The Gold Mountain Coat

In her short story, "The Gold Mountain Coat", Judy Fong-Bates explores the tensions of immigrant life in Canada in the 1950's.  The small town where the narrator was raised had the Chinese restaurant, which was the only one in the town.   Sam Sing, who was the proprietor, and his two children was running it.  He looked stern, daunting, and very stingy.  Although his two children, Ken and John, were kind, and close to the narrator's family, Sam Sing never wanted to have relationship with them.  What the narrator remember most about Ken and John was the story about a single coat they shared.  Although the narrator didn't expect it, John got married and asked the narrator would teach English to John's children.  Sam Sing allowed his sons to close the restaurant for a half-day; it was really rare because the restaurant had never closed for 5 years.  But they realized that they absolutely needed the other coat in a hurry.  They decided to have a negotiation with Sam on a night that they would share a whisky.  Afterwards, they decided that they were going to do on Friday.  That Friday, John claimed that they need a new coat in order to go to the airport.  When Sam's face was about to harden,  Ken blurted out that it was necessary for John's son.  San smiled, and said "Very good".  The brothers felt at ease.