The World of David Walliams: 7 Book Collection

“I would go back to being in a rock band, but you put my guitar on the bonfire!” said Dad with a chuckle.

“Don’t!” said Mum. “I still feel so bad about that. I fell for you like a ton of bricks when I first saw you on stage with the band. That’s why I married you. But when the album didn’t sell I could see how upset you were, and I couldn’t bear it. I thought I was trying to help you move on with your life, but now I realise all I did was crush your dreams. And that’s why I don’t want to make the same mistake twice.”

She got up and started searching in the bottom drawer of the sideboard where she kept her secret stash of Bendicks chocolate mints. “I am so sorry I tore up your story, Chloe.” Mum pulled out the maths exercise book of Chloe’s that she had ripped to pieces. She had painstakingly sellotaped the whole thing back together, and her eyes still shining with tears she handed it back to Chloe. “After Question Time I had a lot of time to think,” she said. “I fished this out of the bin and I read it to the end, Chloe. It’s brilliant.”

Chloe took back the book with a smile. “I promise to try harder in my maths lessons from now on, Mum.”

“Thank you, Chloe. And I have something for you too, my darling,” said Mum to Dad. From under the tree she pulled out a beautifully wrapped present that was exactly the shape of an electric guitar.

25 Black Leather Mistletoe (#ulink_074fec82-0911-51df-b315-59d659984c5d)

“I’ve got some black leather mistletoe this Christmas,

I‘m gonna kiss you and give you a bad shaving rash…”

Dad had plugged his shiny new electric guitar into its amp and was strutting up and down the living room exuberantly singing one of his old band’s songs. He was clearly having the time of his life. It was almost as if his perm had grown back too. Mum, Chloe, Annabelle and Mr Stink sat on the sofa and clapped along. Even Elizabeth and the Duchess were curled up together nodding their heads in time with the music. The heavy rock wasn’t quite to Mr Stink’s taste, and to combat the noise he had discreetly re-inserted his rabbit-dropping earplugs.

“Yeah baby I’m gonna feast on your mince pies,

And give you a real good yuletide surprise…!”