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.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLd4dYWffm
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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.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMAIjwhnVw
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxsaQUcLOo
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡih8VzF4H49
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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. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZ6T1eZ8YQ
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5oyHKRHK0
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5BKXUmPxw
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO91brg3JbU
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMR0dtNBUj
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ND8cQoJRx
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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.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pJofInvAk
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFW1T5HQog
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpNFmtOdI9
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPF5lnQilSN
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“Like we did?”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteRZtWhY9V
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFKCYJq0vx
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzGoubfXGS
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRR6efxbYH
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRhOtDIl0R
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvcLKqAGn8
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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.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfAZP2bytO
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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?880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9GApf08NJ
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopomLJuPfH
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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.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lIc38Cfk4
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“A very long way,” I said. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfpqW2gfkK
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDsbewchJp
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“We were farmers?”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Hx4dH76QY
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXoLzhTskG
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“Why did mama cry?” 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpWwV3ePIU
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufjcbA4sNI
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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.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPK7tLHrAA
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1p0UhAFt8
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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.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16LFPffS48
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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?”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOwwRCI1qk
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOpfmpJQre
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkG9ArS78FY
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlwZMGcX6n
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXaiu2cCqb
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8nJFR7Wic
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMitfbIlScP
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlb5ciF1QR
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“Innish?” I inquired.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgJ7qIHNfx
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEe9zlVAEzj
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXtM579cRb
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYi5TfLR7Sm
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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?880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipiOM9zWPI
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NEXpj49wa
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmUAkhvqda
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRimE1urjNA
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsX1EMSOww
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“Were you happy?”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQL5LzGTduJ
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He got quiet.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCs8lNsZ7CZ
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“Well?” I said.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjACjeM4S3
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrD51aztlLH
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“I ran away?” 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqrgjITMx7
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyuaHVJEtd
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiupC5F1tu3
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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.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zNzC2gIzI
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgfeMLDFJg
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Qotw3yhvo
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcaVAfqc4l
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykVEiD3S5F
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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?”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GYGYN1VAm
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTWTWrtgxI
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡosP1oaokID
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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. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7iBpzjTcR
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLHu5UDgGA
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqYGWjbeXa
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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. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtBd5i8VmE
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxjmlYESsp
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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.”880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDj44c6YYq
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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. 880Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygXtsOuCAU
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