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.909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8H6Hv6Gpw
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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.909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggpM8Tdybo
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2V3sOXje6
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZaHed0be4
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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. 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUklZDPRIU
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nju7qjxjU
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHukZ6gDPl
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JK7yqnjwW
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIL5HBi3Uni
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxrqu7datK
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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.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtq1Qgkudo
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuIn22fURO
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRRscwZztb
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8TlWXSEss
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“Like we did?”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkewuahIki9
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHCb1ku5Lc
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlC4PgadhG
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ767IQ1YXze
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnPCpAYCJe
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3JEZ8oHcL
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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.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SKclhYzAN
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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?909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMaaHTFmKh
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl50TEcj4FO
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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.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnGvHfqmKx
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“A very long way,” I said. 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9RDtmWJHAi
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddMHLrJhrB
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“We were farmers?”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkBxfsDGuC
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyoHJ56jcl
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“Why did mama cry?” 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWCAMGHiHZ
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZG8KDNJVMs
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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.909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PfUlslQu5
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZ80up0lQz
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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.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEuKfy4gq3
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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?”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrbNJP3QR6
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGsqyRAxbz
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZbAiS8lrU
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxVZDFanqr
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHLw0LSmjd
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHARj2I6AN4
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnu0pFIFBW
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNw1kcXDCP
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“Innish?” I inquired.909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblyb8oY3QT
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsydtlVSyW
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSTwQnUqZ4
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡas2LNMlJyr
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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?909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtjrykPhCG
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHU0urr0Sh
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMTxBYehPI
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wI5WUI5LX
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2PAKTVavZw
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“Were you happy?”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdN7FW0KVLo
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He got quiet.909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSie2UPxmbW
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“Well?” I said.909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4zvT5x4Ia
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF978LkbEZS
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“I ran away?” 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpoTDglp50m
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrn06DgVcAa
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxZeFZutVb
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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.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4Hsq7ULlQ
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IF8zrlA8F
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrrCBg1bpJ
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QbbHAoejz
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESWaKkSqXS
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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?”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkzaIebAwl
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdysdPZeNP
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOCTMDHnmW
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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. 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEolSdtuk9Y
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCOELFHUmg
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB100l7bTbT
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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. 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7XzR9a2Js
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW08oqW1JJl
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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.”909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPFDTn7K9x
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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. 909Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNtQ4z44bo
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