Chapter Thirty-three

Summary

• The protagonist, Maddie, has a conversation with Penny in her office, where Penny suggests Maddie see an in-house counselor due to her recent changes in behavior.
• Penny observes that Maddie has been arriving early and staying late at work, being quieter than usual, and appears to be not entirely herself since her return.
• Maddie feels defensive and embarrassed, considering herself to be seen as the "Girl Who Clearly Can’t Cope," but reflects on the importance of getting help.
• Penny introduces the counselor, who specializes in bereavement and happens to be available for Maddie to meet right away.
• Maddie reluctantly goes to the HR room to meet the counselor, experiencing feelings of being in trouble and second-guessing the need for therapy.
• The counselor, named Angelina, is a Black woman who Maddie meets for a counseling session and they discuss Maddie's feelings toward her return to work and how others respond to her grief.
• Angelina notices Maddie's concern for how her actions and reactions affect others and questions her about the personal significance of her nickname, "Maame".
• Maddie confesses discomfort with the name "Maame", recognizing how it has contributed to her taking on responsibilities and feeling lonely from an early age.
• After leaving the HR room, Maddie encounters her mother with a man named Kwaku, whom Maddie identifies as her mother's boyfriend, in a coffee shop near Tottenham Court Road.
• Maddie struggles with seeing her mother receive affection from someone who is not her late father, she feels betrayed but also notices her mother appears vulnerable and cared for.
• As Maddie is noticed by her mother and Kwaku, she flees the scene and plans to go to Thornton Heath to wait for her mother and confront the situation.