Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 91
"I will pay you guys, I swear! I will pay you! I only resorted to stealing because I can't withdraw my money." Miguel, with a swollen face, looked desperate and weak as his voice trembled.
Now that many fishermen who were affected by his crime had shown up, he realized he was in a much worse situation, far worse than he ever imagined when he first stole a trap.
"Pay us? Hah!" Jun-Jun scoffed. He was the second person who suffered injuries today, and his bruises throbbed painfully. He had fought Miguel and taken several hits.
"You've been stealing from us for more than a month! Since early November, my traps have had a hard time generating income because of you! It's already the third week of December, and I've lost 25,000 pesos. Can you pay me?" Jun-Jun's frustration echoed through the room.
"I-I can!" Miguel replied, though his confidence wavered.
"Then what about me? I've lost 30,000 pesos!" another fisherman shouted.
"Mine is 16,000 pesos," someone added.
"27,000 pesos!"
"29,000 pesos!"
"83,000 pesos!'
More fishermen raised their voices and yelled about how much money they had lost over the past few weeks. As for Karlos, he stayed quiet. He had changed his fishing location early, so he didn't lose much. He had only left three traps behind, which had been sitting untouched for weeks before he decided to take everything.
At this point, Karlos felt like it was time to completely leave the mangroves since the area no longer benefited him. He decided to trap lobsters near the small island instead, believing it would secure his income. The best he could earn from trapping crabs and prawns was 7,000 pesos, while trapping spiny lobsters earned him around 25,000 pesos on average. A massive difference that made the choice obvious.
When Miguel heard the rising complaints, his confidence slowly crumbled. His savings amounted to just 1.2 million pesos.
Fishing was never simple. Back when Miguel owned a mid-size bangka, he and his team traveled far from the shore to meet their daily quota. Their expenses were huge, especially fuel, ice, drinking water, and canned goods, all of which drained money quickly.
On top of that, they had to stay out at sea for four to five days to catch enough fish. Traveling far from shore gave them a better chance to catch prized fish like tuna and groupers. They didn't have a choice, returning early meant losing profit. Each trip cost about 40,000 pesos, and Miguel also had to pay his workers. His profit per trip capped at around 50,000 pesos.
Fortunately, their region was blessed with abundant salmon and tuna every November and December. This was the prosperity season when boat owners could earn millions if they were skilled and lucky. Unfortunately for Miguel, he failed to capitalize on this blessing because he had already sold his mid-size bangka before the season even began.
Miguel thought he could pay the fishermen, but as he listened to their losses, he realized he might lose all of his savings and still fail to satisfy everyone.
Amid Miguel's racing thoughts, the truth was that many fishermen were lying. Some doubled the amount they had lost, shameless ones even tripled it, taking advantage of the chaos and hoping Miguel would pay regardless.
He tightly shut his mouth, fearing anything he said would only make things worse.
Karlos felt it was time to return to the beach now that the situation was resolved. He and Brandon had already testified and were no longer needed. Miguel had confessed, and he would face the consequences.
They returned to the beach at 8 a.m., far later than usual. By the time they finished fishing, it was already 4 p.m. They were extremely late today.
While they were gone, Miguel's wife, Gloria, and their son arrived at the police station, both furious. A heated argument erupted, and Miguel failed to get any of his money because Gloria refused. She left the station seething and vowed that Miguel would rot in jail.
Then Miguel's pregnant girlfriend appeared. He thought she came to help him, but she only brought devastation. She revealed that Miguel was not the father of her child and that she had only used him for money. She even thanked him for selling his mid-size boat, saying she could now travel to the capital to meet the real father because of the money. Then she left, abandoning Miguel completely.
Miguel was dumbfounded, unable to process the layered betrayal. In a single day, he lost everything, his wealth, his family, and his dignity. His expression was so empty and broken that he looked like he had aged into his 60s. It was the worst day of his life.
Since Miguel couldn't pay the fishermen, he had no choice but to accept his punishment. Guilty of his crime, he was sentenced to three years in prison.
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"You're very late."
Maya pouted at Karlos with a mix of worry and annoyance. If not for the text message Mrs. Wanda received, Maya would have been extremely anxious.
The couple was eating dinner. The twins were asleep, giving them some rare peace. As much as they loved the twins, both parents admitted they were naughty and exhausting to look after, endlessly energetic.
"We discovered the thief and went to the police station."
"You didn't explain anything in your text. So what exactly happened?"
Maya was curious. Like many fishermen, she despised the thief. Their income had suffered because of him.
"It was Miguel."
"What!?" Maya was shocked. "You mean Gloria's husband? But I thought he was a boat owner? Why would he resort to stealing? He can just fish for salmon and earn millions."
"I don't know much. I heard he sold his boat."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"Karlos, you're terrible at telling gossip. I'm disappointed in you." Maya clicked her tongue. She wanted details, but her husband only kept saying he didn't know.
"Once we get back to the beachside, I'll ask Reina." Gossip was one of Maya's favorite pastimes, and Reina was the best source of neighborhood stories.
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Days passed, and December 25, 2000, arrived. It was Children's Blessed Day. The history of this holiday was well known worldwide.
Thousands of years ago, a massive pandemic struck, affecting only children. A group of mages discovered that a High Lich, a powerful undead, had been siphoning children's mana to destroy the world, using their energy as fuel.
The mages stopped the catastrophe and defeated the High Lich. From then on, the day children were liberated became known as Children's Blessed Day.
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[This novel has 50 chapters on Patreon.]