Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 88
"We are just drinking a bit. We are not going to be drunk," Joseph said with a straight face, trying his best to appear innocent despite the smell of alcohol lingering around him.
"That's right," Karlos agreed, believing that drinking wasn't bad.
However, their excuse was not enough. The two wives glared at them with matching looks that served as a clear warning.
"Ma, once I grow up, I'll never date or marry an alcoholic."
Venus, the oldest child, comforted Penelope by making a promise.
"Stay away from alcoholics," Penelope told her daughter, and even Maya nodded in agreement.
"We are just drinking." The men excused.
When Gavin returned, the first thing he did was approach Karlos with obvious intent.
"Uncle, you brought something for me, right?"
"Of course." Karlos pulled a yo-yo from his backpack. He also handed a Barbie doll to Venus.
"Cool! Thank you, Uncle!"
"... Thanks, Uncle."
"Next week, at Children's Blessed Day, your Aunt and I will bring your gifts," Karlos assured them. Venus's ears perked up, already imagining what she might get.
"Uncle, can you just give me money instead?"
"Venus, that's not how you talk to your Uncle. He prepared a gift for you. You shouldn't ask for something different. You should be thankful instead. Besides, what are you going to do with money anyway?" Joseph reprimanded in a heavy voice.
"It's fine," Karlos waved his hand. "Why do you need money?"
"I want to buy a Walkman."
"Walkman!?"
Even Penelope was shocked. A Walkman was expensive, especially for a child with no income.
"Walkman… huh? How about I buy you a cassette tape instead?" Karlos wasn't sure how much a Walkman cost, but it would definitely be more than 3,000 pesos. Giving a child under ten that amount was excessive.
"Uncle, I'm not joking."
"Venus, that's not how you should talk to your Uncle," Penelope scolded, embarrassed by her daughter's boldness.
"Why not?"
"This girl..."
"Alright, alright. How about Venus and Gavin play with the twins instead?"
To ease the tension, Maya invited the two kids to play with the twins, hoping to avoid a bigger argument that might ruin the visit. Maya knew Penelope might actually spank Venus if things escalated further.
"Auntie Maya, I miss you!" Venus hugged Maya before heading off to play with her cousins. Just looking at the twins' adorable faces softened her mood.
Actually, Venus never liked Karlos, even three years ago. Her first impression of him was that he was a poor man who couldn't even afford to rent a room, which was true.
Back then, Karlos lived at the fish port, carrying basket after basket to earn little money. Venus didn't understand why her amazing Auntie chose Karlos when she believed Maya deserved someone better. To her, Maya wasn't just an aunt, she was an older sister. Maya had taught Venus and Gavin how to read and write, and Venus believed Maya would have made a great teacher. Unfortunately, Venus felt that Karlos stole Maya's chance to pursue a better future.
When she learned that Auntie Maya was going to marry Karlos, she cried in her room, convinced Maya was making a mistake. She felt sad for her aunt.
She still couldn't express her feelings properly, so she often resorted to subtle actions that unintentionally offended Karlos.
Still, she had to admit that Karlos treated her Auntie Maya with genuine respect and gentleness.
Maya smiled softly as Venus sang ABCD to the twins. She sat beside them and gently patted Venus's head, wanting to reassure her without saying too much.
"Your Uncle Karlos is a great guy."
"Hm." Venus lightly nodded.
"I love your Uncle so much. Please be good to him."
Maya knew Venus still couldn't fully accept Karlos, but she didn't blame her. Venus was too young to understand love. Perhaps, when she grew older, she would realize that money and status were not everything, happiness mattered more.
Eventually, Joseph and Karlos failed to control themselves and ended up drunk. Joseph couldn't keep his promise of driving the family back to the villa. However, he and Penelope promised they would visit Karlos and Maya on Children's Blessed Day.
Maya had to feed Karlos a bottle of water just to help him sober up. She glared at him the entire time because she had already warned him earlier not to overdrink. Fortunately, Karlos was sober enough to call a tricycle to take them back.
With that, their visit ended.
...…
...
…
Days passed.
Karlos and Brandon were already at sea very early in the morning. The sky was a bit cloudy since the stars at the sky were dim, barely reflecting on the dark waves.
Even though Karlos had been working with Brandon for weeks, he was still surprised that the cold weather didn't seem to bother Brandon at all.
"I'm thinking of buying a phone. How much did you buy yours?" Brandon asked. Like Karlos, he knew how important communication was, especially when they traveled far out to sea.
He had always wanted to buy a phone but couldn't afford one. Phones were really expensive for ordinary people.
However, things were different now. Brandon's job as Karlos's assistant had earned him 45,000 pesos in just three weeks. Even though phones were expensive, he finally had enough savings to buy one without feeling burdened.
"You want to buy one? I bought my phone for 10,000 pesos."
"Sheesh..."
Brandon hissed. That amount was truly expensive. The version of him three months ago would never have been able to afford it.
"I see... Uh, you said it's the latest Mokia version?"
"Yeah, it's Mokia 3310."
"I'll probably look for a cheaper one. I just want a way to contact my parents whenever I'm out at sea. It would be great if satellite cellphones were cheaper, but reality is often disappointing." Brandon was determined to buy one. Having a phone would make him more attractive, that was actually his biggest reason. He hoped it would help him talk to girls without feeling insecure.
While their boat traveled southwest, Karlos suddenly heard something. It sounded like people fighting. The voices were faint but distinct.
"Did you hear something?"
"No, I don't."
"I heard people quarreling."
"Karlos, we are in the middle of the sea. It's impossible to hear people in this location. Unless they're on a boat."
"There's a boat there."
"Oh shit." Brandon was startled. He looked toward the horizon and saw a boat with flashlights flashing around, moving erratically as if something was wrong.
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[Thank you for your support. Please keep supporting this novel as I'm really lacking motivation.]