Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 217
May 9, 2002.
"Happy birthday, Papa!"
"Papa, happy biwthday!"
The twins greeted Karlos cheerfully as he carried them out toward the party setup.
"Do you have a birthday gift for Papa?" he teased them, and both children giggled, leaning in to plant kisses on his cheeks. That was their favorite gift to give him.
Karlos smiled warmly and showered them right back with kisses. He loved his twins more than words could say.
Even though his previous life had been full of hardship, he never regretted living.
Because he kept going, he met Maya and married her. And now, they had these adorable twins. Karlos felt profoundly grateful to be alive.
He settled the twins into their high chairs, where they eagerly waited for the food. They stared wide-eyed at the long table loaded down with steaming pots and large trays of food.
Neighbors and friends constantly streamed in and out of their front yard, as the Alejandro family was throwing a grand birthday celebration for Karlos.
"Hey, Karlos, happy birthday!" Domingo's mother greeted him giddily while greedily scooping a generous portion of rice straight into her plastic bag. Since it was a free lunch, she was determined to make the most of it and take home "leftovers".
"Thank you, Auntie." Karlos grinned. He didn't mind at all that Domingo's mother was packing food to take home.
Karlos looked around and saw that their front yard was buzzing with activity. Batch after batch of neighbors arrived to eat, greeting him with cheerful birthday wishes.
"So, how old are you turning today?"
"I'm twenty-three."
"My, that's still quite young."
"Yeah, I suppose so." Karlos chuckled. He had married Maya when he was only nineteen, while Maya was twenty-two.
"Babe, let me watch the twins. You go take care of the guests," Maya said, stepping over with another fresh pot of rice. She paused to kiss Karlos on the cheek before he walked away.
"Happy birthday, babe."
"Thank you. I love you."
"I love you too. Now go talk to others. People keep asking me where the alcohol is, and they refuse to believe me when I say there isn't any. Do something about it, I'm exhausted from explaining that we aren't serving beer at this party." Maya set down two plates filled with different dishes to feed the twins. The children were old enough to use spoons now, which made her life a bit easier as a mother... though they still ate quite messily, meaning she would have plenty of cleaning up to do later.
Karlos made his way over to his group of friends, who were laughing loudly and debating the merits of their various motorcycles and tricycles.
"Bro, nothing beats Hunda. It's the ultimate brand, its durability and design are simply immaculate," Gustavo argued passionately, explaining why his motorcycle was superior.
"Nah, Yamahay is way better. It's got a smoother engine and much faster acceleration," Brandon countered, chiming into the debate. He briefly glanced toward a certain group of female teachers arriving before quickly looking away.
"I think Susuki takes the crown in terms of pure performance. It's affordable and packs a powerful engine," Andres offered his perspective.
"Ha! You only chose Susuki because it's the absolute cheapest brand at the dealership," Gustavo teased him mercilessly.
"And what about it? That doesn't change the fact that Susuki runs great. What about you, Domingo?"
"Me? Of course, I'm backing Susuki too. That's what I ride," Domingo grinned. He had just finished selling 200 orders of siomai rice earlier that morning and pocketed a nice 1,800 pesos for the day.
"You guys keep arguing about motorcycles, but I wouldn't even know what brand is best since I don't own one. Well, I do have a truck, though," Jerry laughed, joining the circle.
"Hey, Karlos, what about you? What's the best motorcycle brand in your opinion?"
"I ride a Hunda, so obviously Hunda is the best."
"Haha, well then, we're in agreement," Gustavo nodded in satisfaction.
The men continued chatting amiably until they finished their meals.
"So... where's the alcohol? I've been waiting all morning for a nice, refreshing cold beer."
"I've already told you for the third time, there is no beer," Karlos sighed. He wouldn't mind having a drink himself, but Maya strictly disapproved of daytime drinking during a family gathering.
"I can give you some cash to buy a few bottles of wine or liquor to take home, but you can't drink them here."
"That works for us!" They readily agreed. Free drinks to take home were already a great deal.
"Guess we'll have to find another spot to party then. Haha, sorry, Karlos, looks like you're stuck playing host. Thanks for the cash, though!" They laughed, slapping him on the back as they walked off after pocketing 300 pesos each for beer money. Brandon looked slightly hesitant to leave the party early, but he followed the others anyway. He kept glancing at someone.
"...Those bastards," Karlos muttered with a jealous twitch of his eyebrow. He wanted to kick back and drink too, but as the birthday celebrant, he was stuck managing the festivities.
"Karlos, the lumpia is completely gone! Bring another batch out from the kitchen," Maya called out to him.
"Alright, I'm on it."
Karlos went inside the house and headed straight for the kitchen, where Penelope and Joseph were hard at work. Joseph was busy scrubbing plates at the sink, while Penelope was busy loading freshly fried lumpia onto a platter.
"I heard from outside that the lumpia ran out. Here, take this out to restock," Penelope said, handing the tray over to Karlos.
"Joseph, why are you washing the dishes? Leave them in the sink, I'll wash them later," Karlos said, feeling a bit awkward seeing his brother-in-law doing manual labor at his party.
"Nah, it's totally fine. I just finished eating and I don't have anything better to do," Joseph waved his soapy hand dismissively and kept scrubbing.
"I've got a couple of bottles of wine set aside, I'll share them with you guys later," Karlos promised.
"Now that's what I like to hear! Go on back out front, leave the chores to us. We've got everything handled here. Oh, and happy birthday!"
"Thanks."
Karlos grinned and headed back out to the front yard. The moment he set the fresh platter of lumpia on the long table, eager hands reached out to grab a piece or two.
"Nice! Haha, I've been waiting for more of these," Domingo's mother beamed, licking her lips as she scooped up a generous handful of lumpia and discreetly slipped them into her plastic bag.
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