Summary

In Chapter 13, “Howie,” Howie starts meeting regularly with his courtworker, Clara, at the Friendship Center. When he tells her about his time at the Mission, they discover they were there together. Clara reminds Howie the importance of staying free, after spending so much of their lives “with other people running them” (227). The next day, Howie brings Clara flowers and invites her to dinner. Over food, Howie tells Clara about his life leading up to the Mission.

When Howie was five, Howie and his mom, Sagastis, spent the summer with Howie’s aunt Mae. They had a wonderful time, and Sagastis and Mae threw him a party when he turned six. That evening, the priest stopped by, asking about Howie’s identity and age. The day before Howie and Sagastis planned to leave, the priest returned and took Howie away, insisting he needed to...