Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 73
Brandon and his father, Gomez, worked together to untangle the longline, carefully tucking the hooks so that they wouldn't tangle further.
Untangling a 200-meter-long line was no simple task. The fishing line snaked across the ground showed how long time it needed to be done.
"Karlos has a small boat, right? I wonder how many fish it can carry?"
"Around 50 fish, depending on their sizes. He said he wants to catch salmon. With that fish as a basis, the boat can handle about 50 to 70 fish."
Of course, there might be times when the longline caught bigger fish or different species altogether. The sea was always unpredictable.
"Seventy fish of King Salmon, huh? Then that's viable. Not every hook can catch fish. Back when I was still a fisherman, it was already fortunate if I caught 30 fish using longline fishing," Gomez said, speaking from experience. He was once a fisherman, but because of his old age, he had to retire. His hands moved efficiently as he untangled the line.
"Thirty fish? That would be great then." Brandon wasn't expecting something outrageous like 100 fish. Thirty King Salmon would already be a great catch.
They laid the longline down in a circle once done untangled. Gomez rolled it up on a styrofoam box, sticking the hooks into the foam. Brandon made sure the line wouldn't get tangled while his father rolled it up. Their rhythm was steady, born from years of familiarity with the tools.
A few minutes later, Brandon's mother, Carmine, showed up. She had a smile on her face while carrying a basket filled with vegetables. Her laughter from earlier still lingered on her lips, her conversation with her friends had been entertaining as always. She'd heard some juicy stories.
"Oh, what are you guys doing?" She frowned when she found her husband and son rolling up the longline. They had been working on this task for two hours. She squinted at the mess of line and hooks.
"I got hired by my friend Karlos to help him fish."
"Really? That Karlos, Maya's husband? You got lucky then. I heard he's Blessed by the Sea." Her eyes widened slightly, a hint of excitement in her voice.
"You really believe that, Ma?"
"Of course. You're still young, so you don't know how important luck can be."
"I'm asking if Blessed by the Sea is even real?" This kind of superstition had been in their culture for many decades. Brandon tilted his head, half curious and half skeptical.
Carmine clicked her tongue.
"Then how can you explain how he caught a Bluefin Tuna and earned hundreds of thousands? He even hired a construction company to build his house."
"I mean..."
"You should take this job seriously. Maybe you can absorb some of his luck. Out of all my children, you're still single and have no family. You ought to take your life seriously. When will you introduce a woman to me?" Her voice rose slightly, both teasing and scolding.
"Ma." Brandon could only sigh. He knew his situation better than anyone. He averted his gaze, his jaw tightening slightly as he felt the weight of her words.
"By the way, I heard that Miguel sold his boat and moved to a village south of the mangroves," Carmine said, sharing what she'd heard from her friends. Her tone shifted, more conversational now.
"This is the first time I've heard that. No wonder I haven't seen Miguel lately." Even before the storm, Brandon had rarely seen Miguel's boat. That explained why his crew members were now working as porters in the fish port.
"Also, did you ask Karlos why there was a sports car in front of his house last time? Is it true his relatives are rich?" Carmine asked eagerly. It seemed Maya got lucky. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she leaned forward slightly.
"Ma, I don't know."
"Tch, you're useless. Well, I guess Maya is lucky. Back when Karlos showed up in this town, he looked like a beggar. I wonder what they saw in him."
Maya wasn't the only one who'd thought of dating Karlos, but she was the one who seriously pursued him, or perhaps, it was the other way around. Aside from Maya, there was also a recent college graduate who got along with Karlos. But the woman went to Maynila to work as an elementary teacher.
"Here, it's done. Remember, you have to unroll the line first before hooking the baits. If you want to hook the baits first, then make sure you're following the right sequence. Make sure the hooks don't tangle," Gomez reminded his son. He spoke firmly, wanting his son to take this job seriously.
"I'll remember that."
Even though Brandon had been a fisherman for years, he rarely had the chance to do longline fishing. The boats he worked on preferred trawling, spreading wide nets to catch fish. Brandon's role was usually that of a swimmer, he had to inspect the net underneath, making sure there were no holes for fish to escape. He was confident in his lungs and could last five minutes underwater at a depth of 10 meters.
It was an amazing feat, the average person couldn't even last two minutes underwater, especially at 10 meters deep. The sea had always been his second home, considering he grew up by the seaside and his career as a fisherman.
That night, Brandon and his parents had vegetable soup with fish. Nothing extravagant, but it was filling. Brandon slept early for the next day.
Like most fishermen who had to wake up early, Brandon's biological clock woke him around 2:40 a.m. He stood up and washed his face, then went to the shore carrying an old styrofoam box with bait inside and the longline wrapped around it. The air was cool, the stars still scattered across the sky, and the scent of the sea filled his lungs.
"You're going longline fishing? Who hired you?" Some of the fishermen saw Brandon waiting on the shore and guessed he was hired by someone. Their voices were low and raspy from years of smoking. They saw the line and hooks attached to the styrofoam and immediately deduced Brandon's job.
"It's Karlos. He hired me for about a month."
"The salmon season's still ongoing, so I guess that's not a surprise. Take care then."
"You too."
More boats sailed out until only a few remained on the shore. Brandon heard the sound of an engine. The low hum grew louder. He saw the silhouette of a small boat and confirmed it was Karlos.
"Stay on the water! You don't have to dock, I'll just approach you!"
Brandon stepped into the cold water without flinching. The chill bit at his skin, but he moved forward steadily. He had basically lived at sea most of his life. In fact, he'd spent more time on the water than on land. His situation these past few weeks was different because the boat he worked on had been destroyed.
The water reached his waist when he got to Karlos's boat. He put the styrofoam box on the boat first before stepping in.
"You don't want to change?" Karlos looked at his wet clothes.
"Nah, small matter." Brandon shrugged and flashed a grin. He was used to it.
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[Author's Note: Not gonna lie, I feel like I want to change the title of this novel to attract more readers.]