Kofi and Nana's Epic Adventure

The early morning is so quiet, so wonderfully peaceful. I lay on my back, eyes closed, enjoying the sun on my face. The air is cool and crisp, just how I like it. Nothing but the rustle of leaves in the breeze and some birds chirping. Just how I like it.

I roll over onto my stomach, taking care to not disturb Nana's bed as I do. She tends to get grumpy when she doesn't sleep well, and I don't want her to be grumpy first thing in the morning. She deserves better than that.

I run my fingers along the bottom of my bed frame. It's metal, smooth with a few rough spots from years of wear and tear. The smell of metal is sweet in my nostrils as I search for the switch that opens the door. There it is! A bit worn down too, but still functional.

"Nana? Nana?" I whisper softly through her door. "Nana? Time to wake up..."

"Hnn... mmmph... zzzz..."

A little louder now. "Nana! Wake up!"

"Yes... yes... getting up..."

I can hear her pulling back her sheets, getting out of bed and walking out into her kitchenette. "Breakfast time!" I call out cheerfully as she crosses the hall to answer me at our door. Once we've had breakfast together every morning for almost two weeks straight, we've decided to go around each other's rooms and greet one another before eating together each morning at about 6:30 am local clock time (or 'BCT', as Nana calls it). We both seem to think this makes us sound more grown up and adult-like. Or maybe we're just showing off our knowledge of acronyms?

[i]Whatever[/i], it's fun!

[i]And healthy![/i] We always eat something healthy after an energy-filled morning jog around our community garden's perimeter - which really isn't much more than a large square with a bunch of trees and flowers in between houses - but you'd be surprised how much energy you can get from a bowl of oatmeal with chopped apples and raisins mixed in!

[i]What would you expect from a garden full of fruits and vegetables? [/i] Nana asked me when I said that once, though she didn't seem to mind that I was there with her eating it all up myself - no surprise there!

[i]"Good morning Kofi, happy new day!" Nana greets me today as she enters our shared room from her kitchenette across the hall.[/i]

[i]The sun shines brightly through the old windows near my desk where Nana keeps all her gardening books: How To Get Started In Urban Gardening; Soil Preparation For Vegetable Gardening; How To Properly Harvest Your Vegetables; How To Start A Garden In Your Own Yard; Gardening Tips From The Pros; and many others in various languages.[/i] The light hits her soft brown hair and she closes her eyes slowly as she rubs them with one hand while waving at me with her other hand. [i]"Oh! Good Morning Nana! And Happy New Day too,"[/i] I say happily as I hop down off my bed and run over to give her a hug. [i]"Did you sleep well?"[/i]

[i]She smiles at me briefly before yawning loudly.[/i] "I did! But not nearly long enough." [i]"It's not even 7 yet!"[/i] Her smile widens slightly as she looks down at me before saying: [i]"So what do you have planned for us today, young man?"[/i] She gently lifts me off the floor by my shoulders and puts me down on my feet again as she finishes: [i]"Shall we go for another jog? Or investigate some more of our new home?"[/i] With that last question, she arches one eyebrow playfully at me - it does nothing to hide her mischievous smirk either! Her enthusiasm shows through plainly in those beautiful brown eyes of hers - those eyes that make everything shine brighter somehow whenever they're open! Well... almost everything.... That thought sends a strange warmth through my body that makes me blush slightly before I realize something important: [i]"But Mr Spotty Man has been gone for days now..."[/i] My voice trails off sadly at Nana's reminder of where we live right now: "The Spotty Manor - Home Of The Terrible Moustache". Well... used to live here anyway..... Before he disappeared completely without even leaving so much as a note behind him... Poor Mr Spotty Man! Never did find out what happened to him or why he left or anything else about him at all... except his name was Mr Spotty Man.... And he had a moustache...? Oh well! He's gone now.... But that doesn't mean we shouldn't keep investigating our new home ourselves! That's what friends do best after all: They explore new places together until something interesting happens.... Then they meet up again later (usually) excitedly telling one another about what they discovered together during their time apart.... Until the cycle repeats itself anew tomorrow morning again.... And again.... And again.... And again...