Await

It was John's 10th birthday. For his birthday, he wanted one thing. It wasn't the latest video game, nor clothing, nor a trip to a basketball game. All Jacob wanted for his 10th birthday was to go to the aquarium with his dad. Since he was 8, his dad was absent from his life. His dad was serving in the army, fighting a war that was on going for the past 3 years. But finally, the war had ended, and unbeknownst to John, his dad was finally going to spend a birthday with his son at his favourite place: the aquarium.

There was something about the aquarium that captivated the young John. It was the first place that he could remember his dad had taken to when he was younger. Seeing the vast amount of sea life, how they swam and looked at John fascinated him. When he would walk by the tanks, he swore the fish would just follow him around, almost in a playful like manner. The section he loved the most though, was the jellyfish section. The jellyfish seemed so unearthly and alien like. They floated in the tank so slowly, puffing with each movement in the water. The tank had a lighting system that would almost illuminate the fish, making them almost glowing like in that water. It was a sight to behold, and till this day it still captivated the young John's mind.

As he sat on the bench in front of the fish, he looked in the direction of his mom, who was on the phone with his dad. She looked at him with a smile, mouthing that his dad was about 10 minutes away. John nodded. His dad was super punctual, and never late to anything. Maybe that was the army like mind that his dad had, but John's father was a good father. Even though he was miles away from his son, he would always send his son gifts and small things here and there every month. He would send his son journal entries of what was happening in the country that he was in, the friends that he had made in the army, and the local dog that became his own pet during the time he was serving there. He named the dog Rex, because John was obsessed with dinosaurs at the time, and thought that Rex would be a perfect name for the dog. John's father wanted to do an even bigger surprise for John by bringing Rex back with him, but he had to wait a month or two as he needed permission from the country to send the dog over.

John continued to stare at the tank, as it changed from a fluorescent purple to a deep red. This change of colour kind of made the tank seem more menacing, almost like the jellyfish appear to be blobs from hell. As he continued to look and wait for his dad, he could see that his mom became a little more restless as she continued to talk to his dad on the phone. John never would pry into the conversations that his parents would have, as John's father would always tell him that privacy was a key thing in their household. Even if John had his door closed or if he would be on the phone with a friend, his parent's would never ask who it was or what he was doing. That was something that John loved about his parents. It made him feel even more grown up than he really was. But, this was one time that he felt he wanted to know what the commotion was about.

His mother was a super happy person, but he did notice that the last few years since his dad went to the army had hurt his mom in a way. She was still a happy person, but there would be instances where John would hear a cry from his parent's room, and sometimes his mom would just daze off looking at their backyard. But, the way she was on the phone call was something he had never see before. It was something he was not used to seeing from his mom. He was getting worried, but didn't want to ask what was happening.

Once dad comes, I'm sure it will all be fine, John thought. He continued to look at the Jellyfish as the colour in the tank changed again. Time began to pass by, as the 10 minutes turned into 1 hour. It was close to closing time, as the announcement on the intercom shouted that the aquarium was going to close in a half hour. John looked at his mom, who was now quietly sobbing as she looked out the exit of the section, towards the entrance way. John walked towards his mom, trying to see what was going on. She turned around and put her hand on his shoulder. "Is dad coming?" asked John, with a sense of hope and excitement. His mother bit her lip, trying to gain the courage to say what she was about to tell her son. "Your father isn’t going to make it John. He's not going to come today," she said. "Why not? He promised he was going to be here," said John in confusion. His mother began to tear up, shaking her head, trying to muster up some form of explanation.

"That's okay mom, I'm sure dad will be here soon. He's probably trying to do a prank. He's probably going to be here at the last minute and take us somewhere else! Or maybe he booked the aquarium out so that we can have it to ourselves! I'm going to wait for him, I know he's on his way!" John said as he rushed back to the bench and sat there, continuing his gaze towards the jellyfish. Dad will be here soon, I know it, he thought. He continued to look at the fish, as the announcement from the intercom said 5 minutes till closing. And then, an announcement saying the aquarium was going to be closing now. John stood pat, looking at the fish, in hopes his dad will come. He's on his way, he thought. His mom looked on as John continued to stare at the glass, staring towards the possibility his dad would just pop up. John continued to wait, not knowing that his dad wouldn't show, and possibly would never show up again in his life.