Summary

Adichie describes the many Zoom calls she and her siblings had with their father before he passed away. The calls were frequent and loving. Her father did mention that he felt a bit unwell and was sleeping poorly, and Adichie's brother Okey had visited recently and confirmed that their father looked tired. On 10 June, Adichie's brother Chuks calls and tells her that their father has died. Adichie felt "undone" (4). Adichie's four-year-old daughter has become concerned because her mother is in the throes of grief. The entire family is wailing together in a Zoom call, and Okey is holding his phone over his father's face. Adichie says that he looks perfectly calm and peaceful. She continues to struggle with accepting the finality of her father's death.

As Adichie grieves, she learns that grief itself "is a cruel kind of education" (6). Her whole body aches...