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.881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvIJjkCS1Z
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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.881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaV8bVV2RKK
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxzvZXNmcG
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjprar2QEU
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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. 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSNp9niogs
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOrutDY15A
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanfxLv5RQF
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAfYusYFL0
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3GSRJI1WF
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpdrrLADFs
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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.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnfC8yD1NV
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDMVftM9rY
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtvaJFsGML
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTzazj7srv
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“Like we did?”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0dq8wcNgg
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4A9kriVnzz
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRESCCWixP
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzneMB19ZvE
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwdcjwXuWu
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93tnxLhz6H
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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.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeY9aYJuBRK
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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?881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDF7wbB5ob
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwSNYEjnAI
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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.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCP3V5VUq3
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“A very long way,” I said. 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnKWOCOhtC
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxFUJLEh2T
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“We were farmers?”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlM9FDVMj4N
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntyT4PgaXD
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“Why did mama cry?” 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wZZjvlsFm
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnRaLoKoEP
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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.881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhFOUZLl7z
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzxphpwc0y
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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.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mLRsBxehm
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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?”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDYa6aHP5N
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UcQuqz1x4
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56fEs81tlM
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMFyHi4S9d
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vwIBXBvkL
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7xsfwSIQO
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFLd0qteGv
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgSbEg8BJf
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“Innish?” I inquired.881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFlrnsm2Bu
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziW6SqSjd5
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngWaMHf6HD
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bM324ml6L
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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?881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡId5IF79tWj
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7qyWPPgtF
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxQ1ykbjKq
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JnKxrpLtp
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfz9dD2rqep
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“Were you happy?”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUQIK1ipLf
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He got quiet.881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmBaXH926D
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“Well?” I said.881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7w31CupwXP
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KNL5yw3EE
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“I ran away?” 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ09AfH5pk4
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tFk0c2FhS
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwyU5Hsifn
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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.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SsQSS1xfS
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bZUytsvrM
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHumNmdYFJO
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMQp5IZZrS
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAACFw9BQRQ
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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?”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpzVn4ZGIl
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJzH0ZqOfW
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3yxg4YC3F2
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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. 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCT9ACNIfJ
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWt7tQxiGHM
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡma0UduYuuW
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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. 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4XvOyUfGV
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZR5Ag15wGW
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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.”881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOeKM45dfM3
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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. 881Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAPKMd6Jih
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