Quang Bao, "Mother"

Mother hires a maid and waits for Father to come home.

(from Ploughshares, Spring, 2005)

This story is told from the perspective of an American boy living on a military base during the last days of the Vietnam War. Beyond that, heck, I just don't know enough about the history to match the details in "Mother." Regardless, this is a neat, sharp little series of moments and anecdotes from what must have been a tumultuous and exciting period this boy's life. Good, short. I read it twice in a row to make sure I got it all and because it's that short.