"Hey Jesse, wake up! How long do you plan on sleeping?" Josh pulled off the blanket from the sleepy guy on the mattress.
"Haha, were you having a wet dream with that morning log?" Josh laughed, teasing Jesse, who groaned and slowly opened his eyes, shooting a glare at Josh.
"What the heck," Jesse cursed, rubbing his eyes as he reluctantly got up. "Why are you here this early?"
"Go take a bath; I'm waiting for you," Josh chuckled, hopping onto the mattress and in the process pushing Jesse off the bed
"Hey! Why'd push me off the bed?" Jesse protested, throwing annoyed looks at Josh. Jesse sighed, scanning the messy room he shared with his mum and sister, a makeshift living room with a small corridor where they chose to do their cooking.
The room was cluttered with his mom and sister's clothes. Jesse searched for his towel and spotted it hanging on the broken electric fan in the corner of the room.
Jesse moved slowly, grabbing his large brown towel from the fan. Unable to find a bucket in the room, he stepped outside the small one-room house in Madina, a bustling town. It was a cramped, busy area, a slum.
Outside, he saw his mom washing clothes in a large pan, with his sister behind her, covered by a cloth tightened at her chest.
"Good morning, ma," Jesse greeted with his deep morning voice, approaching his mother. "Kwesi, you're awake. Did Josh wake you up?" his mom asked, squeezing water out of Jesse's trousers that she had been washing.
"Yeah, Josh woke me. I was looking for a bucket to bathe, but you're using it with the pan, so I'll wait," Jesse explained and headed back to the room.
"Wait! Why don't you go buy some Koko for yourself and Ama?" Maame U, Jesse's mother, shouted after him.
"Okay, sure. Let me brush my teeth first, ma," Jesse replied before heading into the room.
Jesse returned to the room, finding Josh on his mattress absorbed in his phone.
"Done bathing?" Josh asked without looking up.
"No, Mom's using the bucket. I'll go brush my teeth and grab something to eat," Jesse explained, heading to the small corridor behind their room to get his toothbrush.
He squeezed some Pepsodent onto his brush and started brushing. Afterwards, he grabbed a cup, went outside, and collected clean water his mom stored for washing clothes to rinse his mouth. Putting on deodorant, he forced Josh to go with him to buy some Koko.
As the two walked to buy Koko, they overheard people talking about something significant, perhaps an event in the country. Despite their attempts to eavesdrop, they couldn't catch any details. Passing between houses and crossing three choked gutters, they reached Ante Ceci's place. A considerable crowd was already there, so they waited for their turn.
Ante Ceci was bustling with activity, pouring Koko into small white polythene spread out in plastic bowls as she took their orders.
The two boys waited patiently, Jesse observing Ante Ceci while Josh focused on two approaching women. Josh sensed their conversation might be about the earlier topic everyone was discussing, so he made a conscious effort to listen carefully.
"Hmm, what I don't get is that this happened near the regional police station," the first woman in a red long dress and a black headscarf commented. She had a mournful air as if dressed for a funeral.
"Yes, if those who are supposed to protect us are being murdered, then what are we supposed to do?" the second woman added, wearing a sad expression. They stopped behind Jesse and Josh, waiting for their turn.
Jesse turned when he heard the familiar voice of the second woman, and upon seeing her, she recognized him.
"Akwasi, how have you been?" Maame Boadiwaa asked.
Jesse smiled widely, replying, "I've been well, Maame Boadiwaa."
"Is your mom there?" Maame Boadiwaa inquired. "Yes, please. She's at home at the moment," Jesse responded.
"Oh, greet her for me and tell her I'll come home today," Maame Boadiwaa said. "Okay, ma," Jesse replied.
"Alright. Oh, your friend, what's his name? Jush, right? How are you?" Maame Boadiwaa asked. Josh's eyes widened at the mention of his name, quickly composed himself. "I'm okay, ma."
"Akwasi, hey, can't you see it's your turn?" Ante Ceci interrupted. Jesse turned away, apologizing to Ante Ceci. "Sorry, Ante Ceci, give me 2 cedis, 3 each," he said, then turned to Josh. "Should I get you one?" Josh shook his head, indicating he was okay.
As they left the Koko place, Jesse stared at Josh for a while before he burst out laughing. "So, what were they saying, Jush?" Jesse teased.
Josh glared at him and replied, "I think an officer or a police, someone, was found dead near the regional police station." Jesse responded with a simple "Oh."
"Have they caught the murderer?" Jesse asked. "Idiot, how am I going to know? We both went there together," Josh retorted. Jesse rubbed his small, long nose, pondering Josh's words. "Why would someone do that?" he whispered to himself. Josh chuckled and playfully slapped Jesse's small shoulders. "Here in Ghana, there's always some news, right?" Jesse shrugged.
Upon reaching home, Maame U had finished washing, making the bucket available for Jesse to go and bathe.
After Jesse finished bathing, he joined Josh, his mum, and his sister in the room. Jesse took the chubby one-year-old baby and fed her the Koko he had bought. He had a soft spot for babies, despite his initial resentment when his mother first got pregnant.
At that time, Jesse wasn't upset about adding a new member to their difficult, poor life but rather about the man who impregnated her. Alhaji, a tradesman in the Madina Market selling goat and sheep meat, had enticed Jesse's mom with money before sleeping with her. The thought of him made Jesse cringe, especially his yellow teeth and broken ones, leaving only a fraction intact.
Looking at small Ama making baby noises in his arms, Jesse kissed her on her soft cheeks. He handed her over to her mom, who was eating her Koko and went to eat his own.
After finishing his breakfast, Jesse waved to his mom and headed off to work with Josh.