It was Halloween night and my five year old son and I had just gotten home from trick-or-treating. I got him out of his circus clown costume, washed him up and had him brush his teeth and then we were off to bed.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6KMr4ZyiL
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“I sure am glad that you're my son,” I told Jace after we had finished reading his storybook for the night.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgV0Tf7Ropf
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXc0deV1Uy
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZleg86woyo
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Jace gave me a tight hug and laid up against me until he was in the verge of sleep. “I used to be your daddy,” he said in a dreamy, half conscious manner. The look on his five year old face was dead serious. 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtWiKa6nak
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCAU3Z8UUe
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCudzrR5An8
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAkWJmFT4M
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRr6Pp7pzS
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQtzZBZvjp
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“Nuh uh,” he said again. “First we lived in the homeland and then we comed to America on a ship. It was stinky and made mama’s tummy hurt. She was glad when we got off it.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkGGnJXxmN
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7a5Ox9dk4
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoeCTBVxD7
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4xJegtPOD
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“Like we did?”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGh3Rf8mlQ
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVvZYU3MY5
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlNIUzKC5Y
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wj5ePc7HF
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1KM8pUdhV
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGikmuHCzng
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“Mama didn't like the town we were in, so she said that we needed to go somewhere else,” he responded. “She said it was too crowded and people were mean.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFui4VlW19D
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My half smile turned into a look of pure curiosity. Where had he heard these things? Had he maybe seen a documentary on tv? Where was he getting this information?804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNbPx67aJl
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8OaztH8eTn
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“Me and mama workded until we could buy a two horses and a wagon. Then we rode and walked. It was a long way.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3Ay1pKbUw
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“A very long way,” I said. 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibcqgjOYJ5
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi0t4Kc4Nhq
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“We were farmers?”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuNu49DYvI
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKihEY8ezv0
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“Why did mama cry?” 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwr1qy8G9s
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPgDjetVkU
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I was taken back by the conversation my five year old son and I were having. He had never told me a story like the one he was telling me. It was unnerving listening to him to provide answers with such clarity.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswa54G2nWY
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGf6y724zh
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Shaking his head he said, “No. The dirt wasn't very good and I didn't really know how to do it good. You and mama had to get jobs in town. That's where you met him.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ616bJvnPUK
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The way he had said “him” was curious. He said it with no small amount of bitterness. “Who did I meet?”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGwsrWncCR
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnM02Q2o886
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7SdT5rlnJ
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTswbn4GLFZ
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7X78nxbM8
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJuAHmHKvk
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRA9HgMKZh
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcssz1uuKO
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“Innish?” I inquired.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OeJxbcGJO
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1F0UYmUkJv
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBRNki8qot
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzkBsD4KH0
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I became very concerned. Where had he heard this? Had someone been been using racial slurs around my son? Maybe someone at school?804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBKnMxsM7I
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8JiyPZ4hg
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFALxGmvLB
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6cp85Vbws
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSt6WQ4ou6C
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“Were you happy?”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxD9DVT93r
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He got quiet.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmkuXRQJ3X
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“Well?” I said.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWb5v66IVs
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZBU2lK0Tr
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“I ran away?” 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTU5FTr5nS
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYdODHW6x7
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7F15DsSUO
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“No. When I founded you you said you weren't coming home and the red headed boy told me to go away,” he said. “But I told him you was my daughter and you was coming home with me.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKrJY6Gu0j
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVRiJwapYo
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ703uvwZ5jV
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZq540Awyvz
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNy7BWxA0B
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I sat in a stunned silence for a moment. I couldn't believe the words that were coming out of my son’s mouth. I didn't want to know, but I had to ask. “A wood chopper?”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwz5ylQsHr
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2erAnzWLrL
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVUvH1ctBM
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“You comed out and told me you was gonna to go tell everyone in town,” he said in a tired voice. He was on the verge of sleep. “So I whopped you with the wood chopper, too,” he said dreamily. 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHP7zV55AY6
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8u5Bq8Kkm
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1GeV6Pd1z
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He turned onto his side and started to close his eyes. Sleep was beginning to set in. A chill crawled up my spine and my arm and neck hair was literally standing on end. This couldn't have come from the mind of my five year old. 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFRlOlW0o7
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTKWnfekFb
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There was silence. I thought he had fallen asleep, but as soon as I sat up and put my feet over the edge of his bed he said in the sleepy voice, “She asked if I found you and I said no. But I knowed where you was. I knowed where you would be forever.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGqYIzuAeS
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And with that the heavy, steady breathing of sleep sat in. I stood up and stared at my sleeping son for I don't know how long. I was shaken. It took me a long time to get to sleep that night. 804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ztxWhRt6H
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