Summary

In Part I, Patricia Kelly writes a letter to her late friend Charlene’s daughter Rainey about the past.

When Patricia married Peter in the sixties, she grew accustomed to cocktail and garden parties. She was used to dressing up and presenting herself. She, Peter, and their friends held the same parties when they relocated to Saigon. As an engineer, Peter was stationed there during the Vietnam War. Patricia did not question their new life as she was “a helpmeet to [Peter]” (5).

Patricia met Rainey and her parents, Charlene and Kent, at a party during her “first month in Saigon, (4). Because Patricia was shy, she got along with Rainey. They particularly connected over Rainey’s Barbie doll. Their interaction convinced Patricia she “would be a marvelous mother” (8). She and Peter planned to start a family soon. Then Charlene handed Patricia her...