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.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyS6ay6BU72
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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.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1HbOPY2qJ
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatPtMzt7mz
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XjPsrPskA
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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. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVqwDmtnp0
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXaYaFAqVU
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcv2YwXMsd
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSQsENT8Pe
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6ns3fuvR0
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyMOfHMMys
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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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7svxYpbSO
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcaE0q3elO
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBa4uRP5ZJ
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJqbIrZUCFv
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“Like we did?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4hR9ZeJgL
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLhotkYCNy
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrqLiZDl0D
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Jq5PGyyHG
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvml9AMtE5
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYCavdWf6M
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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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYUormTTVv
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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?840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTotKYnHe1
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSAMRVr9yy
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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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhd0HDm6WmS
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“A very long way,” I said. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6uQn1c12H8
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZ4Epr7xlK
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“We were farmers?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9a4Sivz5D
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zprpR303T
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“Why did mama cry?” 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0YmRVXmxRq
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVU1ClIwH6
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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.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMit9PrxEJP
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpii8yZdl3
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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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAXocm840w
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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?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfAPLJw8TO
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKj6fsG5vMs
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx17FOuJle0
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzByP8yK0g
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVV7H7xTWL9
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOEvvO9Bey
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tJjjz8POz
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvx3o8151Oi
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“Innish?” I inquired.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvLIOhboR7
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHusQV3VW6R
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWopDuIgAzG
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nxQsaYx2n
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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?840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9tBht3rd4u
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5xj9X1XOX
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNAU4WZX6K
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyaXM2m1Uuz
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzfmExEvG0
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“Were you happy?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡseGBhf1juP
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He got quiet.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuBmaaOxFn
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“Well?” I said.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvIpUciaVL
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBZIhseI0P
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“I ran away?” 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy477GqO6yU
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuTTwdtpaG
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQWD18xckH
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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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUnwFCjwLB
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFK9jUpNpNd
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcubLIfqyJ
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FK2QY0nUb
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77IyQzEB9P
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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?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfn4t6ICZzs
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxbEbbweEt
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5JFmxayaR
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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. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGD0qEiT3x2
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELx8vXVshl
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUZ6TE7jdV
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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. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIF1GN5L5UT
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAC6IMq6Kab
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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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcHK39S3yd
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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. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyr0jy669aZ
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