Your 10 month old son does not have the mental ability to ask for his father. A child that young does not have the a good sense of object permanence. When something is gone it no longer exists. He has little or no language skills. Da is a sound that is easy to say. If he says da it doesn't mean he is asking for his father. There just is no way he is asking for his father.
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You can't explain anything to a 10 month old. It is difficult to impossible to explain something as simple as a stove is hot and can hurt you. You aren't going to be able to explain what a father is and why he isn't there. I wouldn't talk about his father at all since his visits are rare and you aren't sure if you are getting back together. His father is a stranger to him and should be treated like a stranger.
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I suggest you read about child development so you know more about what to expect form your son. You can find info online or from college developmental psychology textbooks. Texts are easy to find at places like Goodwill. John Santrock is a good author of college psychology textbooks that are easy to understand.
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Kids may not be able to understand much about a father not seeing them until they are 4-5 or older. They need to have an answer when other people ask them where their father is and they can say something like, "he doesn't live with me" or "he lives in another city". Something easy to say that doesn't make the child or the father sound bad yet will shut the other person up if they are asking too many questions.
