The Dentist and the man in the velvet suit remained in the dentist's office. Much beyond the time that was normally required for an appointment, Alice began to worry as she started closing the dentistry for the day. Surely they must be done soon. Alice thought as she began to wipe down the countertops. I should have gone in to assist the dentist. Cursing herself for her past hesitance. Surely if she were to enter at the present moment, her sudden appearance would be jarring to both men at best and, at worst, would be so jarring that the dentist's hand may slip, and all manner of awful injury and subsequent legal battles would surely ensue. Alice sighed deeply and allowed her mind for a moment to entertain the most awful of outcomes that her intrusion would be the harbinger of. As it just so happened, Alice needed not to worry, as presently she heard the sound of the door to the office open and both men's footsteps as they walked out. Alice fought with everything within herself to restrain the urge to crane her neck to see what the two of them could have been doing for such an extended time. They approached the foyer of the dentistry together and stopped just shy of her desk. Alice took the opportunity to gaze up at the young man in the velvet suit. He had no blood dripping from his mouth, cuts, bruises, or even swelling. In fact, it did not appear as though the young man in the velvet suit had received any dental care from the Dentist at all. Alice stood to greet them and stepped towards the filing cabinet to deposit the file. She took a moment to glance at the signature that the young man had given. "Thank you for coming! I hope you had a pleasant experience Mr...." Alice could not believe her eyes. Surely the man had given her a fake name. Surely the young man in the preposterous maroon velvet suit could not be...."Wonka?" The Old man cleared his throat and looked at Alice with an expression she could not interpret. He had a faraway sort of look in his eyes as at last, he spoke, "Alice, I would like to introduce you to my son, William. William Wonka."
For a fleeting instant, Alice thought that surely the old man must be joking. But the old man was not the type to joke. In her experience with the old man, he had never once breathed a word that was not fact. Surely, as unbelievable as this revelation was to her, this too must be fact. Alice tried to compose herself, hoping that she didn't look as shocked as she genuinely felt. "It is a pleasure to meet you, William!" Alice's voice felt a little too loud in her ears. A little rushed, as though she had had the wind knocked out of her, and in a way, she had. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two men, searching for any similarities. There were few to be found. They were both dark of eye, but most men were. The old man had little hair to speak of, and what remained had greyed over time, leaving its original color to the imagination. Whereas the young man had, having removed his tophat, unsheathed a chin-length bob of illustrious chestnut brown hair that framed his face all around. It was an interesting haircut, more commonly seen on a woman than a man. Everywhere her eyes fell on the man, he subverted her expectations. There was not an inch of him that was mundane or commonplace. Everything, from his tophat to his shoes, was incredibly unique. Alice forced herself to stop staring at the young man, who stood smiling at her. It was a nice smile, that dimpled his cheeks. He was much more handsome without a frightened and pained expression on his face. "The pleasure is all mine, Alice." The two held each other's smiling gaze for a moment before Alice turned to the Old Man to inquire if he would be needing further assistance for the night. "Oh, Alice, do not fret about any of that. You are free to do as you please for the evening. I am going to retire early tonight." The old man said with a softness to his voice she had never heard before. Suddenly, he seemed so much older. Smaller. Alice realized all at once that she was significantly taller than he was, although somehow she had never noticed it before. The lines that made their home around his eyes and mouth seemed to deepen as the dentist sighed deeply. "It is no trouble at all, sir. You can rest, and I will close the gates and lock the doors; it will just be a moment!" Alice grabbed her coat and made her way to the door as the old man smiled at her. "Thank you, Alice, as always. William, accompany her, please. I-" The older Mr.Wonka stopped momentarily and seemed to hesitate. "The frost has made it slippery out, and I do not want her to fall. Make sure she does not." The old man nodded briskly, turned on his heel, and returned to his office. The two remaining in the dentistry foyer could hear the soft click of finality as he closed the door behind himself. The two turned to each other, and Alice cleared her through. "Well, come along then, William; we have work to do."
The two stepped out into the cold of the outdoors. It was still, quiet, and cold. There was no wind, and the snow that had fallen the night before had left the world white, crisp, and slick as far as the eye could see. The man looked incredibly awkward as he followed her through the snow. Their footsteps made soft crunching sounds, and Alice noticed William staring directly at her feet, as though he were intently focused on the task his father had given him. To ensure that she did not slip or fall. Alice's curiosity got the better of her. "Will you be staying with us, William?" He blinked at the question, momentarily prying his focus away from her shoes. "I-I do not think my father would....appreciate my company. At the moment." He shuffled awkwardly as Alice closed the window blinders and locked them into place. "Do you stay here? With him, I mean?" William asked. "Yes, as his assistant, I work during operating hours and then stay in the upstairs bedroom at night and on weekends." William got a faraway look in his eyes that Alice now realized, with a start, was incredibly similar to the Dentists. "The upstairs bedroom..." He repeated. Alice wondered if, since the dentist was his father, he himself had lived under the roof of dentistry. She wondered if she had now occupied his childhood bedroom. How strangely intimate a situation to be in with a strange man, much less an illustrious candy concierge and world-renowned businessman. Alice coughed, trying to clear her mind. "If you won't be staying, I suppose I will lock the gate behind you. Did you want to go inside and say goodbye?" William shook his head and wrung his hands together in a way that Alice was now beginning to realize must be his nervous habit. "No, no... I suppose that I had better just go." He said sadly. Alice felt her heart pull for the poor young man. He displayed his emotions with an honest ease, and the current expression he wore nearly rendered her heart in two. "What an awful shame! You simply must come again and visit us soon! I believe I speak for both myself and Mr.Wonka when I say that we would very much like to see you again soon!" Mr. Wonka the younger laughed a loud, nice laugh, with his eyes closed and head tilted towards the sky. "Do you really think so?" he asked her. "Wholly, truly, and completely," Alice assured him. "He kept all those newspaper clippings of you framed and kept on display for years. He was inconsolable when you're factory closed its doors. He is fiercely proud of you and your success, and you're visiting again would do him worlds of good. Please say you will come again. " Alice looked at the man intently, and he met her gaze. "I promise." He whispered. And with that, the two of them continued towards the front gate that served as the entryway of the dentistry, and William walked past her as she closed the gate behind him and locked it. "Goodbye, Alice." He said. Then he turned off his heel and walked backwards away from the dentistry, smiling and waving as he went. "I will visit again soon! I promise!" Alice laughed at the nonsensical antics of the nonsensical man and waved back, watching until he was nothing more than a maroon figure disappearing into the fog.
