A Tale of Two Coats

Picture it: fall of 2007. My mom, an adoring grandmother to all of her grandchildren and the one who went with me to China, returns from vacation in Maine. Among the gifts she brought back was a bright yellow, rubber coat with "Maine" embroidered on the jacket; a gift for Fin. It was huge and, thus, was worn all that winter then brought out again this winter. Last year, Fin was ambivalent about the coat, even though it earned her the nickname, "Fireman Fin" in preschool. This year, she became less than enthusiastic about Yellow Coat. But, what was Fin's mom going to do? It was a perfectly functional coat, it fit and she was very easy to spot on the playground.

Yellow Coat finally gets too filthy for spot cleaning and, following the directions, Fin's mom washes Yellow Coat (and, yes, Mom... it was on the instructions that you could wash it, just not dry it). The zipper comes off of Yellow Coat. Fin's grandmother suggests that Fin's mom take the coat to the seamstress and have it repaired. Before that can happen, Fin's mom is in the wholesale club. Hanging there is Purple Coat. It is the only purple one in a sea of other colors and, wait... can it be?... it's Fin's size! Not only is Purple Coat Fin's favorite color and her size, it also has tiny sparkles all through it. Fin's mom becomes determinedly practical. "Yellow Coat needs a minor repair. Why spend money on a new coat?" Then, she sees the price. $14.99?!

I hope Fin's grandma understands.