Under a Different Sun

After four years away in the army, Hank returns home to find his wife Sheila heavily pregnant and another man, John, living in his house wearing his clothes. His parents have taken John in as a son, and the baby is John's. When Sheila gives birth, the whole family gathers at the hospital, not worried about her safety but about whether Hank will show up and cause a scene. He never comes.

Instead, Hank is training under the scorching sun, preparing to deploy with his unit to Safrana on a peacekeeping mission in one month. Once he leaves, there is little chance he will ever come back. At home, his family celebrates the new baby, and his father warns him that if he cannot speak civilly, he is no longer welcome. John invites Hank to the baby's party, asking him to stand as the child's father.

Hank agrees, though the party falls on the same day he must return to his unit. As his family plans the baby's name and future without him, he showers alone, listening to their happy chatter through the door, and resolves to make the party one to remember.