"He was such a brilliant musician," the cashier at the music store remarked as she slipped Jack's purchase into a bag. "Gone far before his time. Such a shame what happened to him."

"Oh, absolutely!" Jack agreed. "This is a Christmas present for my wife. She was still asleep when it was first released."

"Asleep? Oh, yeah. You must be the husband of that woman who was in a coma for so long."

"Her name's Abigail, and yes, I'm her husband."

"How's she doing now?"

"She's fine. No residual effects." He smiled, thinking about how pleased Abigail would be when he gave her the CD.

On Christmas morning, Jack and Abigail were awakened by the children jumping onto their bed. "Wake up, Mommy and Daddy! Come see what Santa brought us!"

"Oh boy, I can't wait." Jack chuckled as he nudged his wife, who was still asleep. "Come on, hon. It's Christmas morning."

Abigail yawned, then smiled. As much as she would have loved an extra few minutes under the covers, she knew how important the tradition was to her family. She forced herself out of bed and, moments later, she and Jack were both having loads of fun feigning surprise over Jackson's new basketball and Julie's new doll tea set.

"Time for Mommy and Daddy to see what Santa brought for them," Jack announced after awhile. Abigail jumped up and went to fetch the present she'd bought Jack, which was a book about the Los Angeles Raiders. "Oh, thank you! You know me well." He kissed her lips, then handed her the wrapped CD.

"Oh!" she exclaimed after opening the present. "John Lennon!" She frowned. "'Double Fantasy'. Wasn't that the album that came out right before...you know..."

"Yes, it was. I remembered how much you always loved the Beatles and how upset you were when you found out what had happened to him, and I thought you'd like to own his very last album."

"Oh, I do! Thank you so much, Jack." She hugged and kissed him, then popped the CD into the CD player and advanced it to the track 'Woman.'

"This song expresses exactly how I feel about you," Jack told her as they began to dance.

"Just think," said Brenda. "This time next year, you'll have a five-month-old baby."

"I know!" Monica exclaimed. "It's so exciting!"

"I just can't believe someone as cool as me is actually going to be a grandfather," Fonzie put in.

"Are you saying that being a grandparent isn't cool?" asked Brenda.

"Of course it is!" Fonzie replied. "It's growing old that ain't so cool."

"It's a lot cooler than dying young," Brenda pointed out.

"Oh yeah, that's for sure. Hey, I know how to feel young again." He popped a CD into the CD player, and soon the strains of 'In the Still of the Night' by the Five Satins filled the air. "Shall we dance?" Fonzie asked Brenda, and she stood and began to move in time with him.

The morning of the first day of the spring term returned the Parrishes to the hustle and bustle to which they were accustomed. "Mommy, I can't find my other blue sock!" Jackson called from the bedroom.

"Just a minute!" Abigail hollered back as she straightened Jack's collar. "Have a good day, dear," she said as she kissed him good-bye.

"You do the same," he replied. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

After seeing Jackson off to school, Abigail was relaxing with a cup of coffee and watching 'Allegra's Window' on Nickelodeon with Julie when Sharon stumbled into the kitchen.

"Ready for breakfast, hon?" asked Abigail.

"Where's Jackson?" Sharon slid into a chair at the table as Abigail got up to pour her a glass of juice and a bowl of cereal.

"He went back to school this morning."

"How come I don't go to school anymore?"

"Don't you want to watch TV with me, Aunt Sharon?" asked Julie.

"I'm tired of watching TV," Sharon complained.

"Would you like to go back to school, Sharon?" asked Abigail.

"I'd rather go to work, like Jack," Sharon replied. "I'm almost as old as him. How come he gets to go to work and I don't?"

"I'll talk to him about it when he gets home today," Abigail promised. "Maybe he knows of a job you could do."

She mentioned the conversation to Jack that evening. "I think she just wants to feel useful," she told him.

"You know, I believe there is something," he replied. "I'll definitely check into it." He stepped closer to her. "You really do care about Sharon, don't you?"

"Of course I do! She's my sister, and I want to help her just like you helped me."

He put his arms around her and held her close, and she inhaled the familiar comforting aroma of coffee mixed with sweaty gym clothes.