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.755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIbwF76Wmr
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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.755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBA7wfnHuQr
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDt4WLoVokq
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1X7ypFJwq
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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. 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6oI3LvUzop
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjB3mkgcDs
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTZeYC8JIJ
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNbSx0n1iz
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMncARzUv5x
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qohvlHwCz
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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.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2SHNC9j0h
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAPrwE9atE
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYaDk8oq5d
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CSKLNN6ip
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“Like we did?”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBbQttlUXc
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDAzAnT5YH
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6K3A8PIfr
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKzUnXyt8K
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlernYbbDv
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKTmAglKZ0
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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.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1Bo91raPt
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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?755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpmqUPzDa3
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcDFoVM0l5
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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.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXl8cS65dCm
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“A very long way,” I said. 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJofSNjE1i
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWgTyGvcsJ
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“We were farmers?”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlB8bnmZE9
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPwZyPzvMj
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“Why did mama cry?” 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDs9pJIXIIK
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFoRXQI8da
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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.755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFygF9D6HR3
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6G6U4xTZb
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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.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYpFDSiEu1B
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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?”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpkeSgjrkB
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEfnhPhVJXI
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsAn6LDoL4
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWIfIlduyx
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3r1NVSp2YS
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7kvNxBfyp
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnNZC1NZIK
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAooagtBZmi
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“Innish?” I inquired.755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAcyCAWXRg
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddYq1UONRV
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeItOqYOFCV
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NruH57AoC
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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?755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddaNpKUJ3y
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbCC2K53jz
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7hgeVneGM
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQxy0TTHzN
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKtZO40XCP
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“Were you happy?”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KTaoSR9X4
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He got quiet.755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpOw9aS3p8
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“Well?” I said.755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxwwgKEaza
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFcFotZlAHL
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“I ran away?” 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUo3bv57zSM
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9RdX1dZpe
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuRmTwHqWr
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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.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4umhaX7aD
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9cxKeZaUV
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9WKJj2rYq
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBrBoKADT6
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9i3intUQ3
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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?”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzdV3bShaW
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDvYS1W2xw
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPJf5SC2WH
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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. 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3zhNfIVmr
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbwGepC0XU
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEXmeqf2Uv
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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. 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjK1LFCd0vZ
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUEw4eEFCt
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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.”755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzmygJmBzw
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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. 755Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskRqpzfPEJ
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