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.887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSrHYOiAaJ
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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.887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbRs46kveo
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn62wLO3rkL
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbnFGvMc8m
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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. 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWfJU9TUMY
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuomfhx9ni3
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaACrA8O5gr
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCGjHRHPPm
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4Cde1Ncga
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3hh1Ymtmw
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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.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkTq6QzEHE
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgDzLfxHE3
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXellXqAO6q
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooJle39UQR
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“Like we did?”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7eOBtlv9S
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE06mBuVdDy
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EvdWkylf5
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YWyfvQOdZ
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQYVQ54pWd
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRdX383fpH
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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.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNxyiqDkn1
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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?887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhJQxY1wZZ
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz080Ba3sjX
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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.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZ2wDkUN98
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“A very long way,” I said. 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAO1d5IdGqV
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmV68KoY0u
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“We were farmers?”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamq3cFqYD4
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsYxNUdUEM
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“Why did mama cry?” 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkARWhkQNI
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMoKCsrlyH4
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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.887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkGV25vmnH
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2ro7PsMTA
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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.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrtR5ZtAOR
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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?”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqhX3O54mC
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwUtAAYTnE
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiDHe6uHXd
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUI8scAfGIc
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPufDEGWojI
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8y2lgy4983
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5npPNhj9gL
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZU1vLlDhG
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“Innish?” I inquired.887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50a3fBp4Jz
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFKx0INSNK
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfrBGcFSQs
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZxKJGEE1S
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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?887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUEv0rpI03
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6D9ShERQTM
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkmy3w5nXw
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5O8byDmkD
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmlqIUh6q3
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“Were you happy?”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyvSparM1i
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He got quiet.887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHs9KdPaXh7
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“Well?” I said.887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkxeOekqxl
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PgjUZaLn7
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“I ran away?” 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjaKWH0W7t
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCpdmZRym0
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7eb22hG3F
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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.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfS9IfWypvY
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEJwUyxbMV
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzw1GK3UHK
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUmgN30zzW
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnmkQxgWpn
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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?”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zU7jVep7X
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwy7yw062V
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4YiGTb9kw
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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. 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCGW62JA0t
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQLr4E28Rx
887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWaab1RKLj7
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcY0Jz6AYP
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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. 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdGlIIy6Vg
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHH475spU9Q
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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.”887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONNIZGvGwz
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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. 887Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxcZNA4GCd
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and then Add to home screen.