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.906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9bivMHuAT
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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.906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwB9Cu45RSA
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL81IXlaG7v
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwp8W97gTxs
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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. 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tlceb3LzN
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFLS4gHhHm
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsE2p4jofC
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uAeRrjjFf
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2vpvN7Jjx
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluKEq1BWLJ
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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.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcT0BNKmTgH
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63jPndvH0W
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8GHwD3UAi
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg13qcssnvI
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“Like we did?”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1we3SkZnit
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqGPvXHs3R
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdJIjAEW5d
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGctekleld
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLroXhnOS24
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUXryccMC5
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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.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQW6ETeHFhu
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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?906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuqg8gDYUA
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPslzWK8ok
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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.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXshCCmXSYl
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“A very long way,” I said. 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYhrPVA3HL
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHQmM72vOE
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“We were farmers?”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzfOdCq3zb
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8QA1k8VOn
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“Why did mama cry?” 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTl117M6sUW
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFxQuPLks4
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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.906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0xQNbqHxr
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4Z055Im6L
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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.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vEw8MRTmc
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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?”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXiXIMdaUNJ
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqu9GQnTTlB
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSt1aGfAxH
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMinVhSt3no
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5Z21JtOQJ
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWUytFB2fn
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESjU8CS8MN
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTkDVdZUpr
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“Innish?” I inquired.906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHQUQkApa7
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SWK0KMK5C
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Rp9cRyeR9
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SWfQYrSWX
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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?906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZSQ03mIH0
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuhLi2ehS2
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZbFyFwIsx
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkI4stTb7sT
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyCpg27a7q
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“Were you happy?”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7H0aalhYF
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He got quiet.906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwW2DFu1LK
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“Well?” I said.906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizNbJgj1ZD
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFInFLgOICV
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“I ran away?” 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mUh88xUHf
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YzgBSmdbS
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMpxYkScrV
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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.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMoBk3ch5Pl
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jkhCKulLb
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrIask0Zse
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvuwW4Z97F
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXe0USCfUL
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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?”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNIQEFt0Se
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DMCxEFiux
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKuTRWbKuJ
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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. 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVC5kEMfwoY
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFcTc8u4xnT
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCWQ5tgGiN
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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. 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNS4DqG1td
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmRGA85L6C
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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.”906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWnoId7L1O
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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. 906Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmFTrTHGQa
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