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.950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90yc1iYXQK
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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.950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCDNXOjk49
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRg7aoJeov
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViXSpiVAMK
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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. 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtc6ugIJ31
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRZpKonoAS
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjb8MwyinAW
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZfJ2EqAa9
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyU8Jzv3mDk
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pQUIEl1Wt
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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.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMmQSpxzkO
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzLFy8GFhI
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDZzy5KZrr
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgL7Sehkwm
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“Like we did?”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrETjy1Aof
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGHUCTWDbZ
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPF9f7cHJd
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7AZaVe6mY1
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡad5L8SQiNB
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ53PKyVS6u
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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.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK626Gkqw23
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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?950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMuXpN65vn
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YCuLyMm3C
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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.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnADScmw1w6
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“A very long way,” I said. 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGwqVRRArX
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMR2xrDxyGn
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“We were farmers?”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMeKWDxTUG
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYJMGGzSXk
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“Why did mama cry?” 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0JuL2E5Mw
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfm4b2RyBWR
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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.950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcpB77zBua
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpC1EeXyklN
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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.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMkAoMdW9D
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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?”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQoK6rieUw
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEMSAqbfwu
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpwRR2eDOh
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNN5n4VKLf
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDzgXVS0Nv
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfnFJ2jgSG
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XpRQ2FORc
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4cAR8nGza
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“Innish?” I inquired.950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57xQ6jdFmE
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQt988YZYWn
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqyhDk6UTHa
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCopHTBVfZw
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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?950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzrZerpKiX
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuewE91XDE
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdbgfABQFK
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqEgjthuCx
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTBjGGgqbJ
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“Were you happy?”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJPtqbUN2y
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He got quiet.950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVmYrR8kcv
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“Well?” I said.950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAayowjGCNx
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcd3XDtJ4lk
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“I ran away?” 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GhkMOlRAY
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzqCWoGQkQ
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzDVw9erGO
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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.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquLNeOOO5B
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOxm2gzA3h
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03FIcWAypI
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lwWQFwAoc
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9DxgBWYQu
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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?”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsg2e85I19E
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6OxrT0qaB
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHjb6EA1pj
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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. 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzkYMhxjGt
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0xT8oX8R0
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxCem2l9LU
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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. 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUcTHXeVzH
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0FWdpmj5b
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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.”950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFki2lHowCN
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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. 950Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGJYMOqFxs
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