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.970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrs9eck5BF
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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.970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXNW6VZewu
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLekoYwSnGC
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOFFPwjakZ
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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. 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZ1qtA4mJn
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTr75lkfJ1n
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDplOy1xcwU
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPu54sCdWK
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQoMCujgkTt
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2IZYafnmO
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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.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6UojDs6x8
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCw4hdeURhJ
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDH53SPMQss
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8nCdOGlde
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“Like we did?”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstrSFaFOwN
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTSuKN8lDw
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwT4ISzl97
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFRg93v5k8
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgucxtIQs5y
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGe6AwC9V6z
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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.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqKKUI5CX9
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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?970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFHplbFsrk
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUCrieYyNW
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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.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC91yyPOzhC
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“A very long way,” I said. 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FlM69qWDv
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7iDw2LXoO
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“We were farmers?”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJXwRWit3F
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Q33sKGf5z
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“Why did mama cry?” 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡki88lPBjCB
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5RrJd7TpDv
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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.970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFgeCo4WmE
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYnByS3yHU
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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.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6xHtoCUdt
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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?”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2tiziItII
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvGcT0Etuc
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9OExo7adz
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSiTg8i21g
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SYNhtCwnP
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqzbtBxgqW
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8mqTgRSFD
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡurK9RVPM45
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“Innish?” I inquired.970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsoPVp2x4Nw
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0pceGRAba
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUbEP7fgro
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1C24buH7b
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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?970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwALCFxga2
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJrk0crQUN
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtvLpenrerB
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriTmvlMJdN
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9o4TGfvEkO
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“Were you happy?”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15Cd7zpXpE
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He got quiet.970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtiWc6Pdukt
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“Well?” I said.970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnRXp8hlPm
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrS4iqMUbN
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“I ran away?” 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvYL6gOPvA
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoQ6p5PkSw
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPgJWhKQ9r
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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.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZcNwVd5ot
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5IZh41FNq
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNx4M33xwA
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSruX22njXQ
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxhRnEQnSL
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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?”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoX4REFho7V
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKd9uBzfcw
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5cqvz7qMC
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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. 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPp6TERhZEH
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbAeVIrJhd
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkELJoktDK
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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. 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtHBITn1OK
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSG8RUhQa5
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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.”970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplm7OGKvYY
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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. 970Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJEI5snZnU
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