True to his word, William returned to the dentistry the next day. As well as the next day and the day after that. Whenever he came to the dentistry, the old man made himself scarce and, while not sending his son out, spoke little to him, and what little was said was brisk and curt. In an attempt to ease his discomfort, Alice spoke with William. He told her tall tales of his adventures abroad, searching for the most decadent and exotic flavors known to man. He spoke of his whimsical factory, where he created sweets that were loved worldwide. Alice liked speaking to William. His cadence was almost rhythmical as he spoke. His eyes twinkled whenever he smiled, and he did so often. The Dentistry had never been so full of laughter, good humor, and good spirits. Alice found herself looking forward to the strange young man's arrival every day and found herself strangely put out whenever he departed. The dentistry felt much colder and emptier without his warmth and joviality.
On this particular day, William arrived shortly before closing time, and Alice welcomed him in and offered him a seat on one of the waiting room chairs. "Welcome back! Shall I tell your father that you are here? He is finishing a consultation with his last appointment for the day." William nodded and shuffled his feet which were restlessly tucked beneath the chair. "No, that's all right, I can wait for him. Thank you, Alice." Alice smiled in response and returned to her desk to finish filing the last of the folders from the day's patrons into their neat little rows in the mouth of the large metal filing cabinets behind her. She could still hear William's nervous tapping with her back turned to him in silence. He drummed his fingers against the wooden arms of the wait room chairs and hummed softly to the tune. "What song are you humming?" Alice called out of curiosity from behind her desk. William smiled at her and rose to stand beside where she sat. "It's a jingle! For my crowning confectionary achievement! The everlasting gobstopper!" He beamed with pride, and Alice's curiosity was much more than she could bear without asking. "What is an everlasting gobstopper? It sounds absolutely ridiculous." William's eyes flew wide, "Oh, not at all! It is quite serious business indeed, Alice! You see, it is for children who receive very small allowances! They are quite affordable, and you can pop one into your mouth and suck it and suck it, and it will never get any smaller or lose its flavor!" Alice had never before heard of such a wondrously tall tale. "Well, that's quite a sell, surely a product as amazing as an everlasting gob smacker would sell itself. Why make a jingle?" "Because I love making jingles! That is half the fun!" William laughed his easy laugh, and Alice found herself laughing along with him. He had an infectious, boisterous sort of laugh. Alice realized she liked the sound of it. She liked how often she heard it. "Well, let's hear the jingle then." she prompted, and William began to sing. "Well, you haven't got much money, but you have a rumble in your tummy that only sweets can satisfy! Get the most from your buck; with any luck, there's a Wonka store nearby! Grab a gob smacker off the shelf; you won't need anything else; grab a gobstopper everlasting!" Alice smiled. Realizing she did that often whenever William was around. He had a joyful energy about him that was incomparable. She liked when he visited. Surely, his father noticed it as well. Surely he found his son as pleasant company as she did. "You must sing it for your father as well!" She said, laughing. "Oh...I don't think I should. He has never been too fond of sweets. He would very strongly disapprove of a gobstopper—especially a gobstopper everlasting. " Alice sighed. "Perhaps you're right. I have noticed his distaste for sweets. " "Oh? What about you, Alice? Do you fancy sweets?" William looked at her strangely as though this were a very important question determining her character and his perception of her for better or ill. "I....am not sure... I think I like sweets?" William seemed to be both taken aback and deeply offended. "You THINK you like sweets? How is it that you're not sure?" "I haven't had many. I do like pancakes with sweet syrup," she said in an attempt to appease the confectionary businessman, who seemed to grow more appalled despite her efforts. "Pancakes are not sweets! You simply must come to my factory, Alice! I will show you all manner of sweets! Then you will know whether you like sweets or not, but.." William leaned in close to whisper, "I have a feeling you will." With a wink. Alice couldn't help but laugh, and William laughed with her.
There came the sound of the Dentist showing his patient out, and Alice received his file from him. If he noticed his son, he made no note of it save for a curt nod cast his way. William seemed to shrink as the Dentist saw his patient out the door and bid him farewell. "What is it, William?" He said at long last after a heavy and rather uncomfortable silence had passed. Before she could allow herself the time to think better of it and before another heavy silent second could pass, "He has come to join us for dinner," Alice interjected. To which both men turned to stare at her with mouths agape. "Oh, he is?" Said Wonka senior. "I Am?" said Wonka, the younger. "Yes! I will lock up and then begin to set the table. " If the dentist was not fond of the plan, he did not show it. However, she had a sneaking suspicion that if William had invited himself to dinner, he would have been put out into the cold without a second thought. Alice suspected that he had agreed without hesitance because she had been the one to suggest it. She had never before suspected that the Dentist had any emotional investment or attachment to her. They lived beneath the same roof, ate together, and spent their days working in quiet, comfortable silence together. The sudden, unbidden, and seemingly unwanted arrival of William had changed something in the old man's demeanor. He was brisk and curt with his son, but there was also a sense of sadness and uncertainty to him, as though he did not entirely know what to do or say. Which was a stark departure from the man she felt she had come to know for the past two years. Even his demeanor towards her seemed to have changed. Alice noticed as he once again sent William out to ensure her safety against the slick ice and snow. He had become protective over her in his own quiet, roundabout way. He was almost paternal in the attentions he had shown her in the past few days since William's arrival. Acting more like her father than his. "So, I am to join the two of you for dinner?" William asked, smiling his easy smile as the two stepped out into the cold. Alice winced."It was all I could think of at the moment. That stubborn old man must be made to hear and to understand how amazing your world is. But that can only happen if you share it with him." She looked at him intently, and he met her gaze with matched intensity. "You're right, I suppose." He said with a deep sigh. "Of course I am." Alice replied as she latched the final window and closed the gate, with both standing on the interior this time. "Now then, let's go have dinner."
