Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 212
Four days later, Janice returned to Maynila. She didn't stay long and bid farewell to her loved ones.
Maya sighed in relief when she heard that Janice was gone.
To be clear, Maya was not scared of Janice. She knew that her husband was deeply in love with her and wouldn't cheat. She trusted Karlos, but she couldn't bring herself to trust other women.
So she was happy that Janice had left town. She hoped Janice would never return.
'It seems like my plan worked once again,' Maya thought while watching a telenovela. She sat next to Karlos, resting her head on his shoulder as they watched the show together.
It was a simple form of relaxation the couple enjoyed after dinner. They had eaten quite early today because the twins were eager to be fed, and afternoon had just passed with the sun setting recently.
Suddenly, Karlos received a message. His phone vibrated on the table.
The couple were feeling too lazy to lean over and grab the phone, so they ordered their little delivery boy.
"Iñigo, sweetie, can you please grab the phone and give it to me?" Maya called to her little boy, who was playing with his toy cars.
"Hm." Iñigo listened to his mother and brought the phone over to her.
"Thank you, muah." She kissed his forehead, and Iñigo happily returned to playing with his toys.
Maya curiously opened the phone and clicked her tongue when she read the message.
"Who was it?" Karlos asked.
"It's Brandon. He's inviting you out for drinks."
"I see..."
Karlos stretched his arms and groaned comfortably.
"..." Maya just glared at him. It was obvious that Karlos was planning to go outside to drink with his buddies.
"I promise I'll return before 10 p.m."
"...Alright, have fun."
At this point, Maya had accepted the fact that Karlos's alcoholic tendencies weren't going away anytime soon.
Karlos kissed her forehead before leaving the house.
"Mama, where Papa go?" Arabella asked her mother. She was confused about why Karlos was leaving the house when it was already dark outside. Her parents had taught her that it was dangerous to stay outside late because bad guys might kidnap children.
"Papa has something to take care of, he'll return later." Maya glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, it was 6:30 p.m.
"He won't get kidnapped?"
"Your Papa is already an adult, no kidnappers will take him."
Arabella learned another new lesson today. It seemed that adults were allowed to go outside even at night. Arabella hoped she would grow up quickly so that no kidnappers would ever take her.
...
...
...
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Six men raised their bottles and drank a large mouthful.
Tonight, their drinking session had perfect attendance. They had even invited another person to drink with them, Gustavo, the new recruit.
Karlos, Andres, Brandon, Jerry, Domingo, and Gustavo laughed and conversed about various topics.
"Jerry, I haven't seen Bastos lately. Is his face still in bad shape?" Brandon still had a few words to say to Bastos, but the guy had completely vanished.
"My brother decided to pursue college. He applied to Evitac University and got accepted. It's not really a four-year degree, it's a technical vocational course," Jerry shrugged. He was actually quite happy that Bastos had decided to learn a practical skill. It seemed he had matured over the past few months. Their father had agreed and supported Bastos's studies.
"What course?" Karlos asked.
"Electrical Installation and Maintenance."
"That's a solid skill," Gustavo voiced his opinion. After partnering with Karlos and the others for the ice shop, Gustavo had gradually become close friends with the rest of the group. He was the youngest person among them.
"That's why my father proudly supported him. I hope he takes his life seriously in Evitac," Jerry grinned.
"Before I forget, congratulations on opening your own rice shop!" Andres clapped Jerry on the shoulder.
"Hahaha, that's the main reason I invited you guys today. I want to celebrate!" Jerry laughed, chugging another mouthful of beer.
He had opened a rice shop in the central plaza, and everything was under his name. He had been saving money for years just to establish his own business. His father had also supported his endeavor, even buying him a second-hand mini truck.
He had just opened the shop yesterday, but they had already sold a dozen sacks of rice. The location of his shop was on a heavily populated street.
"You guys are all doing so well now... I feel like I'm being left behind," Domingo listened to their stories and sighed softly.
Karlos had bought a mid-sized bangka and was earning a massive income every sail. Furthermore, he was a co-owner of both a shrimp farm and a thriving ice shop.
Brandon worked under Karlos, but he also earned a substantial amount per fishing run. Just like Karlos, he held shares as a co-owner in both the shrimp farm and the ice shop.
Andres was in a similar position to Brandon, and though he didn't own a share in the shrimp farm, he was a co-owner of the ice shop.
Gustavo had graduated from college just last year and chose to start an ice business instead of working on a ship, yet the profit he earned from the ice shop was triple or quadruple what he would have made onboard.
And now, Jerry had opened his own rice shop, which looked exceptionally promising.
Only Domingo felt stuck. He was still working as a factory truck driver.
"Like I mentioned last time, why don't you try delivering fish? My brother-in-law earns at least 25,000 pesos every single trip. Since you enjoy traveling and driving a truck, why not drive your own truck for transport?"
This wasn't the first time Domingo had expressed his insecurities, and no one in the circle of friends took it negatively. They genuinely wanted everyone in the group to succeed in life.
"..." Domingo gulped down his beer. Karlos had indeed spoken to him before about transporting fish, but Domingo was terrified that he might fail.
He didn't really know how to market or sell fish. He lacked industry contacts as well. On top of that, he simply didn't have the funds to purchase his own delivery truck.
[Thank you for reading this novel.]