Chapter 165: The drunk ice queen.
Sunshine did not see it coming. She did not think that she would become Dwayne’s drinking buddy until sundown. They even ate lunch in the bar: hamburgers and fries. And the drinking continued after lunch until 6:30 p.m.
Hades and the children were just about to enter the building when they saw Nimo and Owen helping Sunshine out of the car.
Their first thought was that she was injured. Before they could hurry to her, Nimo shook her head.
"She is wasted."
Castiel and Earl did not understand what it meant but Ariel did, and he frowned.
Meanwhile, more Quinns were just returning home from the day shifts in different work sections or leaving for night shifts. All of them stopped because it was rare to see Sunshine being helped with anything. Also, she giggling, something that was quite alien.
Lisha smiled mischievously, pinching her nose. "This is going to be awesome. I have never seen a drunk Sunshine."
Hades gave Castiel and Earl to his parents and he walked to Nimo and Owen. Then, he carried Sunshine and took her back to their place. It was not necessary for everyone to follow and yet they did.
Hades settled Sunshine on the chair and asked Cathy to make her a cup of cup of warm peppermint tea. Then, he sat beside his wife who was giggling like she was watching something funny on the blank television screen.
She tilted her head and her giggles turned into a full body shaking laugh that was accompanied by clapping.
It puzzled everyone and they tilted their heads too to see what she was looking at.
Suddenly, she spun her head and grabbed Hades’s face with her hands. "Wolf.." she cooed, pulling his head down while blinking vigorously. "Your eyes look like stars. I want to pick them out with a spoon."
Hades froze.
Earl whispered to Rori, "Is mommy broken?"
Castiel covered his eyes. His mom was always telling him how much she loved his eyes. Would she pick them out too?
Then, Sunshine pinched Hades’s lips and declared, "Husband, your lips are shaped like a heart, I want to bite them." She made biting sounds and laughed. "No...they are like red cherries. Sweet red cherries."
Her in-laws erupted in laughter. Castiel peeked between his fingers to see if his father’s lips looked like a heart. Lisha choked on the dark hole donut she had stolen form Sunshine’s kitchen.
Hades maintained his calm, simply raising his brows curiously. He had no idea what category to place his drunk wife in. Was it cute drunk? Dangerous drunk?
Sunshine let him go suddenly and she stood up and placed her hands on her waist. Boldly, she declared, "I am the ice queen. Behold the might of my powers."
The temperature in the room dropped. Literally.
"Wheee!!" She said over and over as she attempted to twirl. Swirls of icy mist burst from her fingertips. More mist came out of her mouth and nose, like smoke escaping a smoke machine.
The television shattered. The half donut in Lisha’s hand froze. The cup of peppermint tea Cathy was bringing over also froze.
Snow started falling in the living room.
Everyone was glad that they were already dressed in thick jackets or else their teeth would be chattering.
Sunshine then made a crown of ice and tried to place it on Hades’s head. She slid, and fell onto him. The ice crown went flying and Warren leaped to catch it.
Hades pushed Sunshine back and made her lean against the chair. "Suni, stop using your ice abilities. You are drunk."
Sunshine threw her hand out. "I am not drunk, I am fierce like my baby tiger." She pushed him away and looked around with wide eyes. "Baby tiger, Castiel. Where are you?"
She saw the boys and gasped. "My three precious icicles!! Come hug your mommy. Do you know that mommy loves you so much?"
Ariel stepped back but Hadrian pushed him forward like a sacrificial lamb and whispered. "Take one for the team."
Hesitantly, Ariel took three steps towards the sofa. Castiel dashed out like a deer on the run and threw himself in Sunshine’s arms.
Sunshine bit his cheek gently. "Huh! the dumpling is not tasty."
"Oh my God!!" Rori exclaimed. "How much did she have to drink?"
Owen counted the beers in his mind. "Nine beers and a glass of wine."
Some gasps echoed in the room. Indeed, that was too much alcohol.
"Do you want to see something cool?" Sunshine asked Castiel.
Castiel nodded.
Sunshine threw her hands out like she was casting spells and she turned the snow flakes into small animals. A dog, rabbit, cat, three birds and a dragon or what it would like if it was drunk with googly eyes and a chubby body.
Castiel and Earl were very excited. Ariel kept his cool, but he still thought that it was amazing.
"Now, I dance." Sunshine pointed at the ceiling and declared.
She started to stumble for side to side while everyone else followed her movements in order to catch her in case she fell. Only Lisha and Nimo stayed back. Lisha was recording because she wanted to see the look of horror on Sunshine’s face when she watched the footage of herself when she was sober.
Meanwhile, frost rotated around Sunshine, moving in every direction she waved her hand. Suddenly, she stopped and hiccupped. Snowflakes burst from her mouth like confetti.
Lisha and the children squealed.
"I told you mommy was a witch." Earl clapped his hands. "Do it again, mommy do it again."
Even the adults wanted to see it again.
"That might just be the coolest thing that I have ever seen." Rori declared.
"Daddy, can I be drunk too?" Earl asked.
"No." Ariel shouted.
Earl pouted and shouted back. "You are not daddy."
Then there was a thud and everyone realized Sunshine had fallen to the floor and she was sleeping!!! Hades lifted her gently and carried her off to bed. He covered her with two warm blankets, kissed her on the cheek and turned off the light.
When he returned to the living room, everyone was pitching in on clean up duty. There was ice everywhere and the carpet was damp.
He pulled Owen to the side to question him on the reason why his wife was so drunk.
Owen provided the answer before Hades even asked the question. "It was Dwayne." He answered in a low voice, "That comment made by Frank Gadriel stirred him up and she stayed by his side all day. Apparently, they are closer that we knew. He gave her the first beer she had in her life and taught her how to drink. She used to visit his wife and children’s graves and he used to visit her parent’s graves.
He taught her how to box. When her first boyfriend broke her heart at sixteen, he paid a visit to the kid and put the fear of God in him."
Hades was surprised. "That doesn’t sound like Dwayne. He doesn’t get involved in other people’s business."
Owen shrugged. "She is not just anyone to him. She is kind of like a daughter. She had no one...sort of and he had no one. They bonded. I never once saw those two together, so I am just as surprised as you are.
Anyway, she has given him permission to do whatever he wants to Frank. Even if it means throwing him off the base. What do I do?"
Hades shook his head. "Nothing. Let Dwayne handle his business. My wife’s decision is my decision. Just make sure the noise is kept to a minimum when the Gadriel’s are evicted."