For Ten Years I Raised My Son Without a Father—The Entire Village Mocked Me, Until One Day …..
The Beginning of Everything I was just twenty-two when I met Thanh. He came to our village from the city, staying with his aunt for the summer. Everything about him seemed impossible—clean clothes that smelled of detergent, a watch that actually worked, a confidence that made my heart flutter. We met at the market, where I sold vegetables from our garden. He bought cucumbers he didn’t need, just to talk to me. And I, naive and hopeful, fell for him instantly. For three magical months, we were inseparable. He taught