Chapter Forty-two

Summary

• Nia converses with the protagonist, asking about their plans to spend the money, suggesting donating to a Parkinson's charity, and discussing viewing flats on Saturday in Brixton and Crouch End.
• The protagonist reflects on a memory involving a suggestion from Avi to move to Crouch End and informs Nia they are about to meet Sam before ending the call.
• During a meal at a burger bar in Shoreditch with Sam, discussions include Sam's new job offer at OTP, his relationship with an ex, Jo, and the protagonist's feeling of guilt and well-being.
• Sam probes into the protagonist's guilty feelings, and the protagonist becomes emotional, revealing a struggle with grief and fluctuating emotions since their father's death.
• An abrupt episode of blurred vision and tears for the protagonist leads to Sam comforting them and suggesting they leave the burger bar with their food packed up.
• Sam takes the protagonist to an ice cream shop called MOOPHORIA to improve their mood after the emotional outburst.
• Over ice cream, Sam talks about his own experience with loss, revealing the suicide of his close friend a month prior.
• Sam clarifies his reasons for asking the protagonist out, emphasizing a genuine attraction and the need for honest conversation rather than just a shared experience of grief.
• The chapter concludes with the protagonist reflecting on the internal voice of "Subconscious Maddie" and exchanging lighthearted morning texts with Sam about the burger from the previous night.