we sat around eating it, he was sipping wine with his, I had tea, we talked about cars and life. It worked, the chocolate must have been magic. Guess what I got for my birthday!

With best regards,