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Hunter and Rosa would be seen sitting at the mess hall, eating breakfast. Rosa would be in a noticeably poor mood, and this doesn’t go unnoticed by Hunter. He hesitates on finding the words to talk to her, but of course, his awkwardness is just as obvious as Rosa’s mood, prompting her to start the conversation.
“Is there something you wanna tell me, or are you always this fidgety?” Rosa giggles.
“Oh, uhm, sorry,” Hunter shamefully replies.
“Don’t be,” Rosa says.
“Are… are you okay?” Hunter asks.
“What do you mean? I’m fine,” Rosa insists, but they both know that isn’t true.
“You didn’t seem so fine a few seconds ago,” Hunter says. “I just thought it would be nice to check in.”
Rosa looks away before sighing. “You have a good eye on you, don’t you?”
A short pause happens before Rosa decides to share something, just to start off. “I’ve been… thinking about someone.”
“Who?”
“My… my daughter.”
“Oh… Is she okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, she’s doing fine… I think. It’s just, I’ve never been away from her for this long, and I’m worried is all. Sounds stupid, doesn’t it?” Rosa tries to laugh it off.
“No, not at all,” Hunter said. “My mom was the same way.”
“Really?”
“It’s not uncommon for a mother to care about her child. Anytime I was even two rooms away from her, she’d have a panic attack. She didn’t want anything bad to happen to me and she wasn’t there to help.”
“I hear that,” Rosa says. “It’s scary being in charge of a little person. There’s so much that could go on, and I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to Sofia.”
“Sometimes, it was a bit… overbearing. But her heart was always in the right place. And with a bit of boundary setting, on both ends, we made it work.”
“That sounds nice. But I’m not sure if I can get a 2 year old to set boundaries, hehe.”
“Well… maybe set boundaries for her. It could be useful for both of you to be able to have some time away from each other, but still be able to come together and count on each other if needed. You don’t always have to be around each other to be there for each other.”
Rosa felt a bit better hearing this. “Maybe you're right. Thanks. I needed this.” The two shared a hug.
“If you ever need me, I'll be around,” Hunter assures Rosa. He then stands up and leaves the mess hall.
As Hunter walks off, Rosa finds herself thinking, Hunter's a great guy. And he had good advice too. She wonders if he'd make a great father. To Sofia? Only time will tell.