Druid in the Marvel Universe Chapter 16: We Are Different

After handling my stuff, I realized it was almost 3 PM. With Ginny in my arms, I strolled into the bar, poured her a glass of lemonade, and then carried her upstairs.

In Alvin's room, Ginny stood there, fingers all tangled up, looking like she didn't know what to do with herself. Her little face was a mix of feeling small and super anxious.

Alvin yanked off his ripped plaid shirt, balled it up, and wiped his chest with it. Squatting down to Ginny's level, he pointed to his chest and said, "See? I'm good. Daddy's tough as nails!"

Ginny, all wide-eyed, rushed over to Alvin, her tiny hands feeling around his chest, trying to find the wounds she thought she caused. All she found were four faint scars, barely there unless you really looked.

Ginny, finally chill, smiled and stammered, "Daddy, strong, Daddy." She had a hard time getting her words out, and it made her a bit jittery. She scratched her head in that cute way of hers.

Alvin, all soft and loving, fixed her messy hair. He kissed her forehead and said, "Ginny, you're super smart. We got all the time in the world." He kissed her again.

He took Ginny's hands, gently touching the bloodstains between her fingers. With a bit of worry, he asked, "Does it hurt?"

Ginny tilted her head, getting that Alvin was worried. She smiled big and said, "Used to it, doesn't hurt." She even used her fingers to smooth out Alvin's worried brow, "Ginny, good, Daddy, don't worry."

Alvin's heart just melted. His little girl cared about him now. Even if she had knives or guns, he'd still love her to bits! He hugged Ginny tight, walked to the window, and motioned for her to come over.

Ginny, all curious, walked over. Alvin noticed she was too short to see outside from the window. Amused, he watched her struggle to lift herself up just enough to peek outside.

He picked Ginny up and pointed outside, saying, "Ginny, different. Daddy, also different." Outside, the alley was empty. A thick, dark green vine popped out from a ditch, stretching up to Alvin's window.

Alvin pinched the tip of the vine, and the venomous flower vine shivered with joy, like it was happy. Then Alvin had the vine greet Ginny, who looked at Alvin in shock, her mouth hanging open.

Alvin laughed and bumped his forehead against Ginny's, saying, "See, Daddy's different too. That's why Ginny is Alvin's daughter. We're not like everyone else."

Ginny smiled all innocent, loving Alvin's affection, nodding like crazy, "Ginny, Daddy, different from others."

Alvin touched noses with Ginny and waved the venomous flower vine away. He put Ginny down, patted her head, and said, "Daddy's gonna change clothes, then we'll go buy you some new threads, okay?"

Ginny looked at Alvin and smiled, "Ginny wants Daddy, not clothes."

In his past life, his chubby son wanted everything he saw. Compared to Ginny, they were on totally different levels.

Alvin threw on a new plaid shirt, a gray jacket, and some dark blue jeans, looking like a northern farmer. Simple, no frills, but solid. He plopped a baseball cap on Ginny's head and said with a grin, "Let's roll, my princess." Holding her tiny hand, they dashed downstairs.

Downstairs, he saw most of the folks in the restaurant had cleared out. Only a middle-aged dude with a full beard sat in the corner, looking all down, holding a cup of coffee, lost in his thoughts.

Not Alvin's problem. This was a restaurant; you could sit if you wanted. In a good mood, Alvin told Jessica to serve the guy a beer, thinking it was more fitting than coffee.

Then he smiled at Jessica and said, "Come with me. The boss is feeling generous, buying you some new clothes."

Jessica, who had just served the bearded guy a beer, cheered and asked, "Are we hitting up Seventh Avenue?"

Alvin patted his pocket and thought for a sec, "Nah, let's hit up 27th Street, Sherry's Boutique."

Jessica let out a little sigh but quickly perked up. I mean, free stuff from the boss, right? She ditched her apron and followed Alvin out the door, practically bouncing with excitement.

Alvin, holding Ginny, gave Old Kent some instructions at the door, "Old Kent, get a couple of guys to clean up my attic and move all of Mr. Nick Caster's stuff up there. Dude's been wanting to live in the attic forever, so let's make it happen.

Our little princess needs his room. Also, get Old Juan to whip up some pink furniture for our princess, and make sure it's ready by bedtime tonight."

Old Kent, all smiles, pretended to tip an imaginary hat and bowed, "At your service, Princess!" He then rounded up a few young guys and headed to the second floor of the restaurant.

No one noticed that when Alvin mentioned Nick, the middle-aged guy in the corner had a mix of guilt, longing, and fear on his face.

When he heard Alvin was moving Nick to the attic, he got mad. But when he heard it was Nick's wish, he was happy. Nick's emotions seemed to always mess with him.

Listening to Alvin brag about his daughter, he looked super envious.

After telling JJ to keep an eye on the black kid Jason, Alvin drove off with Ginny and Jessica, making a loop before pulling up at "Sherry's Boutique" just a block away. This place was all about women's clothes, including kids' stuff.

The owner, Sherry, was a stunning woman in her forties. Her style wasn't flashy but always on point. A few well-chosen cheap accessories always made her stand out.

Alvin could tell she had a story, but that wasn't his business. Once inside, Alvin waved his hand grandly and signaled to Jessica, "Go wild!"

Sherry, amused, stopped Alvin's over-the-top behavior and first helped Jessica pick out a few outfits for Ginny to try on.

Princess dresses, gorgeous, one in every color!

Sportswear, cute, one in pink, yellow, and green!

...

T-shirt with overalls and a denim jacket, too cool, add a baseball cap, perfect! Alvin and Ginny fist-bumped, laughing in front of the big mirror. They looked like a father and daughter, not odd despite their different skin colors.

Seeing Ginny super happy, Alvin, even happier, waved his hand and said, "Ten sets."

Other stuff like shoes, socks, underwear, and pajamas were all bought with Jessica's help.

When it was Jessica's turn to pick clothes, it was a whole different story.

Denim shorts and a crop top, "Boss, how's this look?"

"It's not even hot, who you showing your belly to?"

A floral mini skirt, "How about this one?"

"Why's the skirt so short? Aren't your legs cold?"

...

Jeans and a T-shirt, "This one?"

"Yeah, looks good, get two sets!"

Jessica stomped in front of Alvin, complaining, "Boss, this is what I wore when I came in."

Alvin paused, "It does look good. Get a few more sets to change into."

Jessica, frustrated, stomped on Alvin's foot and turned to Sherry, "Wrap up everything except this one, in two different colors. Put it all on the boss's tab."

Girl, is it really okay to give yourself so much drama?

Not pissing off an angry woman was a lesson Alvin had learned the hard way in his past life. Considering you helped pick out clothes for my daughter, I'll let it slide.

With Jessica smirking, Alvin reluctantly paid the bill. Luckily, it wasn't too bad, just over nine hundred bucks. Hmm, when I have more cash, I'll take my daughter shopping on that fancy avenue.

Let's talk about why Alvin's daughter is named Ginny.

Writing can be a real pain. I wanted to include X-23 Laura Kinney in the book because of the movie "Logan." The old Wolverine and Laura were just too awesome.

Originally, X-23 in the book was supposed to be named Laura Ye, but as a newbie, I rely on immersion to write scenes of interacting with kids. Seeing the name Laura always reminded me of Angelina Jolie's big headlights, making it impossible to associate the name with my daughter's character.

Bear with me, a newbie author!!!