Absentia

Kane watched the roads through the car window.

Once empty lands were now filled with new buildings.

Unfinished structures had been replaced by fully completed homes.

Every place he used to wander had changed.

The neighborhood was alive, the streets were crowded.

Everything had developed.

But Kane didn't say a word the entire ride.

His mother asked him a few questions.

He only gave short answers.

Yet he couldn't silence the voices in his head.

When they finally arrived home…

The voices stopped.

Kane lifted his head and looked at the house.

Then, he opened the car door and started unloading his belongings.

His mother handed him the key.

"Kane, aren't you coming?" she asked.

Kane looked at his mother.

She gave him a gentle smile.

She told him she had taken time off work but had to make up the missing hours today.

Kane checked the time.

He realized his mother would only be home late at night.

"Should I come pick you up?" he asked.

His mother shook her head.

"You must be tired," she said with a smile.

"Go inside and rest."

Kane felt a strange emotion.

But he couldn't put a name to it.

"Alright, Mom."

He opened the garden gate and stepped inside.

For a moment, he turned back and watched his mother's car.

He watched as she disappeared from sight.

Then, he turned to the door.

He looked at his reflection on its surface.

"I'm back," he whispered.

He stepped inside.

Unpacked his belongings.

Then, he opened the fridge.

And…

That same old sight…

An empty fridge.

With only a half-finished bottle of milk inside.

Kane wasn't surprised.

Now he understood why he had refused when his mother asked, "Should I buy you something to eat?" on the way.

If he had accepted, she would have been in a difficult position.

He knew this.

And now, seeing the fridge…

He realized he was right.

His heart trembled slightly.

His golden eyes flickered for a moment, then returned to normal.

He headed to the kitchen.

He already knew what was in the pot on the stove.

Pasta.

After his parents divorced, they had eaten nothing but pasta for a long time.

Kane had never complained.

But years later, his mother would apologize for those times.

Not being able to provide enough food for her children had left an unhealed wound in her heart.

But back then, Kane wasn't old enough to think about such things.

And he wasn't mature enough either.

For him, pasta and ketchup were enough.

That was all he knew.

And now, he realized he had missed home.

After spending days in a house where different dishes were cooked every day, now standing in his own kitchen, staring at a single pot of boiling pasta…

It felt strange.

But at the same time…

This was his home.

The only thing he would think about while eating was the shape of the pasta.

And that was okay.

He reheated the pasta.

Took a plate.

But today…

There was no ketchup, no yogurt.

But it didn't matter.

Plain pasta was fine too.