The first thing Willy did when he reached home was to ask Mr. Buckett to compile a list of suitable topics for conversations, and a few notecards in case he stumbled across what to say.

It was the first "date" he had had in over twenty-two years. In fact, Willy had never even dated a woman since his factory was open.

Grandpa George got in on the action, but his notecards only read "Idiocy is all around us," and "Ask her what type of knickers she wears." Grandpa Joe simply handed Willy a notecard that read, "Be Yourself and Don't Pretend."

Nervously Willy raced around his factory, shouting orders at no one in particular; and then stopping in the middle of his run to ask whether he should wear a hat or not.

He raided his entire closet, throwing clothes everywhere until he settled on a dark blue suit and black frock coat.

He had several Oompa Loompas prepare a fresh blue corsage with white gardenias, and then watched as his clock said four.

"One more hour." He muttered as Charlie worked on his project. Charlie looked up and told him, "You'll be fine. Obviously you've made it this far, and she seems interested."

Willy giggled nervously, "I doubt she'll be interested after an hour with me. Gosh, you don't think she'd walk out in the middle of dinner?"

Willy nervously rung his hands together. "58 minutes to go." He said.

Mrs. Buckett came over to them and sat down. "Willy, I want to give you some advice from another woman. Don't try and impress her, or make up large stories. Just do what you always do.er..well, you might want to tone down what you do but, just..Be normal, I mean normal for you that is."

Charlie looked up and replied, "Have fun. That's always the best response."

Mrs. Buckett nodded and went back to dusting her cabinets. She happily arranged the new china, pleased to finally have some items to clean.

Willy looked up at the clock, "Oh goody, 49 minutes to go." He left Charlie's house and began walking up and down the candy coated grass. His mind was racing, his heart pounding, and his palms sweated so much that he took off his gloves for a few seconds.

He had never felt like this before, so utterly confused. With his last, and only, girl, he had been much more comfortable and pliable. Of course he had also been much younger and more bright in his outlook on life.

The constant stress of building his empire, creating his factory, and then chasing after so many darn spies had left Willy empty, broken, and a little less optimistic.

He had become used to loneliness, the quiet solitude of his existence, until Charlie had won his factory.

That little boy had brought along such an unusual family that Willy didn't quite know what to do anymore.

He was a little happy, however. Because if Charlie had not forced him, week after week, to leave the sanctity of his factory, then Willy would never have run into Nina.

And now, with 26 minutes to go, Willy was exceedingly, excruciatingly, frightened.

He memorized the topics on his notecards; all about movies and hobbies and politics. "Politics? Bleargh." He dropped that card.

Then he picked up Grandpa Joe's card. "Be Yourself and Don't Pretend." Willy smiled and said out loud, "Be myself. Heh, heee, hee."

Several Oompa Loompas around him laughed as well.

He checked his pocket watch and straightened his collar. "13 minutes to go. Whoo Hoo." He strolled out of the main floor into the tunnel that led outside.

Nina walked briskly in the autumn wind. Her hair flew back from her face and the ribbons she had placed in it danced with the wind. She came closer and saw Willy tapping a tune on the pavement with his walking stick.

He looked up just in time and smiled broad. Nina was wearing a knee leangth white dress with two bows on the sleeves and two more white bows in her hair.

She smiled as Willy tipped his hat, but he did not offer to take her hand. "Are you ready?" She asked smiling.

Willy simply nodded and walked with Nina. "I wanted to show you a really neat way of traveling, but then I don't know if your afraid of heights." Nina asked, "Do you have a helicopter?"

Willy shyly replied, "Not exactly." Nina told him, "I'm not afraid of heights. Sometimes I think it would be wonderful to fly as a bird."

Willy smiled as they walked. Nina asked him, "What do you do for fun, when your not working?" Willy giggled as he replied, "My work is fun." Nina laughed. "Yes, I suppose it is. You get to invent all kinds of chocolates and candies, and because you are your own boss, you can set your own hours."

Willy looked at Nina, and then remembered the corsage. "Oh, yeah, this is for you. It'll look real pretty with your eyes."

Nina gasped as Willy handed her the flower. "It's beautiful! I love blue. Thank you so much." She pinned the corsage on her dress as they walked into the town.

"Have you ever been to Rossi's of Italy?" She asked. Willy nodded his head no, "But I have been to India."

Nina giggled and told Willy, "I didn't mean the country, it's the restaurant I want to take you to." Willy nodded in understanding.

He said quietly, "I don't eat out very often unless Charlie and his family make me." Nina and Willy came down the street to a large restaurant with a patio.

Willy clenched his fingers in agitation as Nina walked to the Mat'rie De. "Two please, Willy, do you smoke?"

Willy nodded no, but he turned to the Mat'rie De and asked him, "Could you get us a booth somewhere secluded? Away, from.." He waved his finger at the crowd in the center of the room.

The man nodded and Nina and Willy followed. "This is nice." Nina commented as they sat before each other in a small booth. "May I get you some drinks while you browse?" The man asked. Willy smiled as he asked, "Do you have chocolate milk?"

He suddenly felt like a fool for asking for such a childish drink. Most of the other customers were drinking wine or champagne.

Nina asked for Sprite and then looked at Willy. "Do you drink?" She asked. He replied, "I don't like feeling drunk. And smoking is downright nasty. I've never tried anything else, have you?"

Nina told him, "I've tried a few things in College. I don't do anything now."

Willy remembered that one of the notecards had said, "Ask her about her education." He asked Nina, "Where did you go to school?"

She replied, "GNSU, I majored in Photography, and I have a little side job taking pictures at weddings and such. I want to start my own business someday."

Willy smiled as he said, "I know all about starting your own company. It's a real pain in the butt!"

Nina laughed and Willy giggled. He liked to see her smile, and watch her eyes twinkle.

Nina asked Willy, "When did you decide to become a Chocolateer?" Willy looked down at his napkin and then looked at Nina. He told her, "A long time ago. I was still a little boy."

She asked him, "What did your parents think?" Willy twisted his tounge around as he tried to speak. "My fa..father is proud of me."

A waiter came by with their drinks and Nina ordered a shrimp fettichini while Willy ordered pasta premovera.

He looked down at his napkin and realized he had been fidgeting with it so much that it was now a lump of shreds in his lap. He began to roll the shreds into a ball as Nina talked to him, and then, embarrassed by his twitching, he waited until Nina got distracted and threw the ball over his shoulder.

Nina was drinking and looking at the desert paper beside the wall. Willy asked quietly, "What kinds of deserts do they have?"

Nina moved the paper over and they studied it. "That sounds tasty." He pointed to a fudge sundae with walnuts.

Nina told him, "I prefer ice cream without hard peanuts." Willy asked, "What about peanut flavored ice cream, with no peanuts?"

Nina smiled and replied,"That sounds better. What's your favorite type of candy?"

Willy told her, "I like taffy. All kinds of flavors." Nina replied, "I've always liked Skittles"

The waiter came back with their salads and asked if they wanted refills. Nina began to pour dressing on her salad as Willy picked out the olives and popped them into his mouth.

Nina giggled as Willy threw one into the air and caught it with his mouth. "Your so silly." She laughed.

He looked down at his salad and asked quietly, "I will stop if I'm embarrassing you."

Nina shook her head no and told him, "I think your sweet. I've never met a man who was so nice and made me laugh."

Willy asked Nina, "You want to hear a joke?" He told Nina one of his favorite jokes and they laughed together.

Willy picked out his salad, avoiding the lettuce but eating the tomatoes, olives, and other items. Nina asked, "Do you not like lettuce?" Willy replied, "I never really liked the taste."

Nina replied, "I don't like asparagus and beans."

Willy nodded, "Neither do I, beans make me...um. Good Salad!"

He finished picking at his salad as the waiter came by with their main courses. Nina asked Willy, "Tell me about your schooling. Did you go to a business college?"

Willy shook his head no. "I lived most of my life out on the streets. I..I ran away, you see. And I just kind of drifted about until I had enough money to start a tiny candy plant. It took me over twenty-five years to have what I have now."

Nina smiled and asked, "How old are you now?" Willy asked her, "How old are you?" She giggled and said, "I'm twenty-six." Willy told her, "That means I'm ten years older than you."

Nina looked thoughtful. "That's alright. You seemed younger." Willy laughed as he told her, "No, I just act young."

They ate their meals and talked. When the waiter returned Willy and Nina ordered two chocolate cheesecakes. "This is really good." Willy commented. Nina nodded.

When they finished Willy pulled out his wallet while Nina opened her purse. "Oh, I uh, I was going to pay." Nina gasped, "Oh. I thought I would." Willy shook his head, "You don't have to. I've got plenty of money and no idea what to do with it."

Nina asked, "Do you donate to charities?" Willy replied, "Just one, I donate to the Humane Association, because they like to sue me." She asked concerned, "Why would anyone sue you?"

Willy bit his lip and asked, "You want to go for a walk?"

Nina agreed and they paid the bill. Together they walked down the street as night enveloped the town and the streetlamps glowed. "I really enjoyed tonight Willy." Nina said as they walked.

Willy smiled and said, "I haven't been with people so long, I forgot how much fun they are. Especially you, your lots of fun."

Nina smiled as she pointed at an apartment complex. "I live over there. Um. Tomorrow is Saturday and I'm off."

She looked at Willy and he looked back at her. Suddenly all of what he had said earlier bit him as he lost his tounge.

Nina asked quietly, "Are you busy?" Willy opened his mouth and closed it, and then said quietly. "Park? Picnic?"

Nina smiled and said, "Yeah. I can meet you at your factory gates."

Willy told her, "Eight?"

She nodded and moved closer towards him. All through the night neither of them had touched the other, and Willy instinctively shrank back.

Nina held out her hand and for a few moments Willy stared at it. He reached out with his own gloved hand and held Nina's hand limply.

She grasped his hand and shook it firmly as Willy giggled nervously. "Okey Dokey. Eight O Clock tomorrow morning. Bye Bye Now."

Nina smiled as she said, "Goodnight Willy." She walked away into the apartment complex as Willy skipped down the street.

He leaped onto a lamppost and swung around it, then skipped back to his factory.