Chapter Text
February 6th, 2008
Hi, dad!
I hope you’re having fun at work today. Just wanted to let you know I turned seven yesterday! Yay! You said that you’d come to see me, but that’s okay. I know you’re busy with work. Mom said so.
My birthday was super great anyway! Eli came over for my party! Just Eli, no one else from my class came. I invited everyone but, I guess they were busy too. I was kinda sad for a bit, but mom made it better. She got me a cat! A real cat! Can you believe that? He’s sooooooo cute, he’s a black kitty with big blue eyes! I named him Orpheus, like from the stories mom tells me before bed, but Eli nicknamed him Orph. It’s a funny nickname and it kinda sounds like the noise he makes. Mom says all cats have different meows, so I guess Orph’s meow is deep like your voice! Eli and I played with Orph all day and showed him the Harry Potter movies. He fell asleep in the middle of them though. Eli did too actually. It was funny!
I hope you can come home to meet Orph soon! Eli slept over too, which he always does, but it was still a lot of fun. Mom let us stay up a bit after our bedtime and she made us hot coco. It was a really good birthday.
I really miss you. If you’re able to, I hope you can come home soon to see me! I know it’s not my birthday anymore, but I’d still like to see you for a day. I hope you write back to me soon!
I love you a lot, dad.
Love, Demetri.
-
Demetri handed the letter to his mother, asking her to send it.
He wrote a letter to his dad every single week. Demetri liked to be consistent, and it gave him something to look forward to. He’d write down what he did that week, his thoughts, his feelings, and what his mom was up to. He wanted to make sure his dad was informed.
He’d been away for so long and Demetri was worried his dad would be lonely without them. Demetri himself felt lonely without his dad sometimes, but he had his mom, Eli, and Orpheus. He couldn’t imagine how lonely his dad was without them. So, Demetei made sure his dad knew everything that was happening. That way his dad could act like he was there witnessing everything and wouldn’t be so lonely.
His mother took the letter and gave him a tight, sad smile, promising that she would send it tomorrow. His mother used to send letters too, but had stopped a while ago. Demetri didn’t know why and she never gave him an exact answer. Perhaps his letters were so good that she didn’t need to send her own. That made him feel good. He was a good letter writer. He asked if his father had sent him any letters that day. Demetri always asked, and he always got the same response.
“No, sweetie,” she said quietly, “he hasn’t.” Demetri frowned a bit.
Oh. Okay.
Even though that was common, he still felt the twinge of disappointment. His dad hadn’t sent him a letter since he left. Ten months to be exact. Sometimes Eli would ask where Demetri’s dad had gone and why he wasn’t back yet.
A work trip, Demetri would say in return. His dad had a very important work trip that he went on. That’s why he was gone. That’s why he never responded. He was just at work.
And that was okay.
He was just busy. Busy making money and keeping him and his mom fed and warm. Demetri could live with that, even if he was a little lonely in the meantime. Demetri gave his mom a hug and went to play with Orpheus. He decided to forget about the gnawing worry in his stomach.
Because his dad would come back soon and then he wouldn’t worry at all anymore.