Counting by 7s

In the present moment, Willow Chance narrates that she is enjoying ice cream at an ice cream shop with her friend Mai Nguyen, Mai's older brother Quang-ha, and their school counselor Dell Duke. The children all speak Vietnamese, even though it is not Willow's native language. Willow is certain that “this is a day that [she] will never forget” (3). On the way home, she thinks it is strange that her parents, Roberta and Jimmy, have not returned her calls. The group arrives at Willow's house, where a police car is in her driveway. After the officers ask her some questions, she overhears them tell Dell that her parents have died in an accident.

In a flashback to two months ago, Willow is preparing to start middle school and reflects on her adoption. Roberta and Jimmy tried to have a child for seven years before they adopted Willow. Even though her parents are white and she is not, she insists that “somehow [they] just naturally look like a family” (12). Willow is obsessed with the number seven, medical conditions, and