By Martyn
Part 1 – The Frost Begins on the Lawn
Chapter 1
At ten minutes past four on Tuesday morning, Ayanda Nkosi woke before her alarm and switched it off. This was her routine every Tuesday in term time, one she kept to unwaveringly, but lately it had become increasingly onerous. Her bedroom was cold enough for her breath to condense in the air, but her instinct to pull the covers over her nose gave way to necessity and a lifelong commitment to being reliable. Ayanda, deep down in the core of her being, believed in herself, and herself alone. This became especially true after Sipho died, when some small part of her decided that relying on others always ended badly. So, she set herself on a path where every step was planned, known in advance, and calculated.
She sat on the edge of the bed and did her stretches in the dark, hands to the ceiling, then forward over her knees, then a slow turn of her neck, left and right; exercises she had performed every morning since her physio had prescribed them to her in 2019.
“One degree stiffer per year,” she said to the dark room. She sighed and did one more stretch. “It feels like a law of nature, old girl.”