Today, before God and before man, Peter and I were joined in marriage. Nothing could have diminished the joy of this occasion except for the news that came in a whisper from Juliana, Peter’s sister, who served as my bridesmaid.Because communication had been cut off since the Communists took over Saigon, I had no means of speaking or corresponding with any of my classmates or teachers who might still be there.Footage of a big rally celebrating the new administration has been playing on all the television sets in department-store windows. We learned that Saigon would be renamed Ho Chi Minh City. But to me and all the other refugees here in the States, it will always be Saigon.I determined not to let the news ruin our special day. In fact, I didn’t even mention this to Peter until the wedding was over. We spent our wedding night at the Mayflower Hotel in Manhattan, but because of our limited budget, we will not be having a honeymoon.I do not mind it as much as a girl who grew up in America might.
