Counting by 7s

Dell sees a letter in the mail for Pattie from the Department of Child Services, and he considers becoming Willow's guardian. Meanwhile, Pattie waits for Jairo (whom she has become close with) to return her call so they can figure out what to do about Willow, “[promising] herself she’d do the right thing” (340).

Willow explains to Mai that plants experience shock when transferred to new soil, and “[knows] from experience that some things will thrive and others will wither” (341). Lenore comes to the salon to tell Willow her hearing is tomorrow because the center has found a group foster care home for her to live in. It is on 7th Street, and Willow recognizes the irony of the number’s reappearance. She cannot imagine her life without Dell and the Nguyens. She spends some time reading at the library, which calms her down. Sitting outside on the steps, she starts to plan the logistics of how she might be able to continue spending time with them. Dell arrives to pick her up, and when he sits down next to her, he starts to sob. Willow reassures him that she will be alright.