Thanks once again to those who reviewed... As you can maybe tell, I'm currently posting at a rate of once a week, while the reserves I've got (still a good number of those) last.
Turrislucidous - I love your idea of Ellie's parting comments to her boss! Who knows given what happens off screen - she could well have done! ;-)
You all know this already, but I figure it's been a while since I've said it... If you recognise it from elsewhere, the chances are, it's not mine...
Normal life?
The settling in process happened gradually over the rest of that week. Charlie slowly developed a routine – three evenings he would spend with his family, as soon as his homework was done, the two remaining school days he was allowed to stay with Willy until 8pm. A Saturday he was up and out early, to go on his paper round, and would then spend what was left of the morning with his family. Midday however he was picked up by Willy, and the time from then until 7pm was spent learning about the factory and routines, and simply being able to enjoy getting to know his mentor better. A Sunday was to be a family day – doing whatever his family chose to do. Mom insisted on it.
Charlie thought that Mom was starting to feel happier about the place that Willy was playing in his life, or at least, she was less obvious in her discontent now. The pair of them had attended his medical appointment together. That had been a strange and somewhat embarrassing process, but the Oompa Loompa who was working with him had said that given all he had been through in his young life he was amazingly healthy. He was to be given a strict diet, with a variety of healthy snacks. He was to eat little but often – the factory kitchens would have the specifics of the food he required, which would be prepared for him to take away with him to school each day. The food would be dealt with in a special way the factory had that meant it would not need keeping in the fridge. The doctor thought that if he followed this diet he would find he remembered things better when at school.
Then the adults had a discussion – partially about the rest of the family having medical appointments, but also partially in relation to making sure that they all had enough appropriate clothing. The doctor was concerned that with the colder weather coming, Charlie could catch a chill when he was outside – especially if he was delivering newspapers when it was cold and wet out.
The doctor insisted on examining Mom before they left, and she was left with strict instructions that she was to spend the next month simply settling into the factory. Financial concerns weren't to be allowed to concern her – she would be able to play a role in community life later on. For now, the doctor wanted her to eat lots of good food, relax, and start getting to know the others in the factory. These were the things that he felt were most important for her. He also suggested that she get James to go for a wander in the park with her sometimes. He knew she thought of him as a good friend, and was able to suggest that he needed to be encouraged away from his desk sometimes.
Ellie had been slightly taken aback at the doctors knowledge, but the man explained that everyone was excited about the new inhabitants, and that James had been happily telling about his friendship with them all from the past. Willy had been talking about Charlie. Of course, knowing that the family had previous ties to the factory and their friends had meant the Oompa Loompa's were even more excited about the new residents, and the various groups were looking forwards to seeing more of them as time went on.
Ellie had wondered if the fact that James talked about knowing the rest of them, and Willy only talked about Charlie would mean the Oompa Loompa's would realise that something must be a little 'off' about the relationship the rest of the family had with Willy, but eventually decided that it was only natural for Willy to be enthusiastic about having a new apprentice. Then she smiled. Much as she wasn't overly fond of the man, or the deep affection that her boy had for him, she had to admit that he seemed to care about Charlie just as much.
Way back when she knew him before, he'd always been so exuberant. She'd known that Jane cared deeply for him, and that he wasn't as good at showing affection and love for others as the rest of them were, but it had been hard not to doubt that he felt the same way about her friend as she had about him. She'd always wondered, especially when he seemed to abandon everyone else about the time of Jane's death. She did know that people grieved in different ways, but she'd never been sure about whether he was capable of feeling love for another. Now she had the proof, and it was her innocent, loving young boy that brought it out in him.
She felt proud of Charlie, in a way, being able to touch the place in a recluse's heart that few others were able to reach. She was also scared for him. Scared of what could happen were the man to suddenly withdraw, as he had from the others. She knew there were good reasons why it wouldn't happen, but that didn't stop her from worrying. Charlie was her son, and if that man were to close himself off from him, he'd soon learn why mothers were referred to as tigers!
Finally the doctor had let them go, and Ellie took Charlie over to the homework club, where a snack was waiting for him. She had been surprised to see James and Willy sat at one of the tables, both sat next to one of the Oompa Loompa's. James was with one of the boys that had taken them round the factory the previous Saturday, while Willy had his head bent over the book of a young female Oompa Loompa that Ellie hadn't met yet.
It was the latter of the two that Charlie found a seat next to, and with a soft 'Hi Het!' to the girl, he reached into his bag and pulled out his books, opening up his returned chemistry homework to see what Mr Turkentine had said.
The mark was pretty good, for Charlie, but the teacher's comments were pretty harsh. Ellie's face fell as she saw her sons joyful smile give way to mortification as he read whatever was written there.
Before she could step in, however, one of the female Oompa Loompa's came up to him. "May I see?" she asked him quietly. Charlie looked up at her, face troubled. "I… I don't know…" He trailed off. His friend Mannie looked up with a smile. "Go on Charlie! It's OK." He encouraged the boy. "Grenske's our science teacher here, maybe she'll be able to help."
Charlie looked doubtfully over at the boy, but accepting his suggestion he offered his book to the teacher. It didn't take her long to read through his work, and note the teachers comments. Tutting in distress the Oompa Loompa pulled the boy out of his seat with a muttered 'Come!' And then a moment later "Wonka!" Willy looked up, and a moment later was also on his feet, knowing that Grenske had to be deeply upset about something when she looked like that.
With a muttered apology to the girl he quickly got ready to join her, and spotting Charlie he glanced round for Ellie. As soon as he saw her, he requested that she join them, before signalling to Grenske that they were ready to go.
Charlie glanced at the three adults in consternation. What had he done wrong now? Willy, happening to be the only one of the three looking at him at that moment, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It will be alright Charlie." He promised. "You have done nothing wrong."
His low tones reached the teacher, who was showing Ellie the route to the room she wanted to take and she turned round towards them, noting the pallor on Charlie's face… "Indeed you have not. I am concerned because others have done wrong to you, and I want to see what we can do to remedy their mistake." She informed him.
Charlie's eyes grew large. She thought someone had done something wrong to him? Just from reading his Chemistry book? The only person who had written in that beyond himself was Mr Turkentine. But teachers didn't treat people wrong. They were always right, so if Mr Turkentine had told him off he must have deserved it. The man was right, he was stupid, and he didn't learn well. That was proved each time Charlie sat in the man's class – he was forever making mistakes and getting it wrong.
Suddenly he felt the gentle pressure on his shoulder tighten slightly, and he looked up into Wonka's caring eyes. "It will be alright, Charlie" the man informed him. "I know you're feeling confused now, but Grenske will explain everything when we get to her office. Alright?" Charlie shrugged his shoulders slightly, before giving a nod. Willy glanced sharply at him, before gesturing with his free hand for them to continue.
When they finally got behind a closed office door Grenske suddenly turned round to face the others and brandished the book at them. "Wonka! Who is this imbecile who calls himself a teacher? Does he think that by demeaning the honest efforts of his pupils he will motivate them to try harder? Does he not realise that it is better to encourage them? Why does he mark perfectly accurate answers as incorrect, and then insult the pupil's intelligence? Does it make him feel better about himself? How on earth can he believe that this kind of thing is acceptable!" she suddenly ran out of things she could say.
Wonka gently took the book out of her grasp, and started to flick through the pages, as Charlie hung his head in shame. He hated his mentor seeing his work, and the comments that it had generated from his teacher.
At this, Ellie finally moved over to him, and wrapped her arms gently around him. Instinctively, Charlie tried to hide his burning face in her shoulder, not wanting to see the accusation he was sure would be in the eyes of the other adults. "No, no, young Charlie, it is not to you that the fault is. There is nothing shaming to you here. It is your teacher who should feel shamed at writing such things about anyone."
Willy looked up from the book, frowning portentously. Does this happen to you a lot Charlie?" he asked, handing the book over to Ellie. Charlie looked up at him. "how do you mean Wonka?" he asked, quailing away from the angry look.
Immediately, Willy's expression softened, and he held out a hand to the boy. With Ellie concentrating on the book she was now examining, Charlie was free to move across the room, and to be drawn into the arms of his mentor. "Is he the only one who writes such horrible things about you Charlie? If I were to look at your other books, would they say such horrible things about you?" Charlie hung his head, not wanting to admit that this was a common theme. It took no more than that for Willy's grip to tighten around him. The extra pressure was enough for him to raise his head again. "English is mostly OK" he admitted, "The rest… Not so much. "Well, the same man who teaches chemistry also teaches maths." He explained. Then he lowered his head until it rested on Willy's shoulder, still being unable to take in all that was happening, and that these adults seemed to think that his teacher was in the wrong. He was so used to being disparaged by his teachers, that it was a huge culture shock to find that these adults thought it was wrong for him to be treated in such a way.
Willy held the boy close, before looking up at Ellie. "Do you agree that we have to do something about this Ellie?" he asked her carefully. Ellie glanced up at him, her face a stony mask of fury. Feeling unable to speak, she simply gave him a curt nod.
Understanding completely where she was at, Willy went on. "As far as I can see it, we have a few options. We can complain to the school, and see if they will move Charlie classes, hoping that he'll end up with a more sympathetic teacher. We can complain and get them to insist that Mr Turkentine treats his pupils more respectfully, and we can take copies of Charlie's work for the staff here to mark, so we know we have an honest guideline of his abilities – before getting him moved at the end of the year, or we can decide that it is better for Charlie to join the school system we have in place here and remove him from his current school entirely. What do you think Ellie?"
It took but a moment for him to get a response. "I do not want my son subjected to the people in that school any longer!" she hissed. "I knew he had a difficult time with some of the pupils there, but I had no idea that his teachers would treat him in such a manner. I will not have it, and they will have no second chances!" Charlie looked up at his mother in surprise. He'd never have suspected that she would choose to have him change schools at this point in time.
His shocked gaze seemed to break her out of her fury, and her visage cleared. "Can we move his education here Wonkanta, Grenske?" she asked more quietly. "I would feel happier about him if I knew he was learning things with teachers who were more understanding. While I thought a few days ago that it was better to maintain his education as it was, reading through these comments I'm surprised that he's learned anything from these teachers."
Wonka smiled at her. "Of course Ellie-Belly-Bee. We'll get it sorted out post-haste. Charlie." He said, turning his attention to the boy. "I'm afraid we'll need to put you through some placement tests, so we can find out what you know, and where you need a little more help." Charlie looked up at him, feeling somewhat daunted at the idea of this. "It's nothing to worry about." Wonka continued on, "it just means we'll have a better idea of what you need to learn, and what you already understand."
Charlie smiled uncertainly up at him, before glancing over at Grenske. "You will be welcome here." She told him. "I know already that you have a good grounding in the basics of my subject, and with a little more information, you will soon find yourself learning what you need to know to work in the chocolate factory. I look forwards to teaching you Charlie." She said with a smile.
With the decision taken it wasn't long before the details were worked out. Charlie was going to return to the homework club and take the test papers for the subjects he'd been taking at the school, Ellie was going to write a note that she and James would take to the school in the morning – she was determined that her son would not do another day at that establishment. Charlie would also give Willy all of his current lesson books, so that the teachers could see what he had been learning, and how fairly he had been graded on his work.
Charlie felt decidedly uncomfortable about the last dictum, but sighed in resignation. He knew that the adults were only trying to help, but that didn't mean he didn't feel embarrassed by his failings in school. Shrugging his shoulders he tried to forget about that part of the plan, and a moment later he had no time to think about it anyway, as Willy was guiding him back to the homework club, and a sheaf of papers was presented to him.
Grenshke explained to him that they knew that he hadn't touched most of the subjects they had given him papers for in a long time, however, as he was going to start learning some new things to help him in his new life in the factory, they wanted to find out what he knew about them as well. "Remember, it is not to worry about results, as this does no more than tell us about what you need to learn. It helps us know that we won't bore you in class, and makes sure that we know when you might need a little more help in understanding the information we give you. No more than that."
Then she disappeared leaving the other children glancing curiously at Charlie as he slowly worked his way through the pile of papers.
Charlie knew a deep sense of relief when he was finally able to hand the papers in to Grenshke. He looked up, unsure about what he was to do next. Glancing round, he realised that his Mom was nowhere to be seen, and then he smiled in relief as he spotted Wonka, chatting with one of the other children, who was also waiting until Charlie was finished. Miana smiled encouragingly at Charlie before wandering up to Grenshke to ask her a question, and Charlie made his way back to Willy.
"Your Mom asked if I could bring you back to the family suite once you finished with your papers Charlie" Wonka told him quietly. "She figured that you could probably do with some quiet family time before an early bed, what with everything that's happened this evening."
Charlie smiled tiredly up at Willy. "I don't even know where to start tonight Wonka." He admitted. "I hope they don't ask me too much about my day, because too much has happened for me to even start thinking about formulating a response. I just…" he sighed.
Wonka squeezed Charlie's shoulder encouragingly. "After all you've been through it's not surprising if you've reached the point you can't process any more Charlie – and they'll understand that." Wonka promised gently. "Your Mom said she would make sure they didn't ask too many questions when you got in, so it should be OK." Charlie nodded his head in relief, leaning against the man as if he was struggling to support his own weight.
"Shall I give you a piggy-back Charlie?" Willy asked, glancing down at the boy. He couldn't imagine that Charlie had had the chance of one in a long time. When the boy glanced up at him curiously, Willy explained – "If you climb on my back, I can carry you back to the suite's that way." He explained.
Looking uncertain, Charlie agreed. "Um, sure… We could give it a go I guess."
Willy bent down to enable the boy to jump on his back. "Link your arms round my neck, Charlie." Willy instructed as he held him firmly around the legs, and boosting him into the air slightly to get him settled a little more comfortably and securely. Laughing Charlie agreed. "OK then Wonka!" He certainly hadn't expected the day to end like this, and found himself enjoying the gentle jostling motion as the older man strode through the corridors, taking him back to the suite. He hadn't expected to find being carried fun!
"One of these days I'm going to remember to call the Wonkavator before I go anywhere with you Charlie!" Wonka exclaimed, as he thought about how often he'd found himself pacing the corridors in the ever expanding factory with the boy. Charlie smiled. "You say that Wonka!" he pointed out, laughing again. "I like walking though." He admitted. "well, usually." He admitted.
Finally they got back to the suite, and Wonka helped Charlie to slide down, before having the boy enter the suite. "Come in with me, Please Wonka!" Charlie pleaded, sounding desperate enough that Willy agreed, and gently put a hand on his shoulder.
"you'll be OK Charlie." He reminded the boy. "They're your family, and they love you, nothing but your happiness matters to them." He explained. Charlie took a deep breath, and responded. "I guess, but come in with me anyway." Willy nodded at this, and they crossed the threshold together.
