A Mother's Day Story

The story involves the death of a child.  The first.  From diarrhea-related complications, probably Typhoid. 

The story involves three more boys, born during a time of war.  It involves anxiety over those boys' survival.

The story involves a husband who one day decided to go live with a different woman.

The story involves grandparents who are well-connected to the government, the party in power.  They are more well off than the mother is, even though her in-laws treat her kindly.  The mother remains anxious about losing another child.  When the grandparents can take the two oldest boys in with them, the mother sees to it or agrees to it.  When the war is lost, the grandparents are no longer safe.  When it becomes possible for the grandparents to leave the country with the two boys, the mother acquiesces.  One boy will not forgive her for this for a long time.  The boys and grandparents leave for France.

The story involves a second husband, an army man, worse than the first.  He drinks and is violent.  The mother later tells a story of standing in the way of a beating meant for a two-year-old child. 
The story involves defiance.  Once, at a demand for food at an unreasonable hour, the mother uses her voice on the man.  She tells him he coerced his first wife into her grave.  She tells him she'll piss in his food.  She leaves with two daughters, returns to her mother's house, eeks out a living somehow.

The story involves communism.  When the second husband is taken to re-education camp, he sends a letter, asking the mother to come and join him.  He hints that she can be made to come.  The mother makes plans to escape, to flee the country. 

The story involves a great escape.  The remaining son and grandmother go "fishing" on the Mekong, transfer to another boat when no one is looking, cross to the other side, elude the patrols on the Mekong that try to prevent escapes with machine guns.

Two weeks later, at night, the mother and two daughters, four and two, run along river paths to get to the boat for an escape at night.  Another family with a baby is there.  The baby cries all night.  The boatman does not dare to try the crossing.  The process must be redone several nights later.  Again running paths along the river at night.  Again the boat.  This time the crossing is successful.

The story involves refugee camp:  powdered milk, ration lines, and "wiping butts with sticks."  The story involves waiting, sponsorship, Kentucky Fried Chicken, twenty-below weather. 

The story involves the mother learning a language and learning a trade--sewing.  The story involves her taking a trip to France to reconcile with the angry son.

The story involves time. 

This story involves courage.

This is a story about survival, adaptation, happy endings, grand children. 

This is a Mother's Day story.