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.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuJ7qOVJHu
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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.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCJgv3f6rv
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrfFfAWj0pt
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomQvPSPIlo
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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. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEb0r1PVvC6
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41Iis52DnE
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHIGhOc0dY
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9ZDHyHG0H
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPHzICdPPI
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SbXYW8w0B
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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.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHpsi1s5Ug
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEcBKTNrbq
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdnC60DOIF
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlWXdGgltv
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“Like we did?”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClU9RsKiV7
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEGRLYHond
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQwEtE6p1r
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLfVyh1CiN
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqBx58Pjqe
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAwVmXHrMR
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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.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Ok1cEtqao
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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?718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4sDYariRR
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVESJED8Lna
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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.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3htR0rxhP4
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“A very long way,” I said. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvIqN1l6CB
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztvKJux7OQ
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“We were farmers?”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfEulbq24Y
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpb5cEyI9k
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“Why did mama cry?” 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCgvd7ytBM
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECOekIlWc3
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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.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhlexS0QhP
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn22yOGAfli
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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.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXUBfxh8AN
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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?”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSqWuSRO8a
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVfSWvDlrg
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMHoXjj42k
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYA1SNr15t
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOJ7EzMEdb
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs10j76AF3Q
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkW3VqiGkJb
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡir11eipySf
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“Innish?” I inquired.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfg9mDOFSFP
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03ozJbUE4q
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwi2jfV6qK
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9k5fliFIa
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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?718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qTlG5krfQ
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76O2notb6G
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNB47AqInwd
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkB9leH9Wm
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh02NWSLTN1
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“Were you happy?”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCg5E6TaLX3
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He got quiet.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCdBNZ7iLA
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“Well?” I said.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEM6KuWoN6g
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncql9addpj
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“I ran away?” 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRXvnZkYgK
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1P29Xnd3e
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDY5bLH2Ch5
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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.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzBXcoC9Vl
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7y3Fud70LL
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwoArCI7vh
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjQ8IWuJZf
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiENtKR8AM
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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?”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywTjgmB68R
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPq94lxgn3c
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xqOFKzVu8
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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. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPkgHB0nxQ
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEa4zVWbuOX
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG2aOn0TSdM
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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. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotDtbdcvKt
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7z8r4T7DB
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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.”718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpq3lzDkG9
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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. 718Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW97pJG3Zx7
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