Counting by 7s

Dell Duke is a “chubby, bearded man” in his mid-thirties, with “bushy eyebrows and sneaky eyes” (48). He is a Bakersfield District school counselor who meets with Quang-ha and Willow, which is how the Nguyen siblings and Willow meet each other. He is nervous and awkward and by no means “a natural at his job” (81). He does his work with minimal effort. He is just as unmotivated outside of work, indifferent about his health, hygiene, appearance, and living situation. Like his students, he struggles with belonging, which manifests as a hoarding problem: with so many possessions, “at least something belonged to him” (43) since he can’t belong.

Dell has created the “System of the Strange,” in which he assigns a stereotype to his students to help him keep track of them. His labels are purely based on assumptions he makes about his students, and the day he meets Willow is the day he starts to rethink his system. Willow’s strangeness, which he deems “genius,” excites him, and for the first time, he feels motivated to do his job. After the car accident, as Willow’s living situation and Dell’s involvement becomes more complicated, he regrets meeting Willow because he suddenly starts to care about everything. However, as his relationships with her and the Nguyens develop, he transforms into a better version of himself. As much as he wants to resent the Nguyens and Willow for upending his life, he comes to realize that he is capable of change and takes responsibility and control of his life.

Mai Nguyen is a 14-year-old freshman at Condon High School. She is mature for her age and always prepared, which is why she is her brother Quang-ha's “keeper,” even though he is the older sibling. She and Quang-ha stand out in Bakersfield because of their ethnic ambiguity, like Willow. A week after meeting Willow, Mai is impressed with Willow's efforts to learn Vietnamese. The more they chat, the closer they become, and soon Willow considers Mai to be her best friend. 

Mai is quick-witted and very persuasive, much like her mother, Pattie. She is able to convince others to agree to her plans easily. She is “determined and deliberate,” and not intimidated by adults. The evening Willow finds out her parents died, Mai quickly conjures up a story that convinces the police to let Willow go home with her, even though they had only known each other for a few weeks. It is also her idea for the Nguyens lie and use Dell's address as their own, which becomes an elaborate, involved plan all done for the sake of protecting Willow. Soon after meeting Mai, Willow considers her to be her protector, which turns out to be a role she inhabits throughout the novel.

Pattie (born Dung) Nguyen is the mother of Mai and Quang-ha. She was born in Vietnam, where she was an outcast because her father was a black American soldier. She has lived in America for 21 years, where she met her children's father, who was from Mexico. He left the family soon after Mai was born.

When Mai asks that Pattie take Willow in after her parents die, Pattie is apprehensive; but upon recognizing the grief and loneliness in Willow's face, having experienced being an outcast herself, she agrees. She lives very frugally, raising her children in a shabby garage behind the nail salon she owns. By working incredibly hard she has saved a significant amount of money, which is why she can afford to take custody of Willow.

Pattie “[cares] about everything” (117) and is “the world's ultimate pragmatist” (214)—she is meticulous and thorough, characteristics which stand in stark contrast to Dell Duke. She approaches all of life's challenges with a level head and steadfast logic, which is how she is able to transform Dell's messy apartment into a nice home for her family. She is the matriarch of the group, which the author foreshadows by having Dell and Willow discuss female lemurs leading their troops. She believes the color red is lucky, and the color becomes a recurring symbol throughout the book. 

Jairo Hernandez is in his thirties and has been driving for Mexicano Taxi for seven years. He meets Willow for the first time when she calls for a cab to drive her to her counseling appointment. His interactions with her shake him, especially when she tells him: “Never let someone tell you that you can’t do it” (94). He considers this a “blinking warning light,” signaling that he needs to take control of his life, and he immediately starts to look into returning to school. Like Dell, Jairo was comfortable enough with his routine that he felt no motivation to change, but meeting Willow sparks a series of events that change his life dramatically.

As he develops a relationship with Willow, Jairo continues to see her as an “angel” that brings him good fortune: she inspires him to go back to college; she notices a malignant growth on his neck, prompting him to go to the doctor; and by chance he wins a $20,000 prize at the college bookstore, which will ensure that can pay for his courses. While he is not as present in the story as other characters, he is nevertheless significantly affected by Willow’s role in his life and grows to care for her very deeply. Through Willow, he meets Pattie Nguyen, with whom he secretly develops a relationship. Together, they file for custody of Willow, and Jairo is one of the seven people Willow considers most important in her life.