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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYQmymTHCU
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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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICQWJfmJKi
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ92CKFDfcc
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpacDiK6F2
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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. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDJHd0Vd2o
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFGnFHVmIE
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlI6H9KTWcC
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinnx8sqanP
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvq2HjazD5
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizSY5RVkbv
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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.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQpmCBwYGt
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35ktlvNhiP
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVmVUJ7n9t
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNClySPgl7
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“Like we did?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5s83KcHVQa
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmaeNc9eamh
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUHVlZTMtt
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqcuRepU3Y
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0PLpsKI5u
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzuBeSvGEO
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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.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELgA0ktoqx
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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?780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6sBfthzWB
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAw6atffRR0
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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.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOE4OTSe3L
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“A very long way,” I said. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyjbeTYZjq
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQv3853Qrr
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“We were farmers?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZIXKxGp3y
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdFbPM6Mz9
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“Why did mama cry?” 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF7vzCwVNKZ
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4l6wYryZVj
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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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVwTu5JQ7g
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1k7ln5iRPx
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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.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSb9OsFrS1
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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?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPq7CvmlMtR
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrzAULoXoV
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0C4svfYieD
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGLvKKdhpj
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNV0s6zXNBa
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuwtk7xevj
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIyYLsdkJw1
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeiUAUVdap0
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“Innish?” I inquired.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFb7Wh2zbw
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCCxP9ISCB
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLK41wxYkO
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlneEktfD9
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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?780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZ0nNa2fks
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrm0wgOb3p
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRBbs6ZxFj
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsxwCXUxYJ
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpoKMOYtscs
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“Were you happy?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtK0vcCExx
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He got quiet.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnsgnpNRHb
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“Well?” I said.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYgZC8ABVW
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eQpjz3ztv
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“I ran away?” 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqrPcEaoWD
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ZEDAZgETW
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HY6sQ39VP
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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.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ135I7msqrR
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubKrKos9S9
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDmm7GRUCd
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFEnCubkVK
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC27lFTMcsr
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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?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUplZnkLZj
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Ln771VxFr
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUmthgR0Ei
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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. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDEdcKRMs2
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AFQ7lp9uB
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnsGY6CeNS
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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. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQGhuQXgAA
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrt9XgqNDd
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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.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvTHlIDD9w
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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. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9MCbmMbwl
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