Three Keys

Hank, one of the motel’s regular tenants, notices a news story on TV about a lost dog found right next to the Calivista. He changes the motel’s sign to capitalize on this notoriety, and the bookings immediately increase.

Mia and Lupe start their fall school term in sixth grade the following day. On their way to school, they’re met by Jason Yao, the son of the Calivista’s mean former owner. Mia likes Jason, but Lupe doesn’t. Jason is assigned to a different sixth-grade class while the girls learn that their new teacher is Mrs. Welch.

The girls find their new class is located in a trailer because of budget cutbacks. They also learn that Mrs. Welch is a Wilson supporter. She seems to take an instant dislike to Mia. After class, Jason invites Mia and Lupe over to his house on Friday. Lupe declines, but Mia accepts.

Mia’s father frets that his daughter is forgetting the old country when she fails to use chopsticks at dinner. He jokingly calls her a banana: “A banana was what Chinese people called a kid who has gotten too Americanized—yellow on the outside and white on the inside” (27).

Hank’s new ad strategy has paid off, and the motel’s bookings continue to climb. Once a week, two other regular residents, Mrs. T and Mrs. Q, offer a class for immigrants called “How to Navigate America.” Lupe and Mia help translate for the Chinese and Mexican newcomers. Mia learns the sad story of an unauthorized Mexican immigrant whose friend might have died while crossing the border. 

On Saturday evening, the Tangs host a meal at a buffet restaurant for all their investors. Mr. Tang is proud to hand out monthly checks of the motel’s profits. Talk turns to the new immigration bill, Proposition 187, that would deny education and health services to undocumented immigrants. The Chinese investors believe it’s not a cause for concern. Still, Mia’s father says, “We immigrants are all in the same boat […] Don’t let them divide and conquer us. If this law passes, it’s bad for all of us” (33). 

On the way home from the dinner, Mrs. Tang frets about the expense of the meal. She proposes applying for a credit card, but her husband objects. Later, Mia catches her mother filling out a credit card form in the laundry room. Mrs. Tang is still doing all the housekeeping chores of the motel even though she would like to take an engineering exam to resume the profession she had in China.

The next day, Mrs. Welch tells her students that Proposition 187 is good for the state. She complains about the taxpayer expense of unauthorized immigrants and says they shouldn’t be allowed to attend schools. Mia says the proposition is racist and gets into a heated debate with her teacher.

Back at the motel, the girls learn that Hank was turned down when he tried to place an ongoing ad for the motel in a local paper. Hank is African American, and the newspaper fears he won’t be able to afford regular payments for the ad. 

Mia consoles Hank about the rejected ad and learns that he isn’t happy with his lack of advancement as a security guard either. She suggests that the motel hire him as its marketing manager. Hank and her parents are delighted with the idea. This addition means that they would now have six employees, including Lupe and her father, who maintains their cable system. They can qualify for medical insurance. When Mia shares this good news with Lupe, she learns that her friend is an undocumented immigrant. Lupe swears Mia to secrecy.

Hank and Mrs. Tang take Mia with them when they go to the mall to buy Hank some new clothes that are more suitable for his management job. While there, Mrs. Tang encounters three Chinese women. To impress them with her success, she buys an expensive dress. Mia is shocked, and Mr. Tang is even more upset when his wife returns home with her purchase.

Mrs. Tang expresses her frustration with being the motel housekeeper and cooking all the family’s meals instead of pursuing her career. Without revealing Lupe’s secret, Mia informs her parents that they can’t get health insurance for their employees because Lupe and her father have insurance elsewhere. 

Mia gets a C on an essay she wrote about immigration and confronts her teacher. Mrs. Welch says she has higher standards than Mia’s fifth-grade teacher, who thought highly of Mia’s writing.

On Friday afternoon, Mia spends time hanging out with Jason. She warily accepts a dinner invitation and is amazed to see what a good chef he is: “Once in the kitchen, Jason transformed before my very eyes into a whole other person, a culinary wonder!” (59). He makes a delicious Asian fusion spaghetti dish. Mia is impressed and looks forward to the meal until the bad-tempered Mr. Yao arrives home unexpectedly.

Yao is unhappy to see Mia in his house but allows her to stay for dinner. Instead of praising his son’s culinary skills, he says that a career as a cook is a step down. He wants Jason to be a doctor or lawyer.

Yao resents that his former employees bought the Calivista from him and tells Mia, “You know nothing about running a business! […] You’re a mere servant masquerading as a boss!” (63). Furious at the insult, Mia gets her coat and leaves.