Misery Business

What Was Best

"I can't believe she knew." Jon shook his head, pacing up and down in the kitchen as Sage walked in, placing their take-out on the counter and taking her coat off, "Why would she keep that from me?" He asked himself.

"Maybe she just didn't want to hurt you. You were still so young at the time and… maybe over time it just became easier for everyone for you not to know." Sage said, "Baby, you gotta look at it from her perspective. She was just trying to protect you."

"I deserved the truth. I wouldn't have had to go through all these years wondering where they were and what they were doing. I could have known they were dead and that was it, and she kept that from me." Jon said.

"It would have been hard for her to sit you down and tell you something like that." Sage said, "She loves you and she only wanted what was best for you. Surely you can see that." She sighed as he just shook his head and paused.

"It would have been easier if she just told me when she found out. I mean… how did she even find out?" He screwed his eyes up.

"She probably would have been contacted since… she was legally the one taking care of you." She said, "You were only ten, Jon. You could have never have understood that your father was killed and your mother killed herself."

"She didn't have to go into detail back then." Jon said.

"She was just trying to protect you." Sage said, walking over to him, "Think of all the things she done for you. She's your mom. She took care of you. Fed you. Bought you clothes. Cared for you. If she thought it was for the best not to tell you then… maybe it was." Sage nodded, "Don't be mad with her. You're lucky to have her." She said as Jon just sighed, "We're gonna go to dinner tomorrow night and celebrate the engagement. And you're gonna talk to your mom about all of this." She said, nodding as he nodded along with her.

"Yeah, ok." Jon nodded calmly. She was his voice of reason. In a time of anger and stress and confusion, her voice was soothing, it instantly calmed him down and he felt like everything would still be ok, as long as she was here with him.

"Our dinner is gonna get cold." She admitted, walking over to the take-out bag and unpacking the things they had bought.

"You wanna just eat it in bed?" Jon turned to her as she smiled and nodded.
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The next day, Jon had gone to work as did Sage. They had spent the night curled in bed with Milo watching a movie with their take-out. Jonathan was saddened that his mother never told him about his real parents, but Sage had helped him to not feel as angry as he wanted to. Her words and even just her presence was enough to calm him down, and he knew he'd talk it out with his mother later that night when they went for dinner.

She was changing the barrel in the back when Laura came through with a chipped glass in her hand, standing above her, deliberately looking down on her, attempting to intimidate her as Sage looked up.

"Everything ok?" Sage asked, rising to her height again; where Laura and her we staring at each other face to face.

"Did you put this chipped glass back in the dish washer?" She asked hastily, "You know they get put in the trash if they're chipped." She said, "Or are you just stupid?" She spat as Sage looked across at her. Sometimes she assured herself that it was best to keep her head down and be the bigger person who walked away, but Jon was right, she didn't deserve to be treated this way, and there was only so much she could turn away from.