Five Little Indians: Chapter 5: Lucy Summary & Analysis

Many things have changed in Lucy’s life since Maisie’s death. She still works at the Manitou, but she lives in a new apartment, but she’s finding her own style, and she’s been taking classes. As she prepares to take the final exam for her last high school-level class, Clara and Liz cheer her on. When she passes, they celebrate with her. But Harlan mocks her, saying that “Indian chicks” are only good as prostitutes or maids and that he doesn’t know why she went back to school. Offended, Lucy quits, prompting Harlan to call her an “ungrateful bitch.” Instantly, Clara attacks him, punching at his back and head and screaming  that he’s ruining Lucy’s “best day ever.” He fires all three of them.

Lucy feels bad that she’s cost her friends their jobs. But Clara figures Harlan will soon want to hire them back. Clara also tells Lucy that her “boyfriend” came looking for her at the hotel recently. Lucy is confused, but she puts it out of her mind while she goes to celebrate her success with her friends. When she gets home, Kenny is waiting by the door to her apartment. He's grown into a man, but she still recognizes him instantly. And while she’s happy to see him again, it also brings old memories uncomfortably close to the surface for her. She invites him to come back the next day for coffee. 

The next day, Kenny and Lucy talk over rum-spiked coffee in Lucy’s apartment. She tells him that she knew from his behavior on the day that he would make another escape attempt. He tells her that she was the only thing that made him think twice about it. But he was so scared by what happened to Howie, he had to try. He tells her what he’s heard about Howie’s experiences. He tells her about making it home only to leave again because everything there had changed. She tells him about Sister putting her on a bus to Vancouver and about finding Maisie. And about Maisie’s death. Finally, she tells him that she’s been taking classes and now that she has her high school equivalent, she plans to go to nursing school.

Although Lucy invites him back for dinner, after Kenny leaves, he doesn’t reappear for four days. He tells her that sometimes he just needs to be alone, and she understands. He asks to stay with her, and they talk late into the night. But he’s gone in the morning. By the time Lucy begins nursing school two months later, she no longer expects to find him waiting by her door. But still, when Clara invites her to move in together, since Clara’s place is closer to the community college, Lucy refuses. She wants to know that Kenny can find her if he comes back.