Life was so simple then. Pajamas, football, family dinner, more love than any two kids could expect from the best mother in the world—and yet here they were, sitting in jail. Steve was planning to retire early because he just couldn’t stand the way people looked at him down at Jayomar. Either they smirked and whispered to each other or gave him a look of pity. But what Steve didn’t realize was that most of the decent folks didn’t like to think about what had happened to Steve and Debby, because, as parents, it frightened them. If this tragedy could happen to the Turners, maybe it could happen to them. So, if they thought about it at all, it was to tell themselves that this horror came about because of something that lurked behind the walls of the Turner home, which would never invade their household. It was sort of like asking if the person who died of cancer had been a smoker.

Tony and Danny endured these visits from their parents, but except for the small items they were allowed to receive, such as toothpaste and books, there weren’t too many positive things that came out of these sad get-togethers. Both sons hated to be reminded of the pain and shame they had brought upon their parents, and they were truly perplexed as to how their lives had gone from good to bad to horrible so quickly.

As Tony grew in his faith, he was able to see that things had gone downhill little by little, because of the numerous bad decisions he had made. Pride had played a big role in his decline. After all, by the time he was a junior in high school, he was used to being the most popular kid in school; he believed this was his due and expected it would continue throughout his life. One day, when his mom came alone for a visit, he told her about some of the lessons he had learned, and honestly asked her to forgive him. It was the first time he saw her truly smile since that night in January. That’s when Tony realized these visits were for his mother and his father, not for him and Danny, and he needed to see them in a new light. He also saw that the truth was very powerful.

Danny, too, felt a responsibility to try to cheer up his parents when they met. He could always get his dad to talk about the rivalry between the Browns and the Steelers, or gripe about how poorly the Indians were doing, but it was a mistake to go near reality. Once he slipped and said, “The first thing I’m gonna do when I get out of here is go down to Cleveland Stadium to see the Indians or Browns. Whatever time of year it is.” The awkward silence that followed spoke volumes, and then his mom began to weep.