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Fresh Start

My shift ends at noon today, and I was going to stop by the Greystone Café to see how Charlie was doing. He had gotten this little side job of polishing shoes for gentlemen, to gain some allowance money for himself.

It was eleven fifty-four in the morning, and my boss let me off early, seeing that business was slow today. I thanked him and left to go get Charlie.

As I walked, I heard people all around discussing the new shipment of Wonka bars' taste. I began to wonder if the chocolate around the whole world was having this odd flavor to them.

I reached the café and Charlie walked up to me, and said, "Mary, did you hear the odd news about the taste of—"

"Yeah," I interrupted before he could say his name. I could tolerate it coming from strangers and my boss, but not Charlie. The way Charlie said his name had that sad little note to it, which made me depressed about the whole thing from last night. "I heard. My boss tasted one himself. Even I tasted it. It's gone completely sour and bitter."

He nodded, saying, "It's so weird."

He took my hand, and we walked home together in comfortable silence.

When we got home, Charlie hugged Mrs. Bucket, and asked, "Where's Dad?"

She glanced at me, a twinkle in her eye. She smiled and said, "Oh! He's at work. His boss said vacation's over."

"That's splendid to hear! Will miss seeing him home first though," I said with a light laugh.

"Your Dad and I want to fix up that huge roof later today, so when he gets home, can you help us with that, Charlie?" Mrs. Bucket asked him.

"Sure!" He said gleefully, and he went over to the grandparents' bed, greeting the all.

Mrs. Bucket grabbed my hand and pulled me into the kitchen area, whispering, "Mr. Bucket now has a better job at the toothpaste factory than he did before. He is repairing the machine that had replaced him. And the good thing is, his income is twice as much!"

I grinned at the wonderful news and hugged her tightly. I whispered back, "I'm delighted I hear such good news!"

She gently pushed me away and studied me, holding my hands in hers. "How was work today?"

"Very slow, actually. It got slower as the day went on. Did you hear about the... new taste in...?" I trailed off, not wanting to say his name.

Mrs. Bucket nodded, and I said in a bit of a daze, "I wonder what's going on. Won't do the candy shop much good."

She nodded again, and said, "Well, if you get let off, don't worry. I'm sure you'll find a job somewhere else, if that's the case."

"Thank you," I said with a smile. I was about to go and greet the grandparents when she stopped me. I looked at her and she asked me, "Are you sure you are okay?"

I nodded and smiled minutely, not wanting to talk about what happened last night yet. She smiled softly, and let me go, hugging me once more.

I walked over to the grandparents. I greeted them, "Hello, Buckets!"

They all smiled at me, glad to see that I was in a better mood than I was last night.

"Was work okay this morning?" Grandma Josephine asked me.

I replied, "It was okay. A bit slow for comfort."

I grabbed a chair and pulled it over to them, sitting down and leaning back in the seat, facing the turned-off television.

"Would you like some hot cocoa, dear?" Mrs. Bucket asked from the kitchen.

I sat up straight and looked at her. "When did you get some?"

"Yesterday, when you and Charlie were at the factory. I thought you'd both like a treat," she explained.

"I'd love some, please. Thank you," I said to her.

Charlie exclaimed gleefully, "Me, too, Mom."

I smiled at Charlie's cheery mood and flicked on the television, switching to the news channel.

"...sales in chocolate bars have begun plummeting by the hour. What catastrophe has happened that made Mr. Wonka's candy taste so terrible? That is the question, that we are all wondering right now." The newscaster disappeared from the screen, showing a chart of the chocolatier's candy sales in the last six hours. The chart showed a huge exponential drop within these last couple hours.

"Oh dear. That can't be good for Mr. Wonka," Grandma Josephine stated. I nodded and stood up. Grandpa Joe watched me as I went to grab my scarf and coat.

"Mary, where are you heading off to?" he asked me.

"Just want to take a walk. Mrs. Bucket, can you hold that hot cocoa for me when I get back?" I asked.

"Sure thing, sweetheart," she replied.

"Thank you." I noticed Charlie was bundling up as was Grandpa Joe.

"We want to join you, Mary," Charlie said. I grinned at their kindness, telling Mrs. Bucket to hold off on Charlie's cocoa as well.

"Alrighty, then. Let's go!" I gestured for them to follow me, and we walked down our little yard and down the street.

"Anywhere in particular you want to go?" Grandpa Joe asked me.

I shrugged and said, "How about the park?"

"Sounds great!" Charlie enthused. I took each of their hands in my own and we made our way to the park.

When we arrived at the little park, we sat down at a park table, them both sitting across from me. I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I noticed Grandpa Joe watching me intently, as if waiting for something. I saw that Charlie had the same look. I sighed, knowing what they wanted.

"Alright, alright. I will tell you about Mr. Wonka and what happened in the factory."