I can understand why you are bummed. you would like to feel like you are important enough to him to stay in contact while he is away and brief messages just do not fill that void. perhaps you are not at that stage of your relationship yet. it is a positive thing that you are being understanding and don't appear resentful. perhaps you can talk to him about your feelings of being left out by the lack of contact and what that means to you when he gets back. some people just don't view the meaning of phone calls the same way. he may be one that just doesn't see the intimacy it provides to some, but hearing your feelings, he can understand why you need them and may comply. good luck