I waske up at 4.45 and get out of the house an hour later on most days. In that hour, I like to have peace, it is the only time I am not a daughter, employee, colleague, cousin, sister or friend. I am just me, I have a few moments to think of myself while I get ready and the only time my mind is absolutely clear. Once I get in the car, thinking of myself ends. I have to think about the other road users and pedestrians and make sure I don’t play a game of skittles with my car. I get to work, and well it’s work, I don’t get time to actually think of myself until I leave the office and then in the evening I am daughter until I go to bed. Today, I was not allowed that luxury but I’m compensated with the fact that for the whole weekend smother will be out of town for a funeral. Really I should have gone with them, my brother’s mother-in-law died and they are burying her tomorrow, but I wouldn’t be able to have the time off which would mean taking transport and a very tired girl come monday morning. Plus this is the first time since she’s got here that I will have the complete peace and quiet that I have been craving for the last 4 months. So I will be there in spirit, but physically I will be in Accra, putting my house in order and hope to get to the hairdressers (the weave in my head has turned into a mop and my eyebrows are looking like two fury caterpillars).

My bedroom is two bedroom and one bathroom. It is good for me, I’m a single person and I don’t need to be cleaning redundant parts of the house but this morning I could have really reaped the benefits of an extra bathroom. She must have gone into the bathroom about 5 times this morning, each time I had to wait, already I had to get up at crazy o’clock in the morning which I don’t like doing unless I know that I will be having an afternoon nap, so extra annoyed that my morning grooming was being interupted.

My uncle said he would pick up smother this morning, I asked her twice what time, she said she didn’t know and I guess it didn’t occur to her to ask him so as I was going to the bathroom I saw her light. Now with most people it takes a while from the initial good morning to the full blown conversation, at least take time to wipe the sleep out of the eyes first. But nope, she was away. She had made some stew yesterday and she asked if I didn’t mind her taking most of it with her to Kumasi as she found out that a cousin of mine was also going along (she found that out but not the time of departure). I said that it was fine and that I was more than capable of cooking so she should take it all, I tried to say it as nicely as possible with my croky morning voice, she took it as an insult, she didn’t say it directly but let out a very loud OH HO. So I told her she shouldn’t take it as an insult, really, I have a very dry way of speaking and you either take it in the way it is intended i.e. without malice but a bit sarcastic sounding or you take everything I say as an insult. So anyway, as I was fighting sleep and wishing I had a driver to bring me into work, and calculating whether I could sneak out early today, smother was chatting away about accomodation I think it was, I was trying to make my breakfast sandwich (bacon & egg, lurvely…) and get out before the traffic built up, but I did wonder why she got up so early.

She didn’t call uncle to ask him what time he would arrive, but I know him, he loves his sleep and especially knowing he would be travelling long distance, he will make sure he gets the hours in. I told her, he would probably arrive around 9, she said to me ‘oh, then why did I wake up so early then’, I don’t know but the way she was on a high she wasn’t going back to sleep again, and she wasn’t going to stop talking either. She stopped to take a breathe, and that’s when I said goodbye and safe journey. I love her lots, but am so looiking froward to relaxing this weekend. No parties, no going out, I am just going to get my house in order, and watch gossip girl and maybe get in the Ghana v Tunisia match on Sunday.

I just hope that the lights stay on constantly throughout the weekend.