He acted as chairman in my absence.

我不在时，他担任主席。

youdao

They both smiled; neither seemed likely to be aware of my absence for long.

他们两个人都笑了，看来都没意识到我离开了很长时间。

《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

He took my place during my absence.

在我缺勤期间他代替了我。

《新英汉大辞典》

The title comes from one of her thoughts during this time: "These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections - sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent that happened after I was gone."

VOA: standard.2010.01.08

My thanks to my colleague Cheryl Corley for filling in during my absence.

NPR: Black Conservatives Torn Between McCain, Obama

On the day that I learned of my 10-year sentence, I feared the worst: that my absence would break up my family...

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy

"I hope you will pardon my absence last year, and understand that I intended no personal insult to any of you, " he said.

CNN: Cheers, boos for McCain at conservative gathering