Druid in the Marvel Universe Chapter 18: Frank Castle

In the middle of all the cheer, this scruffy middle-aged dude just didn't fit in with the whole restaurant vibe.

While Alvin was holding Ginny and making her giggle, the guy shuffled over, leaned his elbow on the bar, and stared at the lively crowd with this lost look on his face.

"Give me a whiskey."

Alvin knew that look all too well. It was the same one JJ had when he first showed up. Not exactly murderous, just dead inside, like he was staring at a corpse instead of people. Plus, the guy reeked of disinfectant and blood.

Alvin glanced at him, not wanting to kill the mood, and didn't mention that only beer was free today. He grabbed a glass, poured some whiskey, and slid it over. "Hope you have a good night," he said with a smile.

The guy gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and said, "Can we talk?"

"About what?" Alvin asked, curious.

The guy sighed, hesitated a bit, and said, "About that kid." He pointed his eyes towards the ceiling.

Alvin was a bit puzzled and, with a hint of caution, coldly said, "Who? Nick? Who are you?"

The guy downed the whiskey in one gulp, painfully covering his face, and said, "Who am I? I'm a terrible husband, an irresponsible father, a fool who doesn't know what's truly important in life."

Alvin looked thoughtfully at the guy and called Jessica over to take care of Ginny. "Ginny, play with Jessica for a bit, okay? Daddy's got something to handle."

Jessica ran over, her face flushed with excitement, but she sensed something was off. Seeing the scruffy guy, Jessica said, "It's you, you're here again."

Turning to Alvin, she said, "He's been hanging around for days. I wanted to tell you this afternoon. He seems to have something on his mind."

Alvin nodded to show he got it and handed Ginny to Jessica. "Jessica, take my princess upstairs to play for a while. I got something to deal with here."

He kissed Ginny on the cheek and watched as Jessica took her upstairs.

"Let me guess, you're Nick's dad who only exists on the phone?" Alvin ignored the guy's pain and asked sharply.

The guy didn't mind Alvin's tone and said in a low voice, "Yeah, I'm that irresponsible father."

He pushed the glass towards Alvin, "Please, give me another drink."

Alvin poured him another full glass of whiskey, watching him down it in one gulp without saying a word. Alvin knew the guy had a lot to say, and he just needed to be a good listener.

"I was once the best special forces commander in this country! I risked my life for this country! Even at the cost of my family life!

I didn't even get to see Nick when he was born!" The guy pushed the glass towards Alvin again.

Alvin could feel the anger in the guy's tone, both towards himself and towards the country. He needed some alcohol and a good listener. Alvin pushed a whole bottle of whiskey towards him, indicating he was listening.

The guy took a swig from the bottle, "I risked my life for this country, and my wife and son were bombed. My wife died, and my son lost his left leg.

Those damn politicians hid the bad news from me and sent me on a year-long mission. Those bastards treated me like a machine, thinking our lives and families were insignificant!

Those killers, those Italian Mafia bastards, were still at large until I found them and put them through a meat grinder."

Alvin gulped. He'd heard about this. The Cesare family, over in the port area, got wiped out—over 40 people, all turned into meat paste and buried in two coffins.

And now this guy's saying, "I did it!" That’s a lot to take in.

Everyone knew the Cesare family was bad news, but to kill even the cats and dogs? This guy was a walking nightmare.

The man ignored Alvin's slightly freaked-out expression and took another swig of whiskey. "What hurts the most is my best friend tried to hide the truth from me, tried to stop me from getting revenge. He only told me Nick was alive and gave me this address."

Alvin thought, with your hellish nature, I wouldn’t have told you either! The Cesare family had 46 direct members, bodyguards, subordinates, and 16 guests, all killed. Even a small war wouldn’t have that many casualties!

"I’ve been here for a few days. Thank you! Not just for saving Nick’s life but for how well Nick is doing now. I never imagined Nick would be like this." The guy’s eyes were glistening.

"Even though he’s missing a leg, he’s cheerful and sunny, with no hint of feeling inferior. I don’t know how you did it, but buddy, thank you!"

Alvin waved his hand, poured himself a glass of whiskey, took a sip, and said, "Have you sorted out your troubles? I mean, besides the Cesare family.

You know I consider Nick as my family, and you were just a voice on the phone, a figment of Nick’s imagination.

If you still have troubles, I think I’ll stop you from getting close to Nick. You must have checked me out, and you should know I can do it."

The guy looked at Alvin and, instead of getting mad at Alvin’s threatening tone, gave him a solemn military salute. "I won’t thank you on Nick’s behalf. I can see you treat each other like family. I thank you on my own behalf. You saved me from sinking into hell. You kept the last bit of light in my life."

He raised the bottle and clinked it with Alvin’s, taking another big swig. "No more troubles. Remember the friend I mentioned? I made a deal with him. I won’t go after those bastard politicians, and he’ll take care of all my current issues."

Alvin breathed a sigh of relief. He was really conflicted. Even if this guy was full of trouble, could he really stop him from seeing Nick?

He knew how much Nick longed for his dad. In his heart, his dad was a hero.

Even though Alvin had mostly taken on the father role, he wasn’t Nick’s real dad.

If this guy didn’t show up, maybe Nick would forget over time, but it had only been a year.

Although he didn’t want to admit it, this guy was indeed remarkable.

If he were in the U.S., he’d be a model soldier, a top labor model. Although Alvin couldn’t quite agree with abandoning family for the country, when such a person stands before you, you have to give him a thumbs up and say, "Well done!"

Alvin raised his glass, "May I ask, who’s your friend? Someone with that kind of power. So many deaths, that’s a big deal."

The guy picked up the bottle and clinked it with Alvin’s, "Nick Fury, current director of S.H.I.E.L.D."

An image of a tough-looking black guy with one eye instantly popped into Alvin’s mind. He took a sip of his drink and asked, "So your name is~"

The guy looked at Alvin, "Frank," he said, extending his hand for a handshake, "I’m Frank Castle."