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.874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKuXHAL0z6Z
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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.874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwvPGjmiD5
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“I'm glad you're my daddy, too,” he replied.874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6C3YDA9A3X
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I leaned in and snuggled him against me, “Alright,” I said, “It's hug time and then sleepy time.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQ1kbgyTEC
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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. 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wgG7iS33n
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Raising my eyebrow I said, “No, silly boy. I've always been your daddy.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFa6FsfbeGi
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“Nuh uh,” he quickly responded. “I used to be your daddy and you used to be my daughter.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZnSP5Buz4
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“What are you talking about, crazy butt?” I asked him.874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbm13zyoOue
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“Back when we lived in Minnesota,” he said. 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwR9t8ECMO
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“Minnesota?” I said. “We've always lived right here.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPgX7K2Pn7
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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.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvYY9UcVOm
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“Have you been learning about immigrants at school?” I asked him with half a smile on my face.874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFf1cfAGero
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A puzzled look swept across his face. “What's an injagrent?” he asked. 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBI89VZ8Zi
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“An immigrant,” I answered. “A person who came here from another country.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0lFk2pbRL
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“Like we did?”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhy8WCymSiD
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“Not like we did. We have always lived here.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiCItxscek
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“Daaaaaaad,” Jace responded, “I tolded you! We used to live in Minnesota!”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYlGfCJ71b
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“You're telling stories, sir,” I said to him and gave him a quick tickle. 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡza8oyV4u1S
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He laughed. “No I'm not!” he said. 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt75cjigtPs
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“Well if we came over on a ship,” I said, “then how did we get to Minnesota?”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZs7YXNRNN
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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.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeX71duL9uN
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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?874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5uxd6jkBs
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“How did we get to Minnisota?” I asked him.874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjmaegjlSg
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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.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNVjiHrNPx
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“A very long way,” I said. 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhjS5PKZa7
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“But we gotted there after a while,” he said. “And then we made a farm.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEmj8iGBN4
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“We were farmers?”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGA6zBphdCD
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“Yeah, but it wasn't easy. Mama cried a lot.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcppZGEQsj
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“Why did mama cry?” 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgcGXPqrYq
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“Cuz she missed the homeland and her little sister.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4k8ZrTuDVZ
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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.874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvsobUHg9h
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“Well,” I asked, “were we good farmers?”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrIU24RpVf
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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.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XNRYM6kxD
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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?”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRS8SimQZO
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“The red headed boy from the farm next door,” he answered without pause. 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RxJRZ49WX
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“Was he a nice boy?” I asked. 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFA5744pt0
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“No,” he replied. “He took you away from your chores and you wanted to spend all your time with him.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhg2PgJcfp0
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“Was he a boyfriend?” I questioned.874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrTDSLxtgK
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“No. I told you no daughter of mine is going to be married to a spud eater,” he said. 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSpqCUdGBV
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“A spud eater?” I asked. “What's that?”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YcAXNLBpW
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“I can't remember,” he said. “It was cuz he was innish I think.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFDvjNP6GR
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“Innish?” I inquired.874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLdldvqwBO
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“Yeah, innish,” he answered. “His family comed over on a boat, too.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3n1oUdtof
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“Irish?” I asked. “Do you mean he was Irish?”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡieXvHMSTyt
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“Yes,” he said sleepily. “Irish. That was it.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmqXFADn2r
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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?874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHI6blE70R0
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“You didn't like him because he was Irish?”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKrmRymMU3
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“Yeah,” he responded immediately. “I told him to stay away, but you kept sneaking out to see him.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTAGFGuuJxI
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“Did mama care that I was visiting the Irish boy?”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwI44sRGxbM
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“No. She said he made you happy, so we should be happy, too.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpYK40Do8F
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“Were you happy?”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinWXBGb0Nm
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He got quiet.874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yl0d8iu4X
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“Well?” I said.874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIWVH4uI5J
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“No,” he answered. “I told you you couldn't visit him no more and you runned away with him.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWKOn64TTM
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“I ran away?” 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNswzGu8tW8
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“Yeah. But you didn't get very far.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2RHaep79W7
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“I didn't?” I asked. “Did you bring me home to be with you and mama?”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTENhQiRHE
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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.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAEGk2e7Xx
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“Was he very happy about that?” I asked; not really wanting to know the answer. 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3icKHsdxxu
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“He weren't happy at all,” Jace responded. “He tried to whack me.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyceaA6nHFh
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“He tried to whack you?” I said.874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQKOLNpwFd
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“Yeah,” Jace replied, “But I whopped him with a wood chopper and he falled down.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0M7POl8pKU
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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?”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXsxAyhkHg
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“I whopped him with one,” he said. “He didn't try to whack me no more.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TYXy2As6u
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“So what did I do?” I cautiously asked him.874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf50N5RneKE
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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. 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2NwneealA
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“What?” I said as other words escaped me. 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHF8nqb2KZ
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“I whopped you, too,” he said. “And I digged a hole in the ground and put you two in it.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3BcDNmfO0
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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. 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTwhZi4CD4
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“What did mama say?” I whispered. 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡau0norLxiV
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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.”874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXc0wMIAWy4
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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. 874Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIXcVXMHqA
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