Introduction 

“Five-Twenty” is a short story by Australian writer Patrick White. Born in London, England, in 1912, White served in the Royal Air Force in World War II as an intelligence officer. During this period, he met Emmanuel Lascaris, the Greek officer with whom he spent the rest of his life. White published twelve novels in his lifetime, in addition to his many plays, poetry, short fiction, and an autobiography.

At the time of the story's 1974 publication in the collection The Cockatoos, White had already released nine novels. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1973 and, the following year, was named Australian of the Year.

Plot Summary

As “Five-Twenty” begins, the Natwicks sit on their front veranda watching traffic, something they do whenever the weather allows. Royal, who now sits in a wheelchair, is loudly confident, even arrogant. His wife and carer, Ella, lacks that confidence and keeps her feelings to herself.

Watching the evening rush hour, Royal remarks that they must have been crazy to move to such a busy street. She reminds him that he was drawn to the bustle, thinking it would allow them to watch life even when they lost their mobility. However, he finds her explanation unsuitable and seems to blame her for not speaking against the idea. They comment on the man in the pink Holden, which Royal thinks is a ridiculous car for a man to drive. The man in the pink Holden always passes the Natwicks at 5:20 (hence the story's title).

One evening, there was a crash, and Ella rushed to comfort the fatally injured driver with blankets. Royal complained about the blood on their linens but calmed down after hearing she was making him a nice filet dinner with cheaper chops for herself.

Ella wonders why Royal, big and black-haired, was drawn to her, saying she was always “on the mousey side.” He had ambitiously pursued business interests—which had not always gone well. Despite his lack of business acumen, he did not deny himself many pleasures. As such, Ella had to be the more pragmatic of the two, focused on saving and waiting tables for extra money. She always felt she had to make up for some past mistake or thought with her husband; she has never held him responsible—whether for issues over customers’ complaints or the doctor’s suggestion that their inability to have a child might be his fault, not hers.

The man in the pink Holden is a regular sight, and Ella notices when he does not pass by on schedule. One night, she has a dream about him. As Royal can no longer come out to watch the traffic, she reports the Holden driver's appearance or absence, including the time he drove by in a different car, a new, cream-colored Holden.

After Royal dies, Ella enjoys the calm quiet of widowed life. Sedated by the pills her doctor gives her, she is not lonely at first, but she does eventually notice that the house and garden have become untidy.

One evening, the man who drives the Holden asks to use her phone because he is having car troubles. He has a harelip—something that has always disturbed her, often remarking that she finds him ugly for his “misshapen” head—but she likes his voice and eyes. After he has made his call, they share a romantic moment in her garden, and she kisses his face. He agrees to visit the next day for coffee.

Ella buys coffee and asks her neighbor how to make it. She also buys lipstick, nervously getting ready for the man’s visit. That evening, as she waits outside, there is another accident, with many fatalities and wrecked cars. The day grows late; she has almost given up on him coming when he finally arrives.

The man moves slowly, complaining he has felt off all day. His shoulder hurts, he says. Although she tries to hold him up, he slides to the ground among the flowers. She bombards him with affectionate kisses and words familiar to her only from movies. He dies, and she realizes that she never asked his name.