Chapter 47

Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 47

"Babe, adjust the antenna. This channel is static," Maya called out. She was half-distracted by the twins tugging at her arm, but her attention stayed glued to the fuzzy images flickering across the screen. The twins sat beside her, curiously staring at the television that showed tiny people moving across it, their little mouths parted in awe as if they were witnessing something magical.

"Alright."

Karlos, who was on the roof, carefully turned the antenna, balancing himself so he wouldn’t slip.

"A little bit more."

"The static came back."

"The signal is better now," Maya announced.

Karlos climbed down from the roof, brushing dust from his hands and pants as he stepped inside. The twins were babbling happily, clearly entertained by what they were watching.

Since it was still morning, the program Maya had tuned into was light-hearted, a simple love story. Even though the twins didn’t understand the story, the cheerful tone occasionally made them giggle.

Later in the day, prime-time slots would take over with intense dramas, often touching on mature topics. Thankfully, most children would already be asleep by then, leaving the adults free to watch shows filled with confrontations and action without worry.

But for now, since this was the family’s first time owning a television, they enjoyed the lighthearted show as if it were a small celebration of progress in their home. When the program ended an hour later, Maya pressed the buttons on the television to switch channels, since they didn’t have a remote.

She browsed through channels, searching for something else to watch. On the third channel, a puppet show called Zesame Street appeared. The brightly colored puppets with exaggerated voices instantly caught Arabella and Iñigo’s attention. Their little bodies jolted as they leaned forward, completely captivated.

Maya didn’t notice their reactions and switched the channel again.

"Ma!"

Both twins cried out in unison, their voices sharp and desperate, as if something precious had been taken from them.

"What is it, kids?"

"Ma! Ma!"

They pointed at the television, their little fingers stabbing the air while tears welled up in their eyes, frustrated that they couldn’t explain.

"You want to watch?"

"Ma!"

After a minute of nonstop cries, Maya finally understood. She flipped back until she found the channel with Zesame Street. Instantly, the twins perked up, their tears drying as they watched with attention, their small bodies leaning toward the television as though they might crawl inside it.

Maya chuckled at their reaction but quickly pulled them back, keeping them at a safe distance so their eyes wouldn’t be strained. A mother’s instinct reminded her of neighbors’ and elders’ warnings about children’s eyesight being damaged by sitting too close to the screen.

Whenever Karlos had a day off, he always took charge of cooking. Maya appreciated the break, sitting beside the twins as they tried to mimic the puppet show’s songs with adorable mispronunciations and clumsy hand claps.

"I'm done. I fried the red snapper and mahi-mahi," Karlos announced.

Normally, they would stew fish at home, but today Karlos decided to fry them. The red snapper and mahi-mahi had been caught yesterday and kept in a styrofoam box with ice to stay fresh.

He had considered buying a refrigerator but decided to wait. For now, their priority was renovating the shop, since that project would secure their family’s livelihood long-term. A refrigerator could come later.

When the kids’ show ended, the twins quickly lost interest in the following program, which was a news broadcast. That also happened to be the time for breakfast.

"I’ll leave now," Karlos said after they finished eating. He needed to meet a contractor he knew to discuss the shop’s renovation. It felt like the right time to act.

He walked for two hours until he reached the western side of town, where the construction company was located.

When he arrived, he noticed the place was bustling. Workers were boarding trucks headed to various job sites. Karlos recalled hearing about a large expansion planned for the northern part of town. The mayor had recently announced infrastructure projects there, including wider roads, improved drainage, and even a new market square.

The mayor’s dream was to transform the town into a fish trading hub. It was a promising vision, but given the sluggish pace of government projects and the significant funding required, Karlos figured it might take at least five years before it was realized.

"Are you looking for someone, sir?" a woman from management asked.

Karlos, dressed in simple attire, didn’t make much of an impression at first. Still, his neat appearance and polite smile drew her attention, prompting her to approach him.

"I'm looking for Patrick," Karlos said, recalling the contractor he had spoken to before.

"Perhaps you mean Patrick Betman?"

"That’s right."

"I’m sorry, sir, but Mr. Betman just left for the north of town."

"I see. Then is there someone here who can give me an estimate for renovating a shop?"

"Renovation, sir? We have an interior designer—"

"No, I don’t need an interior designer. Do you have an engineer or a contractor I can talk to?" Karlos interrupted politely. Hiring an interior designer felt unnecessary, he just needed repairs, repainting, and practical improvements.

"Yes, sir, we do," the woman replied. Realizing Karlos was a serious customer, her tone became noticeably more respectful, tinged with curiosity about what he might be planning.

She introduced him to an engineer named Montoya.

"I’ll need to see the shop first before making an estimate," Montoya said. "Why don’t you take me there? I have a car."

"Alright."

They quickly arrived at the shop, located near the western entrance of the fish port. Montoya was surprised. The location was excellent, practically guaranteeing steady customers thanks to the constant flow of fishermen, traders, and buyers.

"Your location has a lot of foot traffic. You could start a food business here," Montoya observed.

"You’re right, but almost every shop around here is already doing that," Karlos replied.

Montoya glanced around, noting that most nearby shops were eateries.

"Well, there’s nothing wrong with following the trend," he remarked.

When they stepped inside, they were greeted by a roofless shop with cracked paint on the walls. The bathroom held a broken toilet. Still, the space was larger than Montoya expected, and he could already imagine its potential if renovated properly.

"Your shop is 100 square meters… You could build a restaurant here," Montoya muttered, impressed.

Karlos nodded. Montoya looked at him with some confusion. A client with such a large property clearly wasn’t as simple as he first appeared. Renovating a 100-square-meter shop required significant funds. He had assumed Karlos would only be dealing with a 30–50 square meter space.

In fact, Karlos and Maya also owned another shop in the town plaza. That one had even more foot traffic than the fish port. A family renting it currently sold clothes. Though smaller, only 50 square meters, the location was excellent, and the rent was set at 2,000 pesos per month with a 10% annual increase.

The rental arrangement had been properly formalized with a written contract, notarized at the municipal office, and carefully stored to protect their rights. The tenants had no issues with the rent, as their clothing business thrived thanks to the steady stream of customers who preferred shopping locally instead of traveling to bigger cities.

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[Author's Note: Today is the first day of the month, a great time to promote my Patreon.]

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