CHAPTER ONE
"A Long Time To Be Alone"
Tuesday morning.
Throughout the halls of Abigail Adams High School there are signs plastered on the walls for the upcoming New Years Eve school dance:
"NEW YEARS EVE NIGHT FEVER! - 6pm-1am IN THE GYMNASIUM - PRIZES FOR BADDEST RETRO COSTUMES AND DANCE MOVES!"
Riley, Maya, Lucas, Zay, Smackle and Farkle are straggling into Mr. Beckett's Media Studies class when Riley speaks up.
"So, are you guys looking forward to the dance?" asked Riley.
"Oh, sure," said Maya sarcastically, "Dressing up in dinosaur clothes and dancing to dinosaur music? I for one can hardly wait."
"..said the girl in the Beatles T-shirt?" added Zay, pointing out the images of the Fab Four on the front of Maya's shirt.
"Personally, I think it's going to be fun." Lucas said.
"Yeah, man," Zay added, "Dressin' up in them old crazy clothes, doin' them funky old dances... I think it's gonna be pretty far out."
Lucas turns to look at Zay, "What old magazines have you been looking at?"
"Old magazines?"
Lucas raises an eyebrow at his Texas pal. "'Far out'? Who says that anymore?"
"Well, right now, I do. Ya dig on what I'm layin' down?"
Lucas rolls his eyes. He can't help but let out a small chuckle as he shakes his head.
"And don't forget, you guys," Maya reminded, "We gotta rehearse."
"Rehearse?" asked Zay.
"Yeah," said Maya, "Lucas, Farkle, Riley and me are going to do something special during the dance."
Lucas had to think for a moment, but then his eyes lit up in remembrance. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that."
"What's this 'something special' you got planned?" asked Zay.
"Well, it's a secret, so we can't tell you too much." said Lucas.
"Or else we'd have to kill ya." added Maya.
"Kill me?" asked Zay incredulously.
"With kindness." Riley added with a playful evil-eye.
"Euggh," Zay winced at Riley's' words, "There's only so much a man can stand." he quipped.
"I'm with Zay, though," said Farkle, "I think it's fascinating to see how people lived in other times."
"I agree with both of you, Farkle," said Smackle, Farkle's girlfriend. "And when you think about it, the 70s really weren't that much different from today." she added.
"You probably wouldn't say that if you were there, Ms. Smackle."
John Beckett, Maya's uncle and the school's new Media Studies and 20th Century History teacher, was already in the classroom as everyone else settled in to their seats.
A great deal had happened since last summer when John had come for a visit to New York City to try and get a new pair of prosthetic legs. It all started when his niece Maya and brother-in-law Shawn decided to take matters in their own hands and reconcile him to Katy, his long-estranged sister, and from there more and more doors began to fly open for him, not the least of which being his new teaching job, thanks to Cory and Topanga.
The road trip back to Cleveland to move his belongings with help from Katy, Maya, Shawn and all the Matthews was nothing short of a delight. They managed to make a stop in Philadelphia, where Shawn, Cory and Topanga grew up, and John got to meet Cory's parents, Alan and Amy, and his sister Morgan. He also got to meet George Feeny, Cory, Topanga and Shawn's former teacher and mentor, and still the Matthews' neighbor. Feeny had more than a few stories to tell about the three of them when they were younger, especially Cory, which explained all too clearly to John how and why Cory is the way he is today.
John even got a chance to admire the flowers in Feeny's garden, and he briefly got to talk to him alone. He complimented Feeny on his green thumb, and then his eyes noticed one flower in particular, an orchid.
"Brassolaeliocattleya," he quietly said.
"Ahh, I see you have an eye for orchids, Mr. Beckett," said Feeny, "Or are you just a Nero Wolfe fan?"
"A little of both," John admitted, but then leaned toward Feeny and added in a softer tone, "But I look terrible in yellow." The two shared a chuckle.
"Y'know, George, I was just thinking about what you said earlier about how you were a teacher for over fifty years," said John.
"Yes, and you're getting ready to become a teacher yourself," said Feeny as John nods, "Well, I would offer my condolences, but I might be taken too seriously."
"So is there any truth to the old adage that you'll learn more from your students than they learn from you?"
"Ohh, it's not only true, Mr. Beckett, it's a major understatement." said Feeny, but then he catches himself and adds, "No pun intended, of course." remembering John's military rank.
"No offense taken." said John, "So, you got any advice for a crusty old greenhorn like me who's just starting out in the profession?"
Feeny took a deep breath as he straightened up to his full height, but he was ready with an answer.
"I do, actually."
Feeny had John's full attention.
"You would do well to remember why you're there," said Feeny, "Keep in mind the kids you're reaching out to, the impression you can make on them, and the difference that you can make in their lives. And If you can make a difference for just one of them, it'll be worth it."
John slowly nodded at Feeny's words. "People change people." he said to himself.
"I'm sorry?"
"Oh, it's just something Maya said to me a couple of days ago: People change people."
"Oh, Maya said that, did she?"
"Yeah. I think she told me she learned it from Cory."
Feeny nodded, "He more than likely learned it from me."
John chuckled and nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised."
Once they had finally made it to Cleveland, the first thing they all did was go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. John was pleasantly surprised when he noticed that out of the bunch, Auggie was the most enthralled by the artifacts and history, and had the most questions to ask about rock and roll music. Naturally, John couldn't answer all of his questions, but he did the best he could. Auggie stood gazing at one particular display: a set of Ringo Starr's drums from when he was with the Beatles.
"Were the Beatles an overnight success, Mr. Beckett?" Auggie asked.
"No, they weren't. Far from it, actually," John replied, "They had been a working band in their native England for years before they made it big there in 1963, and then a year later they invaded America."
"Well, that would explain the 'British Invasion' thing." Auggie said, pointing to a placard that had the words 'British Invasion' in big letters.
John then focused his attention on Maya and Riley who were looking at an old sequined costume adorned with a large cape. John immediately knew who the outfit belonged to.
"James Brown." he said with a smile.
Riley pointed to the sequined letters across the costume's chest. "What does the 'G.F.O.S.' stand for?" she asked.
"God-Father Of Soul," John replied, "That was one of Brown's many nicknames."
"One of them?" asked Maya, "What other nicknames did he have?"
"Well, let's see," John replied, "He was also called 'Mister Dynamite', 'Soul Brother Number One', and my personal favorite, 'The Hardest Working Man in Show Business'."
"Hey, I never knew American Bandstand started in Philadelphia." said Cory, remarking on a Dick Clark display nearby.
"Ohh, Philadelphia has a rich music history," said John, "I especially love the Philly Soul sound of the early-mid 70s."
"Child of the 70s, huh?" asked Topanga.
"Yep. That's me, all right." John replied with a smile.
Now, with the calendar on its last page, John has set before him the challenging but refreshing task of passing on the things that he himself has learned to the younger generations, and suddenly he found himself in the middle of a discussion about a time that he actually lived in: the 1970s, the first full decade he lived through, and despite what he went through with his father, his eyes still managed to generate a sparkle at sharing some of the good things about the decade. John remembered Feeny's advice and kept it close to his heart. Everything Feeny said was coming true right before John's eyes and ears, and now more than ever he was eager to share the things he learned; eager, but cautious.
He looked at the classroom full of students as he continued. "If you were to compare the 70s to today," said John, "You would realize all too well that some things were very, very different." He looks at his niece Maya as he continues. "Case in point, the only dinosaurs we saw in the 70s were on television, and most of those were on Saturday morning."
"So you were around in the 70s, Mr. Beckett?" asked Lucas.
"Well, of course I was. Just how old do you think I am, anyway?" asked John apprehensively.
Lucas paused a moment before answering. "There's no right answer to that." he replied cautiously.
"Thank you for your discretion," said John dryly, then he turned to the rest of the class. "But, in the interest of disclosure, I'm almost fifty-three years old," he revealed, "and regardless of personal upbringing, I still consider myself to be.. a child of the 70s."
"So you got to experience the 70s first hand, then." Darby mentioned.
"As an observer, yes," John replied, "I was still a child; I wasn't old enough to be part of the nightlife and social circles, but I did get to witness a lot of it through television and radio," he then looks at Zay, "and old magazines."
"How much technology did you have back in the 70s, Mr. Beckett?" asked Smackle.
"Ohh, nowhere near as much as we have now, Ms. Smackle," John replied, "For one thing, we had no Internet, therefore no email, no cellphones, and no texting."
"So most of your communication was face-to-face, right?" asked Riley.
"That depended on where you were, Riley," John answered, "The only social media we had was face-to-face, and word-of-mouth was automatic when you were with friends, of course, but when we were at home we used telephones… with wires attached."
"Ohhh," the entire class groaned aloud.
"What about in school?" asked Sarah.
"Well, in school," John answered, "You either got yelled at for talking too much, just like today, or you used folded handwritten notes and passed them around secretly… until you got caught."
"Just like today." Maya added.
"And if, and when, you did get caught," John continued, "You prayed as never before that the teacher who caught you didn't make it a point to read the notes aloud in class."
The class, especially the girls, winced at his words as he continued.
"But the thing was, we didn't have as big an option of shutting down the comm lines... as we do now," John held up his own cellphone pointing to the power button, "But when we did shut them down, there was the potential for creating some pretty awkward situations."
"So did you ever get into any awkward situations, Uncle John?" asked Riley.
John looks at Riley as if to say, You're kidding, right?, but then says aloud, "Not as often as you might think. Actually not often at all. I wasn't a very social person back in the day."
"Didn't you ever get any notes from girls?" Darby asked.
"Never," John replied, "For all I knew, nobody was talking about me, unless it was rumors, and I heard a great deal of those as the years went on."
"Didn't you have any girlfriends?" asked Lucas.
John shook his head. "No, I didn't. I didn't even get into my first real relationship until after I went into the Air Force. We were together for awhile, and we even got engaged, but that came to a rather abrupt end."
"When did that happen?" asked Riley.
"Right after I lost my legs in early '94," answered John, "But... before I gain any more 'awkward grays'," he added, pointing to his head, "I think it's time to close the book on my personal life and get back into the media arts… "So, since we're in the Media Arts Department," he said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together, "Let's get 'MAD'..."
"Ohh, you have got to be kidding me!"
With a pregnant Katy following, Topanga had walked through the front door of her house just in time for Cory to show off his own sartorial choice for the New Years Eve dance: a bright blue leisure jacket with canary yellow leather flare pants, white platform shoes, a red satin paisley dress shirt unbuttoned at the neck and untucked at the waist, and, to complete the ensemble, a large, gaudy gold chain around his neck.
"We tried to talk him out of it, Mom." said Auggie, with Ava nodding.
"So, whaddaya think, Tops?" said Cory, "Groovy, huh?"
With Katy, Topanga took a long look at her husband from head to toe. And while Katy had put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing, Topanga folded her arms with a look of trepidation on her face.
"I think..." said Topanga, "...that I'd feel just a little bit less ridiculous if you weren't my husband."
"You ain't seen nothin' yet, baby!" said Cory.
"There's more?" asked Topanga in disbelief.
Grabbing a shopping bag from off the coffee table, Cory dashed over to hide himself behind one of the drapes next to the Christmas tree. Topanga turned to look at Katy as if to sarcastically say 'I can hardly wait to see what's next'.
After a few moments, Cory yanks back the drapes to re-reveal himself, now wearing a large brown afro wig on his head, a big stick-on mustache and matching muttonchop sideburns.
Katy can't take it anymore. She busts out in uncontrollable laughter, while Topanga can only do a facepalm slowly shaking her head, but Katy's infectious laughter causes Topanga to begin chortling herself. She rubs her eyes and then looks back up at Cory.
"Well?" asked Cory.
"Really, Mr. Kotter?"
"Did I ever tell you about my Uncle so-and-so?" asked Cory imitating Gabe Kaplan's classic character.
"No," answered Topanga, imitating Kotter's TV wife Julie, "But you will."
"Nice sideburns." said Katy still laughing.
"Yeah, now that you mention it," said Topanga, "They look exactly like the ones that Shawn wore when we became freshmen."
"What?" asked Katy, still laughing.
"Oh, Shawn never told you about that?" asked Topanga.
"No!"
"Yeah. Back when we started high school Shawn decided he wanted to look more grown up, so he put on a pair of fake sideburns."
"Like those?!" asked Katy, pointing to Cory's faux-whiskers.
"Like those." Topanga echoed.
"Ohh, I'm gonna have to talk to Shawn about that." said Katy.
John comes wheeling through the opened doorway but stops short of coming in. He sees Topanga and Katy first, but he doesn't see Cory behind the door.
"Hey, sis, Topanga, umm… have you two seen Cory?"
Katy and Topanga both begin snickering, but it's Topanga who speaks.
"Ee-Yeah," said Topanga struggling to keep from laughing again, "We've seen him."
John is a little confused by Topanga and Katy's giggling, but he ignores it at first. "Well, where is he?" he asked as he held up a manila folder, "I have some papers I need to give to him."
Cory reaches around the door and snatches the folder from a startled John's hand. "Thanks, John." he said.
"Oh, hey, Cory, I didn't see you behind the door."
"You're better off." said Topanga.
"What are you doing? Why are you..."
John opens the door all the way and finally gets a look at Cory in all his retro-glory.
"WHOA-H-H!"
John winces at Cory, then stares, mouth agape, looking at him from head-to-toe in his sartorial splendor.
"What do ya think, Mister Child-of-the-70s?"
John took a little extra time to give a response. He leaned his elbow on one arm of his wheelchair as he sized up Cory's attempt at retro-cosplaying.
"There's no right answer to that." John replied. "Y'know, the only time in the 70s I saw people wearing clothes like that, they were either dancing on railroad tracks painted on the floor, or they were going for what was behind the curtain."
"We went for what was behind the curtain." said Topanga.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" asked John.
"We just got zonked?"
"No, you just got zonked." John corrected with a chuckle.
"Thanks a lot, you guys." said Cory to both of them.
John chuckled. "Well, I could have said you look like a young Alex Trebek, but that would have been too insulting."
"Too insulting to me?" asked Cory.
"No, to Alex Trebek." replied Topanga.
"You sound like quite an expert on the 70s, Mr. Beckett." said Ava.
"I'm more than just an expert, Ava. I was there," said John, "I lived it. I lived through it… Somehow."
"So what were the 70s like?" asked Auggie.
"Well," answered John "Personally speaking, there were some bad moments, but I prefer to forget all the bad things and focus on what was good."
"So what was it that made the 70s so good?" asked Auggie.
"The music." John replied with a wink as he pointed up his index finger.
Auggie and Ava both ponder John's words as Katy speaks up again.
"I heard you're going to be one of the chaperons at the New Years Eve dance, John." said Katy.
"Yes I am, plus I'm going to be DJing, too," said John proudly, "I'll be there picking out music at the dance class tomorrow night."
"Dance class?" asked Katy.
"Yeah," said Cory, "John suggested we should have an informal dance class in the gym and teach some of the old dances to the students."
"Oh, you mean like the Macarena and the Cotton-Eyed Joe?"
"You're a little off, sis," said John, "No, I'm talking about dances like the Hustle, the Bump, the YMCA and the... Funky Chicken."
Auggie and Ava did a double take at John. "The what?" they both asked together.
"The Funky Chicken," John replied. "That was a popular dance back in the 70s."
Cory contemplated the name for a moment. "Was it anything like..."
John guessed what was coming. "No, Cory, it was nothing like the Chicken Dance," he said, "With the Funky Chicken you moved your legs just as much as you moved your arms."
"Those are some pretty wild names." said Ava.
"They were pretty wild dances," John replied, "For their time," he added under his breath.
"Were there others?" asked Auggie.
"Oh, sure there were," replied John, "Let's see… There was the Robot..."
"Oh, brother," said Katy.
"The Electric Boogaloo..."
"Shocking." said Topanga.
"And then, of course, there was the Night Fever, the Locking dance, and... the Disco Duck."
"Disco Duck?!" asked Ava and Auggie, again together.
"Disco Duck, and I swear I'm not making any of those up. You can find them on YouTube."
"Was the Disco Duck anything like the Funky Chicken?" asked Ava.
John looked toward the ceiling in contemplation, then looked at Ava. "Yeah. It was." he finally said.
"So, are you taking a date to the big dance, Big Brother?" asked Katy.
"No, I don't have a date," John replied, "Matter of fact, it's been so long since I've been in a relationship I've practically forgotten what it's like."
"How long has it been?" asked Topanga.
John shrugs, "Oh, I don't know. I'd say probably over twenty years..." Katy and Topanga look at one another with surprise on their faces. "...but I've gotten used to it, so it ain't no big thing for me."
Topanga, Katy and Cory all exchange glances.
"Besides, I'm probably going to be too busy DJ'ing anyway, so I won't have time for a date," John continued, "And now, if you'll excuse me, I have papers to grade, so Cory, I'll see you tomorrow night." John turns around to wheel himself out of the apartment closing the door behind him. It was several seconds before anyone else spoke.
"Twenty years." Auggie was still pondering John's words.
"That's a long time to be alone," said Ava.
"What's a long time to be alone?" asked Riley as she and Maya come in with Sarah and Darby. The girls stop in their tracks and gaze at Cory in his retro-glory. Darby and Sarah look at Cory in surprise, but Riley and Maya are more used to Cory's antics.
"Hi, girls!"
"Hey, Dad." Riley replied flatly as she and the others walked by.
"I agree," Katy had not yet noticed the girls had come in. "Twenty years is a long time for someone to be alone."
"Alone?" asked Sarah.
"Twenty years?" asked Darby.
"What are you guys talking about?" asked Riley.
"Who are you guys talking about?" asked Maya.
"Your Uncle John." Katy answered Maya, "He said he hasn't been in a relationship in over twenty years."
"That's a long time to be alone." said Darby.
"Ee-Yeah, we noticed that, too." said Topanga.
"It's kinda funny, though," Darby contemplated, You know, my mom hasn't been on a date in a long time, either."
Maya slowly but surely gets a look in her eyes, a gleam that could almost light a room. Riley is the first one to notice the look in Maya's eyes as a smile begins to grow on her face.
"Maya?"
"Yeeeeesss?"
"You're getting that look in your ey-y-e." Riley said suspiciously.
"I learned from the best."
"Uh oh," said Darby, "I've seen that look before,"
"So have I," Sarah added, "And it can only be trouble."
Maya's smile began to widen even more. "The best kind of trouble," she said. "The good kind of trouble." She then looks and then points at Riley, Darby and Sarah.
"You three..."
Darby and Sarah both raise their hands to their hearts. "Us?!" They chorus together.
Maya then points to Topanga and Katy. "And you two..."
"Us?" Topanga says. Then she looks at Katy and gives her a nudge. Katy had never been summoned to the Bay Window before, so she didn't know what to do. But after a nod from Topanga she plays along and raises her own hand to her heart.
"Oh." whispered Katy to Topanga. "Us?" she says aloud.
"Bay window." Maya declared. "Bay window right now!"
END OF CHAPTER ONE