Chapter Three

Summary

• The protagonist spends Sunday morning cleaning her father's room and feels back pain, for which she awaits a GP appointment.
• She cleans various parts of the house and reflects on the absence of a downstairs bathroom for her father with weak legs.
• The protagonist receives an unusual phone call from her friend Shu, with whom she studied at Birkbeck University and whom she does not see often anymore due to their busy lives.
• Shu discusses her flat hunting situation and her fear of making her girlfriend, Lydia, feel insecure due to a flatmate's attractiveness.
• Shu suggests possibly living with the protagonist, who declines due to the need to care for her father, who has Parkinson's.
• The protagonist attends church in central London, preferring the anonymity and the contemporary take on Christianity provided there.
• After church, she finds her father at home talking to someone who isn't there, and he seems to believe he's speaking to his deceased sister, Rebecca, which worries the protagonist.
• Dr. Appong reassures her that hallucinations can be a side effect of her father's medication and promises to check on him the following day.
• The protagonist reflects on her past and how she has always been the responsible one in the family, taking care of her father.
• Her mother calls from Ghana, urging her to socialize more and to have faith during tough times, much like the biblical character Esther.
• The mother informs her she will be returning home for an extended period, suggesting the protagonist move out and experience life more fully.
• At work, the protagonist deals with her boss Katherine's emotional breakdown over diary scheduling mistakes.
• Katherine blames the protagonist, but Claire steps in to diffuse the situation and lets the protagonist sort it out.
• She visits the GP regarding her back pain, lies about the cause of her injury, and is given a prescription.
• That evening, she attends a play and meets a man named Ben, who compliments her name and they exchange numbers.
• The protagonist contemplates her lack of relationship experience and the potential challenges of dating while caring for her father.