[Happy New Year!]
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Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 113
The father and son were still arguing heatedly. In Juan's defense, education was not everything, and according to his belief, he could still be successful without finishing high school or college. Tenorio countered that education could help Juan find better choices and opportunities in life.
However, their bickering was disturbed when one of the oldest teenagers in the group mocked Juan.
"Damn, I can't believe you're such a bitch, Juan. You just let your father bitch you around. Just say no and play with us instead. We're going to Madam Nena's later to buy cigarettes. Why don't you come with us instead of playing house with your father?"
The teenage boy was Bastos, a seventeen-year-old who had nothing in his life except being jobless and irresponsible. He was a burden to his family, doing nothing but loitering on the beach and soliciting money daily in exchange for "guarding" boats.
When Bastos said that, almost every adult watching the scene darkened in expression. Bastos was a complete asshole in their eyes. Because his father owned a business, he felt education was not worth pursuing. He continued leeching off his parents, and once they were gone, he would be nothing but the very thing he feared becoming.
Unfortunately, Bastos's words affected Juan deeply, and the boy ran away in humiliation.
"You! You!!!" Tenorio glared at Bastos, pointing a finger at him. He wanted to curse and say something, but he forcefully restrained himself.
"What about it, old man? Look, Juan doesn't want to go to school. You should respect his decision," Bastos retorted casually.
Bastos shrugged and walked away, followed by his entourage, a group of young people who spent their days being idle and useless.
Karlos and Brandon shook their heads. Life truly wasn't simple at all. Even Brandon could personally relate to what Tenorio said. If Brandon had pursued education, perhaps his life would be different now.
But there was no point in regretting it any longer. Brandon bid farewell to Karlos and left first. Karlos also left after reminding the teenagers to look after his boat properly. The money and receipt were safely tucked in Karlos's inner pocket, giving him peace of mind.
Before heading home, Karlos visited Andres and Reina as planned. Andres was eating lunch when Karlos arrived.
"Karlos, eat with us," Andres invited.
"It's alright. I still have things to do. I'm just here for a quick talk," Karlos waved his hand and sat down.
As Andres continued eating, Reina handed Karlos a glass of water. He drank it all in one go, as he was indeed thirsty. After staying under the sun and sweating heavily, he needed the water to recover.
"I'm here to invite you to Arabella and Iñigo's birthday next week," Karlos explained.
"Now that I think about it, your kids were indeed born in January," Reina recalled.
"You don't have to bring anything. Your presence is more than enough," Karlos added, knowing his friends' situation.
"Also, we want you to be the twins' godparents."
"No problem," Andres agreed easily. Arabella and Iñigo were his nephew and niece, after all.
Reina wanted to say something, but since Andres had already agreed, she decided to keep quiet.
Godparents had the obligation to give presents during birthdays and Children's Blessing Day, a long-standing tradition. This was common in many countries, including Adobo Country. However, it didn't mean expensive gifts were required, even five pesos was enough to make children happy. Ultimately, godparents were meant to be people who could take care of the children if something unfortunate happened to the parents.
"Well then, I'm heading to Jerry and Domingo's houses to inform them about the twins' birthday," Karlos said.
"Take care on your way," Andres replied.
After Karlos left, Reina looked at Andres seriously.
"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Andres replied.
"You know exactly what I mean," Reina answered.
"..."
Andres stayed silent and continued eating.
Reina sighed as she watched her husband pretend nothing was wrong. She was deeply worried about the future, especially for their two children. She wanted to give them the best life possible. Andres shared the same concern deep inside, but something had happened to him a few years ago that caused him to stop pursuing his career.
Karlos checked on his house and saw the workers busy with construction. Most of the roof beams were already in place, and the workers were diligent. He only saw the foreman, Engineer Montoya wasn't present that day. Still, Karlos politely invited the foreman to the birthday celebration and asked him to relay the invitation to Engineer Montoya as well. He also wanted to invite Surveyor Franco, but according to the foreman, the man would be out of town for an entire month.
After finishing his inspection, Karlos headed to Domingo's house, which was nearby. Domingo was a friend they rarely saw due to his work schedule. He was a long-distance truck driver, and the only time they usually met was when Domingo invited them to drink at Jerry's house. Domingo still lived with his parents. As expected, Domingo wasn't home, so Karlos spoke with his parents instead.
"Karlos, you're still so young yet already have a house. Tell me, how much did you spend on it? I heard you even hired an engineer. Isn't that expensive? And I heard you got lucky selling tuna to foreigners. How much did you make?" Domingo's mother asked endlessly, unable to hide her curiosity and jealousy.
Out of all their friends, Karlos was the youngest, yet he showed the most potential. Fortunately, he was still just a fisherman, which made the old woman feel satisfied. In her eyes, her son had a better career. She believed fishing was dangerous and exhausting, and that Karlos was merely lucky to occasionally catch expensive fish, nothing particularly special.
"It was just a modest amount, ma'am. And yes, hiring an engineer made it more expensive, but it's worth it," Karlos replied humbly.
He felt uncomfortable with Domingo's mother constantly probing into his finances.
After inviting Domingo and his parents to the twins' birthday, Karlos politely bid them farewell.