"Mr. Wonka! Mr. Wonka, wake up!"
"I got some old gym shoes. Think that'll work?"
"Its worth a shot."
As if struck by lightening, Willy Wonka returned to life. His face was the color of spoiled mushrooms.
"How did this happen" he gasped.
A blush of embarrassment filled Rachel's cheek.
"Well... When a man and woman love each other very much..."
Mr. Wonka felt his stomach do a summersault.
"Eww, no" he gagged. "I already know about THAT. What I mean is... er... with the two people and all..."
"Where's the lucky guy?" Rachel supplied for him.
For the first time in weeks, Rachel had to acknowledge the biggest mistake of her life. Sagging into the beanbag chair, she fingered the little knitted socks. It was all coming back.
Richard had come into Rachel's life like a knight in shining armor. Showering the blind girl with gifts and attention. Rae-Rae was over the moon. No man had ever pledged himself in such a way. The delusion of happiness brought tears to her pupil-less eyes.
Then the arrival came.
Bursting with excitement, Rachel told her beau the news.
"He just left you?" Charlie gasped.
Rachel's head dipped in a sad nod.
"So... what's going to happen?" Willy piped up.
"There was a hearing" sighed Rachel. "Belmont and the city social worker said I'm unfit to be a mother. The baby's going up for adoption after its born."
The visit ended as quickly as it began.
For days, Mr. Wonka went about the factory in a haze. New images took up occupation in his mind. His poor, abandoned Rae-Rae. Left all alone with a burden growing inside her. True the very thought of pregnancy left him with bad taste in his mouth. But Willy knew Rachel should not suffer her condition by herself.
"So how did your visit go?"
The sound of Mrs. Buckett's voice snapped him back to reality.
"Great" Willy said quickly. "She's the same... except..."
"Except what?"
"She's..."
The chocolateer struggled with the word. But it would not leave his lips.
"Pregnant?" Mr. Buckett supplied.
"Yeah... That..."
It was all Willy could do to keep Mrs. Buckett's lasagna from doing the Electric Slide in his stomach. While he tried to regain his composure, Charlie relayed Rachel's story to his family.
"That's awful. The poor thing!" cried Mrs. Buckett.
"And they're making her give up the baby?" asked Grandma Josephine.
"Uh huh" answered Charlie. "Just because she cant see, they don't think she'll be a good mother."
For what felt like an eternity, the Buckett family sat in somber silence. Only the sound of silverware permeated the deafening quietude.
"I've got it!" Mrs. Buckett spoke up. "The social workers don't think she can handle a baby by herself, right?"
"Yeah" Willy murmured.
"What if she had help?"
"What. You mean like a nanny?"
"Sort of. She could stay with us. There's plenty of room in your factory."
The chocolateer frowned in contemplation. He hadn't felt so torn since he first discovered his need for an heir. With Rachel in the factory, he would have to face her condition every day. And then there was the inevitable birth. The idea of the little creature in his pristine factory sent shivers up his spine.
But he couldn't leave his Rae-Rae alone.
"Your house is a little cramped" he said. "I'll have some Oompa Loompa's work up plans for another room."