Haida's Lonliness

Haida's birthday passed 3 days ago, his father at least made an effort to be there for that. He made him his cake, he gave him a present, but then right after dinner he starts to get ready for his hike up that one big mountain right behind their cottage. Haida hates that mountain, he hates that his father leaves him all alone for days and sometimes weeks. His father has been doing this ever since Haida was 11, leaving Haida alone for only a few hours at the start. Except, slowly, the time he's gone get's longer and longer. 

Today, his father just left to the mountain a few hours ago, very early in the morning. Haida couldn't even tell him goodbye before he left. His father left a note for him just reminding that he loves him and that he will see him in 9 days. Right now, Haida is making breakfast for himself, sweetened sliced watermelon nuts and tomato noodles. That's the breakfast he usually makes himself, it isn't his favorite but it's what they usually have in their garden. 

Once Haida is done making breakfast, he sits down at the big table, feeling ever so lonely sitting at a table with 4 other chairs. Except, when he looks at the middle of the table, he can see a painting of his family, framed and resting on a small potted aloe plant. Haida cracks a smile, picking up his fork and before he eats a bite, he says 'Good morning' to every person in the painting besides himself.

"Good morning father, good morning mother, good morning Kia, good morning Kai." Haida bites onto the sweet bit of watermelon nut that his fork grabbed and slightly enjoyed the flavor for a little until he looks back at the empty chairs around the table. Just then, the taste in his mouth felt bitter, Haida quickly swallows his food and shakes his head to snap himself out of this reality. He just looks back at the picture and keeps eating. Every time his father isn't there to eat breakfast with him, breakfast tastes so bitter without his family around, but with the framed image resting against the plant, it just adds some flavor to his morning. Haida can sometimes even hear his mom's voice and feel a kiss on his forehead, tasting the nostalgia in the second bite of the sweetened watermelon nuts. 

"I was really hoping you'd be here for breakfast, father." Haida lets his fork lightly graze the plate, "Better yet, I was hoping I could even get the chance to say goodbye."  Haida sighs to himself and continues eating his breakfast, not even touching the tomato noodles yet. All he does and pick his fork at the tomato noodles and glares at the image of his father. He looks back down at his plate for just a moment and remembers when his father would make tomato noodles for breakfast, Haida even remembers the first time his father even made the tomato noodles, he remembers it being his favorite until his father started leaving him all alone for long periods of time. 

Haida has always been so tempted to just beg for his father to stay and spend some quality time with him, but he knows that him hiking up and doing what ever in that mountain helps him keep his peace with everything he's gone through. Haida doesn't really understand but the way he deals with what happened to their mom is way different than how his father dealt with what happened. 

After 10 quiet minutes of Haida whispering to the picture while eating, he finishes eating and so he gets up to clean the dishes and them put them away. 

"This is depressing, he expects me to be this lonely forever?" Haida goes to the comfort chair to lie down and complains to himself, which turns into venting to himself about how much he misses having a fun, lively family. He just so desperately wishes for things to go back to where things were. Back to when things weren't so lonely. Haida hates this loneliness, but it's all he's known for the longest.