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It was half past noon on Saturday when Jonathan realized his coat was missing. After searching everywhere in the tiny house, he gave up, and came to the conclusion that he must have left it at school.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath. Jonathan rarely cursed, but that was one of the only good coats he had, and someone probably found it and stole it. His mom had asked him to rake the front yard, but it was fifty degrees outside and super windy. Sighing, Jon opened his closet and looked for his only other option.

Hanging in the far corner was a large, droopy, denim jacket. The sleeves were frayed, and there was a small hole burned on the front from a cigarette. He glumly pulled his father's old jacket over his arms, grabbed some gloves, and headed out.

Raking was not very easy when mother nature insisted on blowing over every stack of leaves Jonathan made. Their lawn consisted less of grass, and more of cracked mud and gnarly oak trees. A particular strong wind suddenly blew, knocking him off his feet. Stumbling, Jon landed in a fresh pile of leaves, which then scattered everywhere.

"This is ridiculous," Jonathan said to himself as he once again picked up the rake and began to work. But as he swept the brown and yellow leaves, one of the prongs caught on something in the dirt. Kneeling down, he glimpsed at something shiny that must have fallen out of his pocket. Jon picked it up. It was an old, silver locket.

"Holy cow," he whispered. Eyes wide, he pried open the rusty catch and for the first time ever, he saw his dad's face. Inside the locket was a tiny picture of his parents, both smiling at the camera. This must've been before I was born, he thought. Dropping the rake, Jonathan ran inside to go show his mom.

"Oh...oh my gosh," she gasped when he brought it to her. "That photo was taken when he took me on our first date." Tears were now sliding down her face, and she reached over and hugged Jonathan. "You have no idea how much this picture means to me," she thanked him.

Jon didn't answer. He was still staring at his father's grinning face. His dad had a smooth chin and strong cheekbones, with his black hair greased generously. The same jacket Jon was wearing was also in the picture, around the man's shoulders.

His mom sniffed. "You take it," she said, handing him the locket. "You never knew your father, so I want you to have this piece of him." Jonathan's eyes widened as he held the chain necklace in his hand. He hesitated, then pulled the picture out and gave it to his mom.

"I'll take the locket. You keep this," he told her, and she began to cry again.

"I love you, Jonathan," his mom said, embracing him. He hugged her back, suddenly thinking of Sherwin's large family. His friend was lucky to have so many people at home who loved him and took care of him. Two parents, and a sister. Heck, he had an older brother too, even if he wasn't always home.

All Jonathan had was his mom. And that was good enough.

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