Who is Narrator, Jesse from The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories and what is their importance?

The narrator of Tall Tales from the Mekong Delta is a woman recovering from addiction. She has a young daughter, who she adores and protects; still, when she meets Lenny, she is tempted by his stories and seduced by his strange manners, at the same time as she sees how dangerous they are. Eventually, she chooses to stay home with her daughter, rather than escaping with him.