Truth be told, ever since Wendy left the house five years ago, the Wonka family had become quite dysfunctional. Everyday, for about two months, Willy would run home to once again plead his father to come with him to see his wife. He tried to tell him of how she was recovering. How she had began to regain that same magical light in her eyes. But though all the coaxing and pleading and even promising to work more in the dental room, even though he despised the place, his father would not budge. Instead, he had reverted to being a dentist during the day, to acting like a lifeless rag doll at night, endlessly pacing up and down the halls until the wee hours of night.

Finally, one night at around one o clock, when Willy couldn't stand the pattering of feet passing by his bedroom door, he got out of bed, flicked on the light switch, and opened the door. Light flooded a portion of the hallway, and partially illuminated Wilbur's shadowy features.

"Dad it's late. I have school tomorrow. Can you please go to bed?" Willy pleaded.

"Oh. Bed. Right." Wilbur muttered to himself. Willy raised an eyebrow when his father started walking in the opposite direction of his room. He sighed and went to the end of the hallway.

"Other way."

"Right." said Wilbur. However, he continued walking past his son and toward the stairs.

"Dad?"

Wilbur didn't reply. Willy's eyes widened when it looked like he was going to fall off the landing. He got there just in time, grabbing a hand that used to be so familiar touching five years ago, and pulling him away. This simple action seemed to take Wilbur away from his trance like state. Willy relinquished his grip.

"Dad? Are you alright?" Willy asked, staring at him with honest concern.

"I...I was doing it again wasn't I?" Wilbur said.

He nodded. There was a wave of silence between the two. Willy opened his mouth then closed it, not knowing what to say. Wilbur grabbed the staircase railing and looked down at the floor, looking for a brief moment as if he were about to cry.

"Maybe tomorrow..." Willy began hesitantly, "We can both go to see Mom."

Wilbur shook his head.

"She doesn't love me." he murmured.

"Of course she does." said Willy. However, he knew his father's words to be true. Wendy, had nothing but bitter words about her husband. For obvious reasons.

"Then her brain must be more damaged than I thought."

Wilbur moved away from the staircase, this time walking toward his room. His ragged blue slippers shifted slowly across the hardwood floor. Willy took pity on him as he watched the retreating figure. Wilbur eventually got to his room, stepping inside and closing the door. It was at this point that Willy began to run down the hallway, yanking his father's door open.

Even though it was dark in the room, Willy could still make out the vast number of pictures on the walls. There were pictures of Wilbur and his family. A teenage Wilbur, with sandy blond hair. Pictures of Willy when he was six years old. Pictures of Wendy on one wall. Other pictures of Wendy on the other side. Wendy, Wendy, Wendy...

Through it all, Wilbur sat on his grey bed, his face in his hands.

"Dad are you alright?" he asked for the second time.

"What have I done?" he heard him say.

Willy quietly moved to the other side of the room, and hesitantly, sat down beside him. After a few brief moments Wilbur said through his hands,

"You should go to bed William."

Willy shook his head. He had become too involved to leave.

"We have time Dad. You could go and apologize. And...if anything, it may even help her recover. Maybe she will even..."

"Come home?" Wilbur said through gritted teeth.

"Um...well it's possible."

"She could care less what happens to me now. Don't lie to your father William, I hear your phone conversations with your friends."

Willy was slightly offended by what his father said. So he listened to his phone conversations now?

"I've permanently damaged this whole family. I've lost my wife..." Wilbur said, breaking off. He paused.

"Go to bed."

"No Dad."

"I said Now!" Wilbur shouted. Willy waited a moment, then nodded and began to go to the door. When he was about to close it, he heard the sound of crying.

I'm planning on writing the next chapter for tomorrow.