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.818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVX5Zqj5oGx
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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.818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3z0r4GttIO
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0WPxlWhWo
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlVU5rwSsy
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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. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIJlIADhmk
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtTw1TtlZN
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrENShfBhp
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNAm74L8v3
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvT9bDX56I
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0lt9i5rbS
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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.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhT0CIkdn0b
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mXTG7wTX5
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4O7PRK64vd
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK73tf4BVnn
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“Like we did?”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwl79BmHGWS
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCQ7xP0lgv
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Ybtmu1qzO
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgx3Ahyzfr0
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAilieMFvv
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtH6zizC0Yh
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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.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnq5btsGosF
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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?818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqj2YRhDRpf
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluNYwx5QQB
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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.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7alPKROCO
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“A very long way,” I said. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWhxtY3k4b
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXB2IrJJmie
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“We were farmers?”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZvxWCmGvS
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymhD83Q4Ym
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“Why did mama cry?” 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSP4L8kOTu
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gUT68QDa0
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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.818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqbqHK6mw0
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKOxtETLqS
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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.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteXrNJgpXZ
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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?”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL01e5eW7Tr
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiRHE9V6OG
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeZYBH5UPb
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJKv5M2X1v
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUqdvb1vJC
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7hX46ehqX
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinSpaW2iK3
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4ltCcHf3q
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“Innish?” I inquired.818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZdm8Ht16W
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdGMZitbHF
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDivbcEjRH
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQ2PlXmkJI
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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?818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXH2YUABfj
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0k5ESH7tQf
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQfpyplkuj
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZWVb9p8lD
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVEZrc5uqsg
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“Were you happy?”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVzuQCadUo
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He got quiet.818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tc7RLgQcS
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“Well?” I said.818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdwwnddKsQ
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnTpGFtf6V
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“I ran away?” 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEIQ4DD7bI
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4He4bSHyP
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Z5xoAIH7p
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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.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8ZqEOsrrK
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwGYGfYxm0
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjMXACPoAh
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkmOL8iMT3
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHw61l8pI1
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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?”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjerkHRNiSI
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFJ4DnjV6u
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz82tVv3YfF
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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. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgapDbmrpAe
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2C1Wn5Flt
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4rOTNk0hq
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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. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxS6seGNZQU
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0Gyxrjiei
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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.”818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLj9mcQvQB
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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. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXcGG3K6eU
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