Chapter 58

Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 58

The next day, the family woke up to find two more leaks in the ceiling, one in the middle of the house and the other close to the window, where the wind had battered the nipa roof mercilessly.

Maya also checked the smaller room to see if there was a leak. Some of their important belongings were in this room, including the cabinet with a secret compartment filled with money.

She sighed in relief when she saw that there was no leak and the place remained dry. Almost everything important had been covered with plastic, including the brand-new television. She carefully checked each appliance, running her hands along the covers to make sure no moisture had seeped through, and was satisfied that everything was safe.

Unfortunately, the rain showed no sign of stopping. The wind grew stronger, and the whole hut creaked under its force.

Since they couldn’t cook outside, the family of four settled for bread, hot coffee, and milk. Only few hot water remained in the thermos. Fortunately, Karlos had prepared two gallons of drinking water in advance, enough to last two days if rationed carefully.

After eating bread, they had nothing else to do, so Maya entertained the twins with fairy tales, trying to distract them from the storm. Arabella and Iñigo sat close beside her, clinging to her arms like ducklings as they listened, unable to hear clearly if they sat too far away.

Meanwhile, Karlos worried that the wind might grow even stronger. The thought of a sudden gust tearing open their nipa hut made his stomach tighten.

As Maya told stories, a loud clanking sound echoed from outside, thin sheets of metal slapping against the road. Karlos opened the door slightly to look. A roof was tumbling and scraping along the street.

“Someone’s house lost a roof,” he said to Maya.

She peeked out, brows furrowed, while the twins also stared at the roof screeching as the wind pushed it along the road. Thankfully, it hadn’t landed on their kubo. If it had, it could have crushed their small hut.

When they got hungry again, they could only eat more bread and drink water. Cooking was impossible in the rain, and starting a fire was out of the question.

Later, when they set up the bedding, they discovered another leak above their sleeping area. They had to move to a different spot for the night. Karlos felt heartbroken. He didn’t want his family to go through this again. A heavy sense of guilt weighed on him, he had failed to provide a safe shelter. More than ever, he longed for a proper home that could protect them from storms.

By the third day, the rain had weakened and the wind was no longer threatening. Karlos sighed in relief… but then discovered a leak in the smaller room. They quickly moved their things out, worried the water might ruin their valuables.

“Let’s build a concrete house. I don’t want the kids to go through this again,” Karlos told Maya.

She agreed immediately, her expression firm.

“We’ve saved enough money already. Let’s not make it harder for ourselves. Building a proper house should be our priority.”

They decided that Karlos would look for a place to rent while the house was under construction. Living in the kubo during the build would be too uncomfortable for the twins, and besides, the kubo had to be demolished anyway.

That day, no new leaks appeared, and the weather didn’t feel threatening anymore. Even the lightning had stopped. The twins returned to being playful, crawling and laughing, though they occasionally looked nervously at the roof whenever the wind howled.

By the fourth day, Saturday, the rain finally stopped, and the typhoon left their region. It moved westward, farther from Timog-Kanluran province.

The sun returned, and neighbors poured out of their homes, checking roofs, sweeping away debris, and sharing stories of what they had endured.

Karlos first checked the open kitchen. The pans and pots were safe under the sink, though wet and muddy from the dripping rain. Some of the firewood under the kubo had also gotten soaked, which was expected.

Next, he checked the chicken coop. He had locked the chickens inside for three days, covering the coop with tarpaulin and nailing it down. He was relieved to find three hens alive and well, though restless, their feathers ruffled. The feed and water he had stored for them were almost gone.

As soon as he opened the coop, the chickens excitedly ran out, scratching at the wet ground and pecking at insects that had surfaced after the storm.

The garden, however, was in bad shape. Many plants had broken branches or lay flat on the ground, looking nearly dead. The sight made Karlos sigh, realizing weeks of growth might have been wasted.

Still, things weren’t too bad overall. Even the boat was fine, though it was filled with water to the brim, like a giant tub. He decided he would deal with it later.

First… he badly needed to relieve himself. He had been holding it in for three days, not wanting to leave the kubo during the storm. Thankfully, the tap water was working.

“Babe, tell me once you’re done. I need to use the bathroom too,” Maya called, knocking on the door.

“Okay,” Karlos replied.

When he came out, Maya let the bathroom air out for a few minutes. She fanned the doorway with a piece of cardboard and jokingly scolded him.

Karlos then searched for dry firewood and managed to start a fire to cook breakfast. He was sick of bread and water and craved the warmth of real food. Today, he wanted rice. Since they had no meat, he fried eggs with vegetables, adding salt and garlic for flavor.

Once finished, the family ate together. Arabella and Iñigo weren’t picky and happily devoured the fried eggs and vegetables with rice, their little faces smeared with food.

“I’ll go to the shore and check the waves. I’ll be back quickly,” Karlos said.

“Alright, don’t go into the sea… and bring a bucket. If you find oysters or clams, bring them home,” Maya reminded him, making Karlos chuckle.

“Alright.”

As he walked down the road, he noticed Jonas’ house was missing its roof, leaving the inside exposed to the sun.

“Poor Jonas. Almost all of their belongings got soaked when the roof blew away,” Andres said, approaching with a weary look and a bucket in hand. Dark circles under his eyes showed his exhaustion from several sleepless nights.

“Where are Jonas and his family?” Karlos asked.

“They went to the evacuation center. His wife cried the whole way. Our roof isn’t in good shape either, so I’ll need to fix it later. How about you? Are the kids alright?”

“We had some leaks, but they were manageable,” Karlos replied.

“You heading out for clams and oysters?”

“You too?”

“Yeah. There’s no work at the fish port right now. Might as well try my luck with shellfish.”

The two laughed and headed to the shore together, their footsteps squishing against the muddy and sandy ground as the sun slowly dried the soaked earth.

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