Stories of Halloween - I Was Your Daddy Once

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.1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyOpua615O

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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.1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xmByOVYUQ

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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICKft59cAU

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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91e2zizO5h

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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. 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JuvbHwJXg

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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1eYZGyis7T

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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN44HEB8QwN

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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhWGwfCiLz

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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVckF7EwFke

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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdCF9Rrrk1

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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.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGndeiMnYjl

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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDLarfwgo2

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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzFRlVpnyb

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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYP4hh82trT

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“Like we did?”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksxtGzKVaf

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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VR9mJNqbY

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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzzZRsME9e

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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWYKvERmf8

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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPqlQANiW4

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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3B0JxpXBSg

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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.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLhb21xo7Q

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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?1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWW4Iwbzzli

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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCR6M7fYl8

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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.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpBqedqrmk

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“A very long way,” I said. 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUPsN5zL9o

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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQEpgWq75Y

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“We were farmers?”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnaTwkRwPLB

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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMstJ9ADWq

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“Why did mama cry?” 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSJ8C4ebXs

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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡij5zWrxg1H

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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.1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwD4uPaZdqP

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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsFQTxZVo8

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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.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ShnaT9hG2

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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?”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOXeWB4W2L

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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡestL9Z8HzG

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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VOPyT32IR

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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JAhkdmeiP

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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBZYckg1BB

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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGudB25o516

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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3QIeyolwj

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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyeTzNXqZA0

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“Innish?” I inquired.1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLUwRHDjuo

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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGoP55viJz

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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡby5suGnQc6

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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFCu1ruqRm

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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?1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvKTy5MfYy

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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXr6Y5cZ1qu

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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0F7GupWuEQ

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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyIzvOqlOco

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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5WEgGbDFOm

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“Were you happy?”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IZdZMlYOp

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He got quiet.1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgJ7ounNuw

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“Well?” I said.1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBGOVdD2uk

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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRIxFuTbEa0

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“I ran away?” 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zj3Qk0nuY

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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRo2N5zJ3b

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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDzWVvlDhm

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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.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3VizCewRZ

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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobtsSXQ6rS

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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJ87SKXtVB

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“He tried to whack you?” I said.1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2E81lxwlw

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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeDuGjCqE0

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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?”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCJVQJepJs

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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEC4mf3x7Ku

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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBTSsLnYB2

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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. 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUM3N9CCb2

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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YCXo38I8A

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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlu0DtFkJrO

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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. 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1suBMlSMB

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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsydQhg5sE

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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.”1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GC1smF2Rs

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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. 1194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvdzoMY7NO

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