Lucky

After school one day, Lucky comes back to Priscilla’s house, where Cary is holding a party for the Stanford students whom he is conning. He goes over details of his and her fake identities—and gives her an expensive dress to wear—before the guests arrive. She has to pretend to be a party girl for this con. Guests include Aaron and Magnolia, who invite Cary and Lucky to Madrid. During their trip, Cary mentions that he is having financial troubles and is going to lose the house. This is because it is being repossessed from Priscilla, but Cary doesn’t mention that. Another guest from the party, Hugh, gives Lucky and Cary the use of a coach house on his family’s property in Alamo.

Without telling Cary, Lucky gets a fake ID to visit her father in prison as Sarah Armstrong. Cary pretends to drop out of school and decides that he wants to open a club after throwing several more successful parties for the Stanford students. They agree to finance his club. After he pretends to be making arrangements to open the club, Lucky graduates from college with a business degree.

Priscilla is recently out of jail and goes to see Cary. Threatening to reveal Cary and Lucky’s con, she insists that Cary open the club and he agrees. On the Christmas Eve after the club opens, Cary gives Lucky the deed for a house in Idaho. They steal away in the night, leaving behind most of their possessions in the coach house but taking their dog, Betty.

While they are still in the common area, Priscilla pretends to not know who Lucky is, commenting that she looks like her son’s ex-girlfriend. When they get to Priscilla’s apartment, she drops the pretense that she doesn’t recognize Lucky. Priscilla had one of the staff members search through Lucky’s things, and she asks about the encoded message in the cover of her book. Lucky claims that it is a code to meet up with Cary, and Priscilla plays along before calling her out on her lie.

Priscilla thinks that Lucky is still pregnant because Priscilla’s private investigator, who was following Lucky and Cary, saw Lucky’s pregnancy test in the trash. Lucky goes along with this, pretending to still be pregnant—however, she actually miscarried her and Cary’s baby.

Priscilla explains that the dog was collateral for Cary doing a job for her. She warns Lucky that the people she works for are dangerous. Cary never gave Priscilla the money from that job. Priscilla threatens Lucky, who then says that the code is for a storage locker in Idaho. After planning to drive her to the locker on Friday, Priscilla gives Betty back to Lucky.

For a while, Lucky runs a “small investment and accounting firm” (162). Cary enjoys being her house-husband at first, but he grows bored. She suggests that they have a baby, and Cary suggests that he open a restaurant. Lucky takes on debt to do so, but Cary wants more money. He convinces her to steal money from her investment clients. They also use stolen money for in vitro fertilization (IVF) because Lucky is struggling to get pregnant.

For a couple of days, Lucky observes the people at Priscilla’s Place. Eventually, she finds an opportunity to switch clothes with an employee, Janet. Lucky goes out to walk Betty the dog while impersonating Janet. Lucky runs to the storage facility and gets her lottery ticket from the smoke detector. Then, she uses a payphone to call Reyes and ask for a ride. When Reyes learns that Lucky is going to see her mother in Devereaux Camp, she offers to watch Betty. Lucky agrees but is sad to leave Betty when Reyes drops her at the bus station.

After the third IVF attempt, Lucky becomes pregnant. When the financial crisis causes her clients to ask for their money back—the money they spent on the restaurant and IVF—Cary suggests that they steal more money and run to Dominica. One night when they are both working long hours, Lucky has a miscarriage and is comforted by Betty. She tells Cary about the miscarriage when he comes home, but she refuses to see a doctor. She puts her energy towards getting to Dominica.

In 2008, Lucky arrives at Devereaux Camp. She overhears Gloria arguing with, and firing, an employee. Lucky, calling herself Sarah Armstrong, offers to take his job. Gloria says that she can have it if she unclogs the toilet. Lucky does, and Gloria gives her a cabin to live in, as well as the position. After settling into her cabin, Lucky walks into the nearest town, which is called Duvoyage, and buys groceries. Lucky shortchanges the cashier to get an extra five dollars, and Gloria, who also happens to be in the store, notices. Gloria gives Lucky a ride back to the camp and offers her a drink from a flask.

Then, Gloria asks if Lucky is related to John Armstrong, her estranged husband. Lucky reveals that John is in prison and she is his daughter. She shows Gloria the crucifix, explaining that John said it was from her mother. Gloria, however, is—and was—unable to have children. John brought Lucky home one day, telling Gloria that he found her at a church. Lucky, feeling upset, tries to pull off her crucifix. Gloria asks Lucky if she can come up with a way to scam the residents at the camp, and Lucky agrees to work with her as a partner.

They tell residents that they are going to fix (nonexistent) issues with skirting ventilation and charge them. Then, they keep the money and pretend to do repairs. Shortly after starting the scam, Gloria invites Lucky over for dinner and shows her pictures of John. He told both of them that they were all he had. As they drink moonshine, Gloria tells Lucky that she left John because he wouldn’t take Lucky, as a baby, to the police. Lucky passes out in Gloria’s place.

Cary pretends that their dog, Betty, has run away. He doesn’t tell Lucky about Priscilla taking the dog. Lucky suggests going to Las Vegas before flying out of the country in case someone responds to their lost dog ads and flyers. Cary agrees, and they begin driving to Nevada.