Rose comes home one day to find that Willy has brought home a cat.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Rose had been out shopping with Priscilla, Eleanor, and Lucy. She hadn't spent much, of course. Living poor for so long taught her how to carefully spend money. Sure, they were richer now thanks to income from all the candy sales and Mr Bucket being promoted to head of maintenance at the Toothpaste Factory. Still, she was careful.
Rose made her way through the Rose Garden room. There were some Oompa-Loompas working in there and she made sure to stop and say hello to them. When Rose went into the house, everything seemed normal. Willy's top hat was on the hook by the door, indicating that he was home. The twins were most likely with the Buckets.
"Cocoa bean, I'm home!" She called out to her husband. "I bought some new clothes for Fleur and Dulce. And I found you the most fabulous jacket"
She waited for a response from Willy. And she got one, but it wasn't a response she was expecting. Meow. That definitely wasn't Willy. Rose furrowed her eyebrows and made her way to the bedroom, where the noise came from. She pushed open the curtain and her eyes fell upon the bed.
Or rather, what was sitting on the bed.
It was a fluffy tabby cat. The cat turned it's head towards Rose, looking at with vibrant green eyes. Rose was confused as to why there was a cat sitting on the bed, but she also couldn't help but start fawning over the cat. "My goodness, aren't you the most adorable kitty I've ever seen!"
The cat meowed again. It got off the bed and walked over to Rose. It began purring and rubbing up against her legs. Rose crouched down and started petting the kitty. After giving it a few pets, she picked up the cat so she could hold it.
"I see you've met Custard" Rose turned to see Willy standing behind her. He moved closer to her and pet Custard on the head. "I went out for a walk today and I happened to walk by the animal shelter" Willy began to explain his story of how he brought a cat home. "There was something compelling me to go in and see the animals. Then I saw this handsome kitty and I knew he would be perfect for us"
"You could have discussed getting a cat with me first" Rose said in a calm tone, not at all mad or disappointed about the situation.
"I know. It was impulsive of me"
"Cats are a big responsibility"
"So are the children, the squirrels, and the Oompa-Loompas" Custard turned his head and started licking Rose's face, which caused her to giggle. "Oh, Willy, I love him!"
Willy smiled. "I knew you would!"
"Do the twins know?"
"No, I was hoping to surprise them when they came home"
"Let's go show them!" Rose bounced in excitement. "And my family! They love cats. Especially Charlie"
"What are we waiting for then?" Willy mirrored his wife's excitement.
*****
Rose and Willy approached the Bucket house. They could hear the laughter of the twins inside, and the muttering of the adults. Rose still had Custard curled up in her arms. Custard seemed really content. Willy knocked on the door first. It was opened by Mr Bucket.
"Rose! Willy" He seemed surprised but happy to see his kids none the less. "We weren't expecting you until dinner"
"We know, dad, but Willy and I wanted to introduce you all to someone and we were just too excited" Rose lifted the cat that was settled comfortably in her arms. "Meet the newest member of our family, Custard!"
Mr Bucket's eyes brightened when he saw the cat. "How precious!" He waved them all inside. "Buckets, Rose and Willy are here! And they brought a surprise!"
"Hi Rose! Hi Willy!" All the Buckets greeted. All the grandparents were seated at the table. Mrs Bucket was in the kitchen getting a start on dinner. Charlie was playing with the twins in a corner.
Charlie heard the word surprise and he was curious to see what it was. He walked the twins over to Rose and Willy. "What kind of surprise is it?" He asked.
Rose smiled down at her brother, and her children. "We would like you all to meet the newest member of our family. Custard Wonka-Bucket!"
"Kitty!" The twins cheered.
Charlie looked at the cat, with wide eyes and a smile. "What a wonderful name" He said. He had seen stray cats all the time. There were times Charlie wished he could take the strays home, but he knew that they wouldn't have been able to take care of them. "Can I pet him?"
"Of course, Charlie!" Willy encouraged. "He is your cat too" This was so exciting. Finally, their own cat. Charlie reached and pet the cat. Custard's fur felt very soft. Charlie could also feel the vibrations of the purring.
"Cats are a big responsibility, you know" Mrs Bucket piped up. "You'll have to feed him, groom him, train him to use a litter box, veterinary visits"
"They already have children!" Grandpa George said. "Taking care of a cat will be a walk in the park for them"
"Don't forget the hundred squirrels they already take care of" Grandpa Joe added.
"That reminds me!" Willy held a finger up. "We should introduce Custard to the squirrels. He needs to know that they aren't toys or food" If Custard even hisses at the squirrels, then the Nut Sorting room would be off limits.
"Or anything else in the factory for that matter" Rose pointed out. There were a lot of things that Custard could ingest in the factory that could make him sick. "Don't need the poor thing getting sick"
Rose and Willy let their family meet and coo over Custard for a few more minutes. The twins decided they wanted to stay until after dinner. The two of them made their way to the Nut Sorting room. Hopefully Custard and the squirrels got along.
"Are you ready then, starshine?" Willy asked.
"What if the squirrels don't like Custard and they all start throwing nuts at him?" Rose voiced. "What if Custard starts chasing the squirrels around and they fall down the chute?"
"That won't happen" Willy assured, though he couldn't be to sure that it will either. He opened the door, and they stepped inside the Nut Sorting room. It was quiet except for the chittering of the squirrels, and the clattering of the nuts. Filbert was the first to notice that the Wonka's had come in. He left his post and ran up to them. He perched himself up on the gate.
"Hello Filbert!" Rose greeted her favorite squirrel. Filbert blinked at Rose, and then stared at Custard. The cat stared back at the squirrel. Filbert made a chitter, and Custard meowed back. Once that little interaction was done, Filbert went back to his work station. The rest of the squirrels gathered around him and he started chittering to them. "What is he doing?" Rose wondered.
Willy smiled. "Telling the other squirrels that Custard is a friend!"
Rose grinned too. They didn't have to worry about the squirrels throwing nuts, or Custard chasing them into the chute. Once they were done in the Nut Sorting room, they continued to show Custard around the rest of the factory. Willy kept blabbing on about how he'd have to install a tunnel or a bridge, something along those lines, just for Custard to use. He also went on about he'd come up with candied treats safe for cats.
Rose brought Custard closer to her face. "You're going to be one spoiled kitty, you know" Custard purred in response and rubbed his head against Rose's face.
She'd always wanted a cat, and now she had one. But never mentioned it to Willy. Perhaps he had already knew. He was smart like that. Maybe Charlie mentioned it. No matter how Willy found out, she was thankful that he did. Because now they had this fluffy little Wonka to call family now.
