Chapter Twenty-Four Johnnie left his mother’s house, overflowing with joy. That Sunday morning, he felt compelled to do something that he had never done before: Share his happiness with a friendly face. It didn’t matter to him whether it was Sean or Mary; he was desperate to talk about meeting his mother. And then, he discovered just how much his relationship with Susan had changed him. A few days earlier, such idea would not even cross his mind. Johnnie was a man of few words, who did not like to discuss his personal life. Mary had already pointed it out to him that he was different, but this life-changing event proved it to him even further that he was no longer the withholding outlaw. He was someone else, a man who communicated his feelings better and actually enjoyed it. His mother’s

