"So this is the girl who was in the coma for twenty years," Chachi said. "I can't wait to meet her. I've never met anyone who's been in a coma for anywhere near that long before."
Joanie and Chachi had been invited to Jack's house for dinner, and Abigail would be there too. It would be Chachi's first time to meet her.
"Please don't say anything to her about it, unless she mentions it first. She's very sensitive about it," Joanie told him.
"Oh, honey, you know I wouldn't do that."
When they arrived, delicious smells emanated from the kitchen. Jack was dressed casually in blue jeans and a polo shirt with the top two buttons undone, and Abigail wore a cute black dress with ruffles and matching flats and earrings. They sat on the sofa together talking animatedly, and both rose to say hello to Joanie and Chachi as they entered.
"It's very nice to meet you, Abigail. You look so lovely tonight," Chachi told Abigail as he shook her hand.
"Thank you, Mr. Arcola," Abigail said, blushing. "It's nice to meet you too."
"Chachi," he corrected with a grin.
"She did the same thing to me the first time she saw me," Jack told him. "Well, not the very first time, but you know what I mean." The four of them laughed and sat down to the table.
"Abigail has big news to share," Jack announced.
"I'm now officially a student of the adult high school at the community college!" Abigail exclaimed excitedly. "I took my transcript from my old high school over there and talked to a counselor, Mrs. Dunn. She was so nice. She told me that I should have enough credits to graduate by May. I already have my new schedule." She took the form out and showed it to Joanie and Chachi.
"Wow, it looks like you're jumping right in with both feet," Joanie said with a chuckle.
"I have to, if I want to graduate in May," Abigail said. "I am going to have to really brush up on my studying skills, though."
"You'll do fine." Jack patted her shoulder. "Remember, I'll be there for you every step of the way, Abby."
She smiled, and he hugged her and kissed her forehead.
"So, how are the kiddos?" Jack asked Joanie and Chachi.
"Doing really well," Chachi said. "Tony's hoping to get a football scholarship. Lisa's dating Matthew Holland now."
"Yeah, I've seen them around," Jack said.
A shadow passed over Abigail's face. Struck by how much he resembled his father as a teenager, Abigail had been briefly infatuated with her nephew right after she had regained consciousness. She was deeply ashamed of that fact, and reminders of it were painful for her.
Jack squeezed Abigail's knee under the table, and she smiled.
"I'd love for you to meet Lisa sometime," Joanie told Abigail. "She's a cheerleader too, just like you used to be."
"Sure, that would be nice," Abigail said. Although she tried hard not to show it, cheerleading was another painful subject for her.
"Abigail made this sauce herself," Jack commented.
"It's delicious, Abigail," Joanie said, and Chachi nodded in agreement.
"Next time, she's going to do the main dish," Jack teased, and Abigail laughed shyly.
After dinner, Jack and Abigail did the dishes while Joanie and Chachi sat on the sofa. When Jack and Abigail were finished in the kitchen, they all sat in the living room and looked at old yearbooks and talked. Abigail was very interested in the yearbooks, commenting on how the students were dressed and the various ads. Finally, Joanie and Chachi noticed how late it was and said that they had to be going.
"Thank you so much for coming over. We had a very nice time," Jack said as he walked them to the door.
"Thank you so much for inviting us. We had a wonderful time," said Joanie and Chachi.
Joanie hugged Abigail tightly and kissed her cheek. "I wish you all the luck in the world, sweetheart," she whispered.
"Thank you, Joanie," Abigail said, blinking back tears.
As soon as their guests had left, Abigail finally let out the yawn she had been suppressing.
Jack laughed. "Sounds like somebody's ready for bed."
Abigail smiled. Jack went up to her and hugged her tightly. "You will stay, won't you?" he asked softly. She nodded. He held her for a few minutes, just stroking her hair. Enjoying the sensation, she yawned again and closed her eyes.
"I'd better stop before you fall asleep on me," Jack laughed.
"Oh! Sorry," Abigail mumbled.
"Oh, that's all right." His voice was barely a whisper. He softly touched her chin, wondering what in the world he had done to deserve the miracle of Abigail.