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.844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxRMcXFVn2
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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.844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6g9CtR49s
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulsp5x9O9F
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPDxCvgvio
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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. 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztFOHofCgd
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaj2ChELum
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7N2NqOdi7
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZL3TrbpcC
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDTCxEmb2L
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTjPSIbnMx
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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.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3uOTcBXoTq
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmjsUf62pz
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡls6DAjE15W
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrFo2DHxPD
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“Like we did?”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUQ8DXB8WC
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxQJbJjP9j
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bOUQXc5i7
844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwjt96jwqk
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sz97LXmJc
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ozQk7ipiI
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fey8AHRoT
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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.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ989c0fK12U
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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?844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCCxacj3NT
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDOmqqED26
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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.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1KJRwRXJE
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“A very long way,” I said. 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmabbYoY7U
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsz9wzCv7X9
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“We were farmers?”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXHllhnaQy
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhS96zHOGc6
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“Why did mama cry?” 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIQbFA89Nv
844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fGgWrN5z3
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYXSl2MNUS
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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.844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCM0THTBY85
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2aYxDOCVq
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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.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmMKVm0dsY
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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?”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqA5gWAbEiQ
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioYIuPVK5B
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXVuPobOKW
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvicsaqxSO
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJc9Re92hG
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtZB7Qyd9P
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHVu6FUHq4
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qLlgeX7Og
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“Innish?” I inquired.844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLaaROef7k
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVFoNjKhnh
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1w6zTQB3J
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zuy2Op6c1
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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?844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofYJs2VOLp
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SvZIsKY5E
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBaeuSYTAA9
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohW0EzizeE
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNolJXXE9u
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“Were you happy?”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzI23nT4wh2
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He got quiet.844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBL5BaMaEB
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“Well?” I said.844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrRGJnDErQ
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcziVeTgQCc
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“I ran away?” 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUDtCLMwuO
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1t3nzla6kK
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3sffveYZP
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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.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfREIVZwsD6
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KCiN3vA1D
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLP0jCNKp2f
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0Sgva9hZK
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7VWsYEIafK
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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?”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNy6wfIi6vV
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSv6yMesWHO
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OHbghV62P
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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. 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXDEBKPzO3
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGmm0jlMph
844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfO4wzTOP7F
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqV1NyztO4t
844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGALAXWmUp5
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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. 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBBPkUPV6I
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuY729I10ax
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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.”844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkPkHS3Qh3
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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. 844Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIevAFQZ4m
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然後按「加至主畫面」