Chapter 210
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Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 210
In the morning, Janice stared blankly into space. She sat at the table with her food, trying to eat, but her mind was somewhere else entirely.
"Janice, are you alright? You've been staring at the wall for quite a while now. Is my cooking not to your taste?" her mother, Ronda, asked with concern.
"N-No, Ma. I'm just thinking about something."
"Is it work-related? Do you miss Maynila? Do you miss the food there? I mean, it's the capital, so I guess it's amazing." Ronda felt immensely proud that her daughter had secured a job in Maynila.
"Yeah... Mom, I saw Maya and Karlos yesterday. You didn't tell me that they have children and own a house," Janice couldn't help but ask. It had been bugging her all day.
"...Are you still interested in that guy?" Ronda frowned. "Janice, you have a great career in Maynila, while Karlos is just a lowly fisherman. Sure, he earned enough money to build a house, but being a fisherman isn't a respectable career."
Ronda had always been aware of Janice's infatuation with Karlos. Fortunately, Janice had received a job quota to teach at a prestigious school, which forced her to relocate to Maynila.
"Ma, I'm just asking about them! Why did you immediately assume I'm interested in Karlos?"
"Are you not?"
"O-Of course not!"
"Then why are you still single? You told me last time that one of the teachers at your school was trying to pursue you."
'Because he's ugly... I want my partner to be pleasing to look at,' Janice thought silently, keeping her mouth shut.
It was true that she liked Karlos primarily because of his looks, Karlos was simply that handsome. She had even been confident that she could win Karlos over, but then Maya had decided to hand over the job quota to her instead. After giving it some thought back then, Janice had believed that having a secure career was far better than remaining in their town and living with Karlos. She also knew her family was firmly against her having any relationship with him.
"Karlos is already married, he wasn't meant for you. Janice, you have a good life in Maynila. Don't ruin it over someone who isn't worth it."
"A good life?"
Janice frowned. She couldn't bring herself to call it a good life at all. Living in Maynila was far from simple. She couldn't even afford to pay rent on her own and had to share an apartment with roommates.
Despite earning 25,000 pesos a month, the cost of living in Maynila was exceptionally high. As a woman, she felt pressured to maintain her appearance, and spending money on nice dresses and purses was a necessity, especially while working at a prestigious institution. She had maintained that lifestyle for years, and she was no longer sure if it was truly worth it.
"...I understand, Ma," Janice muttered weakly.
Suddenly, she found herself questioning whether her decision back then had been the right one. Aside from the high-rise buildings and job opportunities, Maynila didn't really have much to offer.
At least Una Town had fresh, clean air, unlike Maynila, which was suffocating with smog everywhere.
"I'm going to head outside to get some fresh air," Janice said, knowing her mother would only lecture her further if she stayed inside.
"Take care. And remember, don't go anywhere near the Alejandros," Ronda reminded her. Janice merely waved her hand as she left the house.
She decided to head toward the beach, missing the feeling of walking along the sandy shore. Their house was somewhat far from the coast, so Janice walked along the paved concrete road.
A few minutes later, the concrete road came to an end, giving way to the expansive stretch of black sand.
She caught sight of kids and teenagers playing in the distance, and a faint smile touched her lips. She used to play on this very same beach when she was young.
She saw a few children flying kites in the sky, it was quite windy today, perfect weather for flying kites.
"Hm?"
Janice stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted Karlos flying a kite from afar. She had sharp vision that allowed her to see clearly from a distance.
Karlos was with his twins, and the two adorable children were jumping happily as they looked up at the kite soaring through the air. The little girl asked Karlos if she could hold the string. Karlos handed it over, and Arabella squealed in delight as she felt the tug of the wind against her grip.
Iñigo wanted to try it as well, so Arabella passed the string to him. Both children were having the time of their lives simply holding the line connected to the soaring kite.
Janice watched their interactions, and a sudden ache hit her heart... She couldn't help but feel that things might have turned out entirely different if she had stayed.
After a moment's hesitation, Janice decided to approach Karlos, but a voice called out to her from behind.
"Janice, it's a good thing you're here. I didn't even have to look for you."
Janice turned around to find Maya calling her name. The woman's crimson eyes were gleaming with a dangerously sharp intensity. The gentle breeze brushed her red hair aside, making Maya look both strikingly beautiful yet utterly menacing.
"Maya... I also have something I want to talk to you about."
The two women walked away from the beach toward a small corner store nearby. Back when they were still college students, they used to relax at this exact spot and buy cans of soda together.
Maya maintained her composed smile, making it impossible for Janice to read her thoughts. Janice decided to ask Maya the one question that had bothered her for years, why she had given up her job quota.
The two women bought sodas, just as they had done in the past.
"I'm still confused about why you gave me your job quota back then. You could have built a life for yourself in Maynila."
"I never wanted to leave our town. I love this place," Maya said, taking a sip of her drink... She frowned slightly, wondering why she used to love this artificially sweet taste back when she was a student. She realized her tastes had completely changed now that she had a family. She no longer enjoyed overly sugary drinks.
[Thank you for reading this novel.]
In the morning, Janice stared blankly into space. She sat at the table with her food, trying to eat, but her mind was somewhere else entirely.
"Janice, are you alright? You've been staring at the wall for quite a while now. Is my cooking not to your taste?" her mother, Ronda, asked with concern.
"N-No, Ma. I'm just thinking about something."
"Is it work-related? Do you miss Maynila? Do you miss the food there? I mean, it's the capital, so I guess it's amazing." Ronda felt immensely proud that her daughter had secured a job in Maynila.
"Yeah... Mom, I saw Maya and Karlos yesterday. You didn't tell me that they have children and own a house," Janice couldn't help but ask. It had been bugging her all day.
"...Are you still interested in that guy?" Ronda frowned. "Janice, you have a great career in Maynila, while Karlos is just a lowly fisherman. Sure, he earned enough money to build a house, but being a fisherman isn't a respectable career."
Ronda had always been aware of Janice's infatuation with Karlos. Fortunately, Janice had received a job quota to teach at a prestigious school, which forced her to relocate to Maynila.
"Ma, I'm just asking about them! Why did you immediately assume I'm interested in Karlos?"
"Are you not?"
"O-Of course not!"
"Then why are you still single? You told me last time that one of the teachers at your school was trying to pursue you."
'Because he's ugly... I want my partner to be pleasing to look at,' Janice thought silently, keeping her mouth shut.
It was true that she liked Karlos primarily because of his looks, Karlos was simply that handsome. She had even been confident that she could win Karlos over, but then Maya had decided to hand over the job quota to her instead. After giving it some thought back then, Janice had believed that having a secure career was far better than remaining in their town and living with Karlos. She also knew her family was firmly against her having any relationship with him.
"Karlos is already married, he wasn't meant for you. Janice, you have a good life in Maynila. Don't ruin it over someone who isn't worth it."
"A good life?"
Janice frowned. She couldn't bring herself to call it a good life at all. Living in Maynila was far from simple. She couldn't even afford to pay rent on her own and had to share an apartment with roommates.
Despite earning 25,000 pesos a month, the cost of living in Maynila was exceptionally high. As a woman, she felt pressured to maintain her appearance, and spending money on nice dresses and purses was a necessity, especially while working at a prestigious institution. She had maintained that lifestyle for years, and she was no longer sure if it was truly worth it.
"...I understand, Ma," Janice muttered weakly.
Suddenly, she found herself questioning whether her decision back then had been the right one. Aside from the high-rise buildings and job opportunities, Maynila didn't really have much to offer.
At least Una Town had fresh, clean air, unlike Maynila, which was suffocating with smog everywhere.
"I'm going to head outside to get some fresh air," Janice said, knowing her mother would only lecture her further if she stayed inside.
"Take care. And remember, don't go anywhere near the Alejandros," Ronda reminded her. Janice merely waved her hand as she left the house.
She decided to head toward the beach, missing the feeling of walking along the sandy shore. Their house was somewhat far from the coast, so Janice walked along the paved concrete road.
A few minutes later, the concrete road came to an end, giving way to the expansive stretch of black sand.
She caught sight of kids and teenagers playing in the distance, and a faint smile touched her lips. She used to play on this very same beach when she was young.
She saw a few children flying kites in the sky, it was quite windy today, perfect weather for flying kites.
"Hm?"
Janice stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted Karlos flying a kite from afar. She had sharp vision that allowed her to see clearly from a distance.
Karlos was with his twins, and the two adorable children were jumping happily as they looked up at the kite soaring through the air. The little girl asked Karlos if she could hold the string. Karlos handed it over, and Arabella squealed in delight as she felt the tug of the wind against her grip.
Iñigo wanted to try it as well, so Arabella passed the string to him. Both children were having the time of their lives simply holding the line connected to the soaring kite.
Janice watched their interactions, and a sudden ache hit her heart... She couldn't help but feel that things might have turned out entirely different if she had stayed.
After a moment's hesitation, Janice decided to approach Karlos, but a voice called out to her from behind.
"Janice, it's a good thing you're here. I didn't even have to look for you."
Janice turned around to find Maya calling her name. The woman's crimson eyes were gleaming with a dangerously sharp intensity. The gentle breeze brushed her red hair aside, making Maya look both strikingly beautiful yet utterly menacing.
"Maya... I also have something I want to talk to you about."
The two women walked away from the beach toward a small corner store nearby. Back when they were still college students, they used to relax at this exact spot and buy cans of soda together.
Maya maintained her composed smile, making it impossible for Janice to read her thoughts. Janice decided to ask Maya the one question that had bothered her for years, why she had given up her job quota.
The two women bought sodas, just as they had done in the past.
"I'm still confused about why you gave me your job quota back then. You could have built a life for yourself in Maynila."
"I never wanted to leave our town. I love this place," Maya said, taking a sip of her drink... She frowned slightly, wondering why she used to love this artificially sweet taste back when she was a student. She realized her tastes had completely changed now that she had a family. She no longer enjoyed overly sugary drinks.
[Thank you for reading this novel.]