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.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQ5GMOncgj
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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.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ084pCNwOrp
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlsesLHWiN
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPX8gTmdHtD
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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. 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jHnEmAs6v
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZFlSUO3FZ
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL32rdqwA61
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoq5Jy3J8Zz
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyufednry5
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHn6VdeeyWo
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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.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSTYpL49UC
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPY0s1Zr7Fl
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVRAGo3baI
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6r2wo8g308
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“Like we did?”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaqSCARi9F
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡug6FiaO77I
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FIDNbn5Pk
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1f8J3FdHK
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVccI8y2T1
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qzqCqtHkB
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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.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtP2F2NzSsL
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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?801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkopkIuJLLP
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZdKoMEiax
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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.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi04sROvHcf
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“A very long way,” I said. 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbGAXJZpOB
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8h2Efpbhwh
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“We were farmers?”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcdndjYdqG
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9Lv3IK93v
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“Why did mama cry?” 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23AC7TOsaq
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgQ8PT3ORi
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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.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ombEIyC8I
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznXASQTvxh
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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.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aFAiXW0yy
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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?”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQPxONoeW8
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUJNksmQeK
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdWvT5NsfT
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmf2IT1Lpd
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPh3jlxm57d
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQwZWvidHU
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5Cs0PAHW3
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfG2wpI89lh
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“Innish?” I inquired.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrSIDJyVdW4
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hgVhrZtFV
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuFdMd3uEs
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5yV0YUWCQ
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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?801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrW4XFB1BzN
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKf3fccqn9
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmWsRbLefz
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXLoEq3CTv
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6vTEUoQ2f
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“Were you happy?”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZR9wq7DO3c
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He got quiet.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡguGaK23R6L
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“Well?” I said.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHChkcxwlxW
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdkMfmdaLZ
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“I ran away?” 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt491V91Odl
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPko1rU8j7
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHkQ6bRuOb
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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.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlb3XCO2hi6
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXxITmM6QG
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqufN2jOWe
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ40Xr5mJdTT
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxaiUlDuHv5
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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?”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5gje1pjQPg
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmb2j3DiOtr
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57jAG6YHy4
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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. 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfw2Gy7GXWh
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbDTXNDwul
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHSHSV7s2C
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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. 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZ4dMqGk1I
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWWdOJmQf0
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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.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzltxR1Z9PU
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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. 801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMWYcuatFd
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