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It's his birthday.
That was Kairo's first thought when he woke up that morning.
It's his birthday and his mom isn't here to celebrate it with him.
When he slowly pushed back his covers and got out of bed, that was all he could think about. He wondered whether his dad was even home that day or whether he was off again with that girl that looked so much younger than his mom did. But his mom had been prettier, without a doubt.
The kitchen was empty and dark, much like the rest of the apartment. Day by day there was less and less stuff laying about, by now only the bare furniture and a few of Kairo's things left. It looked like no one ever lived here. It was stupid to think that another meaningless day would change anything. It was stupid to have gotten his hopes up in the first place.
After grabbing some cereal from the counter and a bowl from the cabinet, he sat down at the small kitchen table with his head hung low. He didn't even bother turning the light on. His hands moved slowly to start eating his breakfast and each bite was more gloomy than the last.
A small paper on the floor under the table caught his eye, its dull orange color barely visible. He leaned down to pick it up, realizing that it was just a postcard when he straightened back up. It didn't have anything written on it either, the front boasting a dreamy sunset picture of a beach that was marked in California. Kairo wondered if life would be more peaceful there on the other side of America.
He threw it back down onto the floor without another thought, deciding it must have been something his dad dropped. When he finished his breakfast, he got to washing his dishes, contemplating what he could possibly do to make this day a bit more bearable.
To his surprise, he didn't have to think about that for too long as he heard the front door being unlocked. He nearly dropped the cereal box he was trying to put back and froze.
"Kairo?", his dad's voice echoed out unsurely into the apartment.
He immediately left the box on the counter and sprinted into the entrance hall with a huge smile on his face.
Be happy, be cheerful, be interesting.
"Dad!", he cheered as he flung his arms around the tall figure.
...Or he'll leave you.
"Hey, there", his dad chuckled a little, his hand hesitantly patting the back of his head, "How's the birthday boy?"
Kairo's head shot up at that. His eyes must have been twinkling as he stared up at his dad in awe.
"You didn't think I'd forget, did you?", he smiled his usual crooked smile.
That's exactly what Kairo thought. But he was wrong. His dad was right here. Right here with him on his birthday.
"Okay, Kai, you've got to let me go if you want your present", he pushed against his arms wrapped tightly around his waist.
"Sorry", Kairo mumbled as he quickly stood back from his dad, but his heart was already beating in anticipation, "You have a present for me?"
"Of course", he nodded, reaching for the front door handle again, "Why don't you get your things and we'll head to the car, hm?"
Kairo dashed into his room at the speed of light to get dressed. He was excited, but there was also a slight panic bubbling on the surface in his chest as he knew his dad had already gone to the car. He wouldn't leave without him, would he?
But he had nothing to worry about. When he dashed out of the apartment building, there he was, standing by his car and waiting. Sure, he was tapping away on his phone, but he was still there.
Throughout the whole drive, Kairo was nearly bouncing up and down in his seat. He could hardly wait to see where they were going. With every passing street and building, he babbled on and on about everything he knew about the area. His dad would surely think he's interesting.
The car eventually pulled up to a huge building that he had only seen once before. He couldn't contain his excited squeal when he realized it was the aquarium. He even started running towards the entrance when his dad let him out of the car.
From the moment they entered the aquarium, Kairo's eyes were wide as saucers in awe. They made their way past the tanks upon tanks of colorful sea creatures and he simply couldn't get enough of it. Large sharks, dolphins, sting rays and turtles, every little thing caught his undivided attention.
His dad seemed to be having some fun as well, he didn't seem as glum as he usually did. Kairo's heart swelled at the thought. The two of them were finally having fun together and it happened to be on his birthday. This really was turning out to be the best day ever.
Some hours later they got to the darker part of the aquarium and Kairo stopped in front of the large tank of jellyfish as he marveled at them. He nearly had his face pressed up against the glass when his dad cleared his throat.
"Kairo, I want you to stand right here", he spoke as Kairo turned around to face him.
His dad then held onto his shoulders and crouched down in front of him to look meaningfully in his eyes, "I want you to close your eyes and make a wish. Then all you have to do is count until thirty and I'll have a big surprise for you. Can you do that for me?"
He quickly nodded, his heartbeat racing in anticipation once more.
"Okay, Kairo, close your eyes", his dad let go of his shoulders and he immediately obeyed, "Make a wish."
I wish for a forever with my family.
"Now be a good boy and count until thirty", was the last thing he heard him say.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
He folded his hands behind his back obediently as he started to count.
Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.
Whatever his dad had planned for him, this sure was exciting. He hadn't been expecting anything at all. And yet here they were at a real life aquarium together.
Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen.
He wondered what the surprise could possibly be. How could it get any better than this?
Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty.
Maybe this was how most people felt on Christmas, counting the seconds until they could open their presents.
Twenty-one. Twenty-two. Twenty-three. Twenty-four. Twenty-five.
Almost there. He could hardly contain his giddiness as he rocked back and forth on his feet.
Twenty-six. Twenty-seven. Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine...
He would open his eyes and become the happiest boy on earth.
Thirty.
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YOU ARE READING
Glass Half Empty
Action"You need to get out of all this before it's too late", his tone was frantic, pleading almost. "Get out of this?", she tilted her head, "Why would I want to get out of this?" That was when he knew she had slipped a little too far to turn back. ~~~ T...
