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.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfQZIRzEdR
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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.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBamLKxeJx
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHhzEGIb4W
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9c1IcDjRs
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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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJf6dTbQej
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNY9QQc9dQY
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTvwEl0COV
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23DsQFm17f
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIxKR3qBiv
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5G7PfkWCRx
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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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssBoU00GD4
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDc2fFvIqjy
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1xOM5PFTx
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4fzBh9270
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“Like we did?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysPcpxlrAl
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xpQCGesIF
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAKMe1TGEh5
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ147kOPfh48
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiWfMo1vwf
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEyL609NQL
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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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGe53bvm4IO
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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?890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7tUXuUkX7
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7VgfrgENOC
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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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsOXRfx8h8
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“A very long way,” I said. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUDZMl2RpR
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡog9HkLUVOr
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“We were farmers?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEQZBhvPVH
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9zbG6K7ZL
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“Why did mama cry?” 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk3KR7qoB0w
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCab1uCJJrX
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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.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcq5OPf5HIy
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGg1n2Qx6d
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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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7cz7qdrLYQ
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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?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4qqCuDbNO
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkyyVWh5aJ
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwyzqg5VNoc
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡceYpoPVCWD
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYj3nvUN4re
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡou28Xuh7Q7
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItVcopyW3c
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqk1ggseyC
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“Innish?” I inquired.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbBCLudgxQ
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KHXn10YBm
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJKKSjrAHr
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5D3g7zfQQl
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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?890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmGjoA7SU8
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXlgQ9DaNo
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzIJtHGwUJd
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRY2z3RUFkg
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmbTRTY8xw
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“Were you happy?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrN1Nke8ii
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He got quiet.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlB98rAihzd
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“Well?” I said.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlr0zGO5LPY
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLUNMO4WJQ
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“I ran away?” 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJRycBQu7G
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDFvo7FFle
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKhVSZ3Zyt
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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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRXfHkwtw1
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7P9Hl5bGX
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfT4mjPzcsA
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdsVWGlIUl
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnq17huJgT9
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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?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZ8SK4qucp
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZa8rKGIovO
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Wwxcu6ikI
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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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQx6dzEJluO
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWC4y7LL5Km
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gyHW5vj0p
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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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFyfgOJJYD
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4WQBCq4f8A
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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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiucdP5KEBa
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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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKE77Akr74g
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