She glared at him, picked up her knife and tore into her food.
Chapter 10
Sage lay in bed staring vacantly at the ceiling. Nadine breezed in with a stack of folded clothes that she placed in his dresser drawers.
“Hey, baby. Not sleepy yet?” she asked.
When he didn’t answer, she glanced over her shoulder. Sage looked like he was ruminating on the answer to world peace, or something equally important.
Nadine walked over to the bed. She sat close to him and stroked his forehead. It startled him, like he was just now noticing she had come into the room.
“You okay, Sage?”
He managed to form his mouth into a sad smile to bolster the lie he was about to tell.
"Sure, Ma. I’m fine."
"Really? Because if this is your fine face, I’d sure hate to see your not so fine face."
Her attempt at humor was lost on him. His eyes started to mist up. He didn’t trust himself to speak, so he just nodded, but the tortured look on his face begged Nadine to press him.
"Come on, baby. Tell me what's wrong."
That’s when the tears spilled. He swiped them away and dropped his chin to his chest. Nadine placed a shaky hand under it and made him look at her.
“What is it, son? Tell me.”
Sage exhaled deeply, "Serenity."
"What? What about her?" asked Nadine, with her brows knitted together and her mouth set in a grim line. Sage gulped for air, trying to compose himself.
"I can't get her off my mind lately. She’s like this black cloud always hanging around in the spaces there. I close my eyes, and I see her like she’s standing right in front of me," Sage whimpered.
"Oh, baby, I’m sorry. It's been so long. We’d hoped you had--"
"Put it behind me? Trust me, I've tried. I try...all the time. I just can’t shake that scene, Ma. Can’t shake thoughts of her."
"Sage, we didn't know you were still struggling with this. Do you want to see the doctor again? Would that help?"
"I don’t know…maybe. Or maybe I just need to push harder to work through it," Sage said.
More tears slid down his cheeks. Nadine flicked them away like hot ashes. She pulled Sage tight to her chest and squeezed him hard.
"Can I ask you something, Ma?" he whispered into the hollow of her neck.
"Anything, baby. You know that."
Sage pulled away from her and steeled himself for what he was about to say.
"How long do you honor a promise you made to someone who's gone? Someone you'll never see again?"
"Oh, Sage, who's to say? It depends. That’s something you have to decide, but I will say this…whatever you do…don't let the past steal your present. Life's too short to keep grasping at things you can’t change."
Sage closed his eyes. When he opened them, he grunted as if he’d just rolled a huge boulder off his chest. He nodded in affirmation of his mother’s advice. Seemingly resolute now, his face mellowed.
Nadine breathed a big sigh of relief. She pulled Sage back into her arms. His body loosened--surrendered to her embrace.
"Thanks, Ma."
"For what, baby? Looks like you figured things out just fine. Now get some sleep. You need it."
She kissed her boy on his forehead and got up from the bed.
"Love you, Ma."
"Love you, too, baby."
Nadine left the room.
The second she was out the door, Sage got up and went to his dresser. He retrieved the box with Serenity's earring in it. He took the box and buried it at the back of his bottom drawer deep under the clothes where he was less likely to stumble upon it.
The atmosphere at Peyton’s was full of unpleasant memories and personal regrets, too. When he’d gotten home from the Gentry’s, his house was dark and quiet. That was nothing new. It was just he and his mom living there.
Peyton had lost his dad to a car accident when he was still a baby. His older sister moved out and went away
Chapter 10
Sage lay in bed staring vacantly at the ceiling. Nadine breezed in with a stack of folded clothes that she placed in his dresser drawers.
“Hey, baby. Not sleepy yet?” she asked.
When he didn’t answer, she glanced over her shoulder. Sage looked like he was ruminating on the answer to world peace, or something equally important.
Nadine walked over to the bed. She sat close to him and stroked his forehead. It startled him, like he was just now noticing she had come into the room.
“You okay, Sage?”
He managed to form his mouth into a sad smile to bolster the lie he was about to tell.
"Sure, Ma. I’m fine."
"Really? Because if this is your fine face, I’d sure hate to see your not so fine face."
Her attempt at humor was lost on him. His eyes started to mist up. He didn’t trust himself to speak, so he just nodded, but the tortured look on his face begged Nadine to press him.
"Come on, baby. Tell me what's wrong."
That’s when the tears spilled. He swiped them away and dropped his chin to his chest. Nadine placed a shaky hand under it and made him look at her.
“What is it, son? Tell me.”
Sage exhaled deeply, "Serenity."
"What? What about her?" asked Nadine, with her brows knitted together and her mouth set in a grim line. Sage gulped for air, trying to compose himself.
"I can't get her off my mind lately. She’s like this black cloud always hanging around in the spaces there. I close my eyes, and I see her like she’s standing right in front of me," Sage whimpered.
"Oh, baby, I’m sorry. It's been so long. We’d hoped you had--"
"Put it behind me? Trust me, I've tried. I try...all the time. I just can’t shake that scene, Ma. Can’t shake thoughts of her."
"Sage, we didn't know you were still struggling with this. Do you want to see the doctor again? Would that help?"
"I don’t know…maybe. Or maybe I just need to push harder to work through it," Sage said.
More tears slid down his cheeks. Nadine flicked them away like hot ashes. She pulled Sage tight to her chest and squeezed him hard.
"Can I ask you something, Ma?" he whispered into the hollow of her neck.
"Anything, baby. You know that."
Sage pulled away from her and steeled himself for what he was about to say.
"How long do you honor a promise you made to someone who's gone? Someone you'll never see again?"
"Oh, Sage, who's to say? It depends. That’s something you have to decide, but I will say this…whatever you do…don't let the past steal your present. Life's too short to keep grasping at things you can’t change."
Sage closed his eyes. When he opened them, he grunted as if he’d just rolled a huge boulder off his chest. He nodded in affirmation of his mother’s advice. Seemingly resolute now, his face mellowed.
Nadine breathed a big sigh of relief. She pulled Sage back into her arms. His body loosened--surrendered to her embrace.
"Thanks, Ma."
"For what, baby? Looks like you figured things out just fine. Now get some sleep. You need it."
She kissed her boy on his forehead and got up from the bed.
"Love you, Ma."
"Love you, too, baby."
Nadine left the room.
The second she was out the door, Sage got up and went to his dresser. He retrieved the box with Serenity's earring in it. He took the box and buried it at the back of his bottom drawer deep under the clothes where he was less likely to stumble upon it.
The atmosphere at Peyton’s was full of unpleasant memories and personal regrets, too. When he’d gotten home from the Gentry’s, his house was dark and quiet. That was nothing new. It was just he and his mom living there.
Peyton had lost his dad to a car accident when he was still a baby. His older sister moved out and went away
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