Authors Note: I find it strange that before Johnny Depp portrayed Willy Wonka, no one really wrote fan fictions about this story. There were a few Gene Wilder stories on the net, and a couple based on the book, but not quite as large a fan base as there is now. It is interesting how one man, and one director, can turn this little story into such a huge success.
As for this story, it is a casual little tale. Hopefully it will be entertaining.
By the way, Nina is based on Johnny Depp's girlfriend Vannessa Paradis.
Charlie and Willy Wonka had a great partnership together. After relocating his family to the factory, Charlie now controlled 50 of the Wonka Corporation, with the other half set in stock bonds for when Willy decided to retire.
Together they created interesting, sometimes highly unexpected, but above all, fun candy and chocolates. The Oompa Loompas got along great with Charlie, and he had soon learned their special language.
His family no longer suffered, and although Willy hardly ever talked to any of them, he at least made sure to keep them comfortable. Things seemed to be going great for the both of them.
Charlie had tried to get Willy to be more sociable, and made sure that his partner left the factory at least once every week. He made Willy go to the theater, to the park, and even to the lake; which turned out to be disasters.
One after the other Willy Wonka refused to talk to people, to interact with anyone other than Charlie and his Oompa Loompas, and had even called Charlies Grandmother a "cranky old mothball."
It was with great reluctance that Charlie became the spokesperson for The Wonka Corporation; while the real genius shied away from publicity inside his factory.
Charlie did, however, still continue to make Willy leave the factory once every week; sometimes on a Friday, others on a Wednesday, and once on a Tuesday.
It was on one slightly crisp autumn day, a Thursday, that Charlie waited for Willy in the great tunnel that led outside. His partner soon came strolling down and brushed past Charlie to the door.
"Well, if we must do this then let's do it and get it over with." Willy said rather tensely.
Charlie nodded and together they walked outside. Less than two feet away from the door Willy stopped, turned around, and said, "Alright, I stepped outside. Now let's go back inside."
Charlie ran in front of Willy and crossed his arms. "No, you know the rules are that you must leave for the entire day. That is until 6 p.m. this evening. Don't worry about your factory, The Oompa Loompa's have it under control."
Willy crossed his arms like Charlie and replied, "Well who has the Oompa Loompas under control?"
Charlie replied, "My Mother."
Willy turned on his heel and faced the gate. "Bleargh." He muttered.
Charlie led Willy outside the gate and asked, "Where would you like to go today?" Willy responded by turning again and walking back to the factory gates.
"No, I have told you, I want you to spend at least one day, every week, OUTSIDE!" Willy turned around and looked down at Charlie. "Listen little boy, I'm much older than you and I have much more power than you, so I suggest YOU DO NOT SCREAM AT ME!"
Willy looked at Charlie and Charlie replied, "Stop acting like a child." Willy replied by sticking his tounge out.
They walked down the street in the early morning until they came to a crossroad. Charlie looked up at Willy as he crossed the road. There had been times before when Willy would pretend to run across the street, only to laugh as he turned and walked back towards the factory.
This time he was across the street and Charlie led him to a small restaurant. "We are going to eat breakfast in here." He told Willy as they entered.
The place wasn't too crowded, but Willy still shrank away from the people. The waitress smiled as she led them to a small booth. "Can I get you two something to drink?" She asked. Willy wanted hot chocolate, and Charlie ordered orange juice.
They ate breakfast as Willy discussed the future stocks, which were increasing. Sales were up, as well as advertising ventures, and then he decided to build a house out of his french toast sticks.
When they were finished Willy paid the bill while Charlie ventured outside. Willy came beside him and pointed his walking cane at the store across the street. "They have good candy in there. Lets go."
They walked to the store and entered. It was a mixture of toys, candy, and small amusements. A young woman came and asked them, "Can I help you with anything?"
Suddenly Willy began to stutter, "W.We..Jus.you know...Loo..Loking..I mean Looking..Around.Eh, hehehe."
The woman giggled and Charlie looked from Willy to the woman. She was slightly tall with curly reddish-blonde hair. Her nails were a bright red and she was wearing the store uniform.
Charlie smiled at the woman and she smiled back. "You're Charlie Buckett, the kid who won that factory. Oh, and you must be Willy Wonka!" She smiled and held out her hand to Willy.
He clenched his fists and Charlie took her hand. "It's nice to meet you. We were just looking around." The woman nodded and replied, "Well my name is Nina and if you need any help let me know." She waved at them and walked towards another customer.
Charlie looked at Willy, who was smiling and looking rather dazed. He asked, "Do you like her?" Willy waved his hand and replied, "Oh no. No. She's just... sort of pretty,... and her nails look like candy apples. Oh, look, some Sour Tarts." Willy picked up a package of Sour Tarts and began reading the ingredients.
He moved on to the licorice aisle while Charlie looked at the board games.He saw Nina talking to two little girls holding stuffed Unicorns, and she moved to the cash register. Suddenly Charlie knew what he needed to do.
Willy was a very anti-social person, and no matter how hard Charlie tried he couldn't get Willy to make any friends. If left to his own devices, Willy would spend his entire life shut away inside the factory with no one but Oompa Loompas to keep him company.
Charlie had never asked Willy about his personal life; he didn't know if Willy had ever even had a girlfriend, or even a best friend, before. He knew the man had to be in his early thirties; and yet he still acted like a child.
Perhaps if someone could break through, someone who could care for Willy, then Charlie's business partner would not be quite so alone. "Mr. Wonka, Sir! Are you ready to purchase now?"
Willy turned to Charlie with a small basket of toys and candies and smiled.
"Did you find anything you want?" Charlie held up a small pinwheel, which he had grabbed on his way to get Willy.
"Well, ok then." They walked to the cash register, where Nina was waiting. She smiled at Willy as he came up to her. "Is that everything?" She asked as she began to price the items.
Willy continued to stare at Nina as Charlie watched. He couldn't believe that Willy would let such an opportunity pass! The woman was obviously interested in him, and obviously Willy liked her, but neither of them were speaking to each other!
When the cash register beeped Nina told them, "Ten dollars and twelve cents." Willy blinked and handed her the money, his hands trembling as he placed the money on the counter. "Both of you have a good day." She smiled as Willy simply mumbled, "Eh, heh, hee."
Charlie wanted to hit his head on the door as they left. "Willy, You liked her! Why didn't you ask her out or something? She was really checking you out!" Willy continued to walk down the street. Charlie shook his head and looked at him. "You really are something else, you know that?"
Willy replied, "Charlie, I have more important things to do than dilly dally with some lady. I have a factory to run, and business to manage, and lots of other really important stuff." Charlie sighed. "You've never had a girlfriend before, have you?"
Willy stopped and looked down at Charlie. "My personal life is of no matter to you." Charlie looked at Willy and replied, "It is because of your personal life that I'm your heir. Because you've never been close enough to a woman to produce your own heir."
Willy gasped and covered his mouth with his gloved hand. "You little snot. You think know everything don't you. You boss me around and tell me where to go and what to do. You're only thirteen years old, what do you know!"
Charlie retorted back, "More than you!"
He walked angrily towards the park while Willy slumped down on his cane. Finally Willy came up beside Charlie and they walked to the park in silence. Charlie kicked at a swing while Willy sat down on a bench.
He opened a package of licorice and watched the clouds. He flashed back to a time when things had been different, when he had just been getting started and had barely enough money to stand on. A young girl, gentle and kind, had taken him in, cared for him while her parents were away.
When they had come back he had snuck around with the girl, hiding from her parents the growing love between them. It had all changed when the girls parents had discovered them, together in the attic.
Willy could still remember running away, the tears falling from his eyes.
He came back to the present and watched Charlie swinging.
The boy was right. Willy had let half his life slip away, lost in business papers and legal notices and dealing with spies. Love had been lost that night so long ago.
Yet now Willy was far too old to be interested in love, and women, and especially women with candy apple nails.
He packed away his licorice and went out to the hill that gave a veiw of the far off lake. Once the day was over he could go back to his factory and lose himself in his work. That was, until the next week when Charlie would force him to leave the factory for one day.
He heard his partner calling him and turned. "Charlie, we are walking to the lake." He announced as Charlie came beside him. Charlie looked incredulous, "But we need cars to ride there, or the glass elevator." Willy shook his head. "I said we are walking to the lake, not that we are actually going to get there."
Willy just wanted to walk, to get some of the tension off his back.
Charlie shrugged as Willy said, "I think we should make a chocolate caramel apple. Apples with chocolate inside them. Or something along that line." It was obvious Willy Wonka had candy apples on his mind.