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.917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMPIpPvCesK
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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.917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxA4Vj50w1
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW21C0n8Z7C
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gqusvrSh3
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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. 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNthc260B9j
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HLxHtOFNw
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRldfIRl5n
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe21k38GOOT
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYA67l23WLP
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqTPc3eZRN
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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.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoXm0tADcQ
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4W368zT0C
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAtY0PjFJz
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WrZOjqYnP
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“Like we did?”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1DhQgoPtz
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1MTmiqtq9
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhOwAHF2gV
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7TVNRgdIA
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcMFV5yNl3b
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyT3kbdX4L1
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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.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKckjOufP8Q
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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?917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDr3jOVIle
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVxLxiTVFe
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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.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfr70jBbQM
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“A very long way,” I said. 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgiRVnj7ZMr
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuKVY6DSpO
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“We were farmers?”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYllEpeDmm
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvimMBLzpt9
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“Why did mama cry?” 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkK6ljz70E
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHmxlVhN0J
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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.917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiL470KaZZa
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBXsnevLXz
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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.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZPii2GIYV
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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?”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKx28NtUsnn
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerviOKAsIM
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUC7CSMEGRv
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMj2U2OU0Gv
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ656869hnkT
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQo9yRD2s2y
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPokF9w0BsV
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbaPevDxG44
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“Innish?” I inquired.917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfdKgBIsjM
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJDD33Mgqd
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPEGbHGTJ38
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIc1V3FQ2Gn
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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?917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKD9EN6nuL
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZefH75Uho
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1joZR3gTqu
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpM4NC6JZG7
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJO0NXDU0Qj
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“Were you happy?”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpBhMWIOHh
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He got quiet.917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3MMLE1nO5
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“Well?” I said.917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcQBAAhiwv
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLdbWTYt11
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“I ran away?” 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99U7GrPlPr
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2ShtnBl4X
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYo4dOFkOM2
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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.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQJwa4NdkV
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUi2iDn1yp
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniywO33Wok
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuygCNz88wu
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHlfP8DmMK
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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?”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztf9rmk2yl
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYlQi3Yrp5
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADC9NgqIVC
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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. 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSe4Ne7JXmD
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQjxMngG9A
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBYufe9WAY
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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. 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEfZaiBHQa7
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFIgxujAy0
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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.”917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF0c8wSIBr9
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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. 917Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaH6EBtWZ3
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