Druid in the Marvel Universe Chapter 17: The Crippled Heaven and Earth, Parts One and Two

When they rolled back to the restaurant, it was already six in the evening. Jason, the black kid, was sitting all stiff on a chair by the main entrance, looking like he didn't dare to move a muscle.

The poor kid was staring at Thor, who was just chilling on the ground, like he’d seen a ghost. You could tell he’d been through some serious stuff. And did you notice JJ wasn’t even keeping an eye on him anymore?

A few gang punks, dressed like they were begging for a beatdown, were lurking across the street. When they saw Alvin driving up, they started to cross the road to talk to him.

But before they could even step off the curb, Dom’s death stare sent them scurrying back. Alvin didn’t even bother with them; they were just a bunch of nobodies, and he had bigger fish to fry.

My girl’s hungry, so I gotta feed her first before dealing with these clowns.

With Ginny in one arm and Jessica trailing behind, Alvin pushed open the restaurant door. The place was lit up like a Christmas tree, and all the neighborhood folks were there, making it look like a party. As Alvin walked in with Ginny, there were a bunch of loud pops, and streamers rained down from the ceiling.

Led by Old Kent, everyone shouted together, "Welcome our princess, the princess of Hell's Kitchen!"

Ginny, all shy, buried her face in Alvin’s neck, too scared to look at everyone. Alvin laughed and shouted, "Thanks for coming, everyone. To celebrate my new daughter, all the beer’s on the house!"

Turning to Jessica, he yelled, "No steaks today, girl. Crank up some tunes and let’s have a blast."

Jessica, all pumped, ran to an old jukebox that Alvin hardly ever let anyone touch. She turned it on and picked a random record, most of which had covers you couldn’t even read anymore.

Alvin loved old stuff, and this jukebox was one of his prized possessions. The real treasure was the records inside, many of which were super rare. Jessica’s random pick was bound to be a classic.

The smooth voice of Julio Iglesias filled the room.

Hey

It's wonderful to see you once again

To see your smile and

Hear you call my name

There is so much to say

Hey

It isn't accidental that we met

Your love is something

That I can't forget

So I wander your way

…………………………

The song didn’t really match the vibe, but who cared? It was a great tune.

Alvin walked over to the bar with Ginny, sat her on the counter, and poured her a glass of lemonade.

Nick, the little troublemaker, hopped over to Alvin on one foot, grinning with his gap-toothed smile, and shouted, "Alvin, the attic’s mine from today, right?"

Alvin laughed, ruffling his curly black hair, and said, "Yep, Mr. Custer, the whole attic is yours now. Buddy, meet our new member, my daughter, Ginny Ye."

Turning to Ginny, Alvin said, "Ginny, meet my good buddy, Nick Custer. He’s a real tough guy. You should call him brother or Nick."

The two kids checked each other out for a bit, with Ginny especially curious about why Nick had only one leg.

The outgoing Nick happily said to Ginny, "You’re my sister? Wow, I have a sister now! Ginny, you’re so pretty, prettier than any girl in our class."

Ginny, a bit shy, covered her face with her hands, peeking through her fingers at Nick, who was standing on one leg and goofing around to make her laugh.

Ginny curiously asked, "Nick, leg, different?" This simple girl thought that anyone different from others was like her.

Nick laughed proudly and said, "Alvin told me about this legendary dude in China who chopped off his own arm to master some epic sword skills and became the top dog, known as the 'Heavenly Cripple.'

I lost a leg, so when I grow up and master some killer martial arts, I’ll aim to be the second-best in the world, and they’ll call me the 'Earthly Cripple.'

Hahaha, then I’ll kick the butts of everyone who ever messed with me and show them how badass the 'Earthly Cripple' is."

Ginny looked at the future second-best in the world with wide-eyed admiration and said, "Nick, you’re so cool."

It was the first time Nick had been praised so directly, and he felt a bit embarrassed, saying, "I’m not cool yet, but I will be someday."

Seeing the two kids hitting it off, Alvin was pleased but, as a former Chinese parent, he couldn’t help but ask, "Second-best in the world, Mr. Custer, have you finished your homework?"

Homework was always a pain for mischievous kids.

Nick clutched his head in frustration and complained, "Alvin, why don’t you fire our math teacher? She gives us way too much homework every day. I don’t think I can finish it even by tomorrow."

Alvin looked at his watch, nodded at the face, and said, "It’s six o’clock now. Go have some fun and eat some pizza. At 7:30, go upstairs to do your homework. If you can finish by nine, you might still catch some excitement downstairs."

Nick, excited, threw a few punches in the air and shouted, "Wow, Alvin, are you gonna teach those idiots outside a lesson? Are you gonna beat them up? Wow, I need to finish my homework quickly."

Shouting to Jessica, who was chatting with a few women, Nick said, "Jessie, I’m gonna do my homework. Can you bring me some pizza? I’m in a hurry."

Jessica, engrossed in her conversation, waved impatiently to show she understood. Nick hopped upstairs, reminding Alvin before he left, "Wait until I finish my homework to teach them a lesson. You have to wait for me!"

Ginny, watching Nick leave, looked a bit disappointed at Alvin.

Alvin playfully tapped her cute little nose and said, "Look at my little princess. What do you want to eat? I’ll make you my special spaghetti with meat sauce, okay?"

Ginny nodded expectantly, resting her chin in her hands, and said a bit shyly, "Ginny eats a lot."

Alvin touched his forehead to Ginny’s, affectionately bumping noses, and said with a smile, "Alvin will make a lot, so Ginny can eat a lot."

When Ginny devoured three servings of spaghetti with meat sauce, Alvin was a bit surprised and gently poked her slightly bulging tummy.

Ginny, ticklish, laughed and waved her hands to fend off Alvin’s hand.

Alvin, smiling, said, "Ginny is the best, can eat a lot. Daddy can’t eat as much as Ginny. But you shouldn’t eat too much, or your tummy will hurt."

Ginny, holding her tummy, proudly said, "Ginny eats, not hungry for three days. Ginny is awesome. Daddy, delicious!"

Alvin felt like his nose had been hit with a hammer, the intense sadness filling his eyes with tears.

Not being hungry for three days, what kind of life is that! My chubby son in my past life ate six meals a day and was picky.

Forcing back his tears, a bitter taste filled his mouth.

"Ginny, you won’t be hungry anymore. Daddy has lots of good food. If you eat too much, your tummy will hurt." Alvin ruffled Ginny’s hair. "Tomorrow, Daddy will make sweet and sour ribs and beef stew with tomatoes for Ginny. Ginny needs to save room for even better food tomorrow."

Ginny, eyes wide with anticipation, looked at Alvin and opened her arms, "Daddy, hug. Ginny likes Daddy."