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.907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvGQon8QXA
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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.907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BO1254tQZ
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yuVUY8sFr
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDTU4ce9eD
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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. 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8IY2iTHnGj
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fhgwW0JuU
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4B02WatSn
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigCtG1LVwv
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3vmSjXAce
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGu1YQRkdK
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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.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7j4PY7WGEZ
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwRirlIPfS
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZ4IpdlQLk
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAKZfM2oqW
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“Like we did?”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpAJxpYcSF
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQys8GgnWk
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcrIDBF6nw
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivWb2Ooztk
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGAvs4Sol3
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5RaubRPy5z
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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.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChI0Uck1jK
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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?907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsrvuxmSK4
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNBevB54yF
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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.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqeId223uOr
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“A very long way,” I said. 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoX4xFwyCn
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqtQFMiUM6
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“We were farmers?”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrxEOJi2CN
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifduRSsASw
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“Why did mama cry?” 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0eMXChJWrJ
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIT89hhOkK
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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.907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgMjDpgo2v
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4cKpIPNG1
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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.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfvWX9I3tB
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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?”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEw5bZrKGJ
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeI9vrx7k6
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWQKpSbfZK
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnv1Z4DLeQj
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKENAYqFRV
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYeyWB2Fv9X
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1SW0YURLL
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7BhoXMZUz
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“Innish?” I inquired.907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGA4gLLCYd8
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGAFXfAWLb
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMaUMJMMufz
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuadKEm6vE1
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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?907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QnTpE5yOJ
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQw9RBwKKYe
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVFIfCmwtJ
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡroDar1wjRr
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJHjyQ5Ck4
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“Were you happy?”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4ejdG03N2
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He got quiet.907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2brqcFu7Xv
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“Well?” I said.907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUzL0HWv7X
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BLdtwZc7W
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“I ran away?” 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7PpFtWyzI
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZTzRFqk2bN
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxWc5JohC9
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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.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgj8PMc5jct
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22xktngPWi
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdbxIxDug8
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraTJf3Vpqd
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyseKnPmTNF
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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?”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnl84KHxO8S
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLx7OQ2hXec
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUQWnqnpAs
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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. 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gjVUyiWi1
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBMd3KBtWV
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoEaoz44l8
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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. 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pTlliFmAL
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFw53KoFhy
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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.”907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JlkW3aSPG
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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. 907Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlSrP8Qvl7
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