Chapter Nineteen

Summary

• Kristina from Orange Tree Publishing expresses sympathy for Maddie's loss and tells her not to worry about work.
• Kristina understands Maddie's situation as she lost her own parent the year before and offers support.
• Maddie questions her lack of tears and discusses her feelings of constant sadness.
• Maddie's friend Nia encourages her to express her emotions and not to hide them.
• Maddie reveals details about her distant relationship with her reserved and private father to Nia.
• The financial struggles during Maddie's upbringing are discussed, including issues with paying bills and their eventual move due to financial necessity.
• Maddie shares intimate memories of her father, including the rare occasions he expressed love openly.
• Maddie finally breaks down in tears, regretting not seeing her father one last time, and cries on Nia's shoulder for the morning.
• Maddie returns home to find her mother and brother, with emotions running high.
• There's a tense atmosphere in Maddie's household, with conflicts between her mother and brother surfacing.
• Her brother indirectly blames their mother for their father's worsening condition after she returned.
• Maddie overhears a dispute about a man named Kwaku, hinting at a possible secret her mother is keeping.
• Maddie struggles with the desire to leave the house that she now associates with her father's absence and death.
• She copes with denial by repeatedly telling herself she's not really present in the situation.