Mai made it through another month before Madame Thạc said she had to go. “You are showing now. You cannot work here anymore.”
“But what will I do?” Mai asked.
“Find another job. After you have the baby we will see.” Madame Thạc hesitated. “Before you started up with that soldier, you were one of our most popular girls. But now?” She waved her hand as if to shoo her away. “You go. Now.”
Mai wanted to lash out at her. After all the business she had brought in, all the drinks she made sure customers ordered, the least Madame Thạc could do was be nice to her. But she did want to come back after the baby was born, so she kept her mouth shut.
But what was she going to do? Where could she find a job? The only place where she’d worked, other than the Stardust, was the Saigon Café, and she’d left under less than ideal circumstances. On the other hand, she now spoke English quite well, and Cô Cúc would see that as a benefit. Tâm had worked there, and she was Tâm’s sister. If she was lucky, Cô Cúc might rehire her. So she swallowed her pride and went to the restaurant.
But Cô Cúc, behind the cash register, gave her a chilly reception. Cô Cúc took a look at Mai, focusing on her protruding belly, and raised her eyebrows. “Your sister is no longer here.”
“I know, Cô Cúc. I was hoping you might take me on as a waitress. My English is now very good.”
“Is that so?” Cô Cúc asked in English.
Mai nodded and answered in English. “I learned at my last job.”
“Where did you work?”
“At the Stardust Lounge. I was a hostess. Lots of U.S. soldiers are customers.”
Cô Cúc switched back to Vietnamese and motioned toward her baby bump. “Being a hostess is not all you were doing.”
“The baby’s father is my fiancé. From Chicago,” Mai lied. “He will be sending me a plane ticket soon.”
“The Stardust didn’t want you with that bump.”
“It is not good for business.” Mai nodded. She instantly regretted it. But it was too late.“What makes you think it is better for me? Why should I hire you? Your belly will get in the way of serving customers. And if what you say is true, you will leave in three or four months anyway. I am sorry.” She shook her head.
Mai wanted to say that her sister didn’t work very long at the restaurant either, and it wasn’t fair that Cô Cúc wouldn’t give her a second chance. But something told her not to. She suppressed her anger. “I understand. Thank you anyway.” She turned and headed to the door.
Cô Cúc’s voice called out from behind her. “Your sister is doing well.”
Mai spun around. “How do you know?”
“I heard a rumor she might be in Cu Chi. Driving a truck.” The woman shrugged. “Of course, it could be a lie. The Communists are quite secretive about their plans.” An area west of Saigon, Cu Chi was known for its tunnels, which were linked to the Đường Trường Sơn, the trail the North Vietnamese used to transport soldiers, weapons, and supplies for the Viet Cong.
Mai nodded and pushed through the door. She’d been debating whether to ask about Tâm and was glad for the information. Driving a truck was safer than serving on the battlefield. Curiously, Tâm was doing for the Viet Cong exactly what Sandy had done for their sworn enemy. She walked away from the restaurant, remembering their early days in Saigon. How Phong and his father had led them to the Binh Tay market. Mai stopped. The market.
Two hours later, Mai made her way home on the Vespa. She was hired by not just one but two merchants who ran stalls adjacent to each other. She would work part-time at each when they had other business to attend to or wanted a break. Together, her earnings would be higher than at the Saigon Café, but not nearly as much as at the Stardust. She hadn’t expected to earn that much, of course, but with this wage, combined with her savings, she could make it through the pregnancy. Plus, one of the stalls sold baby goods, and she and the owner had already negotiated a deal. When her time was closer, she could barter for everything she needed in return for extra hours. All in all, it was a good solution. She could hardly wait to tell Hạnh.
She raced back to the boardinghouse, hurried up the stairs, and burst into their room. “Hạnh, you will not believe my good fortune!”
Hạnh’s face flushed bright red. “Hello, Mai.”
Mai stopped short. Another young girl was sitting on Hạnh’s bed. She was very pretty, and it was clear that Mai had interrupted their conversation. “Oh, hello.” She nodded to the young girl. “I am Mai. Who are you?”
Hahn answered for her. “This is Tuyết. She is from the Highlands. She just arrived.”
Mai nodded.
“Well, Tuyết, I will see you at the Stardust tonight and will introduce you to Madame Thạc.” She stood up.
“Thank you so much, Hạnh. Karma put you on the path of my life,” the girl gushed.
Hạnh led Tuyết to their door. Was she in a hurry to get the girl out of their room? Mai sat heavily on her bed and waited for Hạnh. When the door closed, Mai said, “What was that about? Why did you cut her visit short?”
Hạnh didn’t answer for a moment. Then she cleared her throat, walked around the sheet that served as their room partition, and sat next to Mai. “I have been thinking a lot, Mai. Ever since you got pregnant—”
“Thinking about what?” Mai cut her off.
“Mai, you are like my sister, but we cannot live together after the baby comes.”
A sour taste came into Mai’s mouth. She tried to ignore it. “Why not? You’re very good with babies. You told me.”
Hạnh sighed. “Yes. That was one of the biggest reasons I left home. My mother worked in the fields. So I was in charge of my little brothers and sister from the time they were born. I did not want to do it. I wanted to go to school. But there was no one else—I am the number one daughter, as you know.”
“You can go to school. During the day.”
“Mai, I know what’s involved with a baby. I do not want to hear it cry in the middle of the night or the morning when I am trying to sleep. I do not want to feed and clean it. Or change its diaper. In fact, I do not think I will ever want children.”
“You won’t have to do anything, Hạnh. I’m the baby’s mother. I’ll do all the work.”
Hạnh chuckled nervously. “You say that now, but I know you, Mai. You’ll want help. But I promised myself I was finished with baby care. So you’ll need to move. That’s why Tuyết was here. She and I know each other from back home. We’re going to be roommates. I’m really sorry, Mai.”
“That’s why you wanted me to have an abortion, isn’t it? Because it would be more convenient for you.”
Hạnh kept her mouth shut.
“You say I’m like a sister.” Mai’s voice was sharp. “But even Tâm wouldn’t treat me like this. I no longer meet your needs, and so you cast me off like a piece of garbage.”
Hạnh looked miserable. “I’ll help you find another place to live. And someone to babysit when you go back to the Stardust.”
Mai shot off the bed and stomped to the door. “I don’t want your help. Ever again.” She slammed the door on the way out.
Mai tried to suppress her rage and despair at Hạnh’s betrayal, but it seeped into her bones. Mai had thought she had a lifelong friend; someone to trust, someone in whom to confide. But Hạnh was just as selfish as everyone else. Eager to destroy their friendship just because Mai was pregnant. And bring in another roommate when Mai was not there. That made her deceitful as well. Once again, another person in her life had hurt her. Mai began to wonder if she was at fault. Sandy. Tâm. Hạnh. Was there something so evil about her that the people she loved went out of their way to abandon her?
She blinked away hot tears as she climbed on the Vespa. For the first time, she missed her parents and her village. Back then life was simple. Safe. Predictable.
Until it wasn’t. She was cast adrift in a world at war, a world where people broke their promises and betrayed the people they professed to love. If that was the case, it was better not to love at all. She didn’t need anyone.