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.843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrqjBsFlep
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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.843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRtmdjjjm5
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCKrMpCMvU
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTvr6TQvI4
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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. 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rRcm1eXFy
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVDFbQp7nC
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9nCt6PuZw
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwkmv3WzKIV
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyO5mdTy4I9
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmM9vlmgkp
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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.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXufXhwgn1
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkgEnGjyV2
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzb7aqdc7xO
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76BU0EDqsx
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“Like we did?”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdZ4EBxhkq
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXtG5DHD99
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4UwgPWeaJ
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6MBrM6XxP
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dI8e1cOup
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHNjtU9agN
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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.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPMHpOJhbT
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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?843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcR6YNga2P0
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBMZSbwwbW
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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.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93l7F1PnkO
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“A very long way,” I said. 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpigtfcs0NA
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXtmLVKhn3
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“We were farmers?”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcwKwxSYmA
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2yQI38FzB
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“Why did mama cry?” 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOHxlKBuMR
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNq852C6Lb
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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.843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGENaSOigs
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvKQ8Bd2xB
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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.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxbYO54ghm
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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?”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWIu3fYjzk
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxxwBbENvU
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTahMuWGfKs
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgYO6e1R8g
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PMGJF9PsQ
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8nY0HPMFE
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBC4mpiwi8
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqM8FgJbtYs
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“Innish?” I inquired.843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAWY08K2aA
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmQg9in0uJ
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRHzkIjyM5
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6oEjHYpCvO
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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?843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRLE2Urglh
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1nkSwaNF7
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEP5pMCeEO
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTuQ0DYmbh
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Ef6ljevwu
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“Were you happy?”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4Q4gvIaRg
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He got quiet.843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGt0dlTSy7
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“Well?” I said.843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uJIfJE5xR
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTubcqmx3uw
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“I ran away?” 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKs1dLBDCEn
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SRvMD0OJX
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdV7wQYyty
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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.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUwXTyrwYPh
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjs7ATLmxl
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZExOrQT6J
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDfp8D4sdA
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdfmuSeE46
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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?”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oCrxNaNSq
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVvuQL9Pyb
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22aXkXs8Dl
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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. 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkX0cQEQwr
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHN3aiwZw7
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJ1wpOwFHf
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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. 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyxiFDagyn
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYxg87Ou3Z
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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.”843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFS7YtUsT1e
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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. 843Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrS6Cz2YbdT
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