Just woke up, already exhausted: the first seven steps of Monday

Monday, 7:45 am. The alarm goes off for the third time. Elena opens one eye only, because two would be a waste. She puts her feet down and slides them, without looking, into the brown striped slippers.

The journey from bedroom to kitchen is seven steps. Elena shuffles all of them, as if the floor were uphill. One slipper says Appena sveglia, già esausta, Italian for “just woke up, already exhausted”, and the other has a coffee cup with three Zs. It's not a phrase: it's an autobiography.

In the kitchen the moka pot is waiting, prepared the night before with the foresight of someone who knows herself well. She lights the gas. She waits. She stares at the moka as if she could make it go faster by sheer willpower.

Her flatmate walks in and says “good morning” with an enthusiasm unacceptable for the hour. Elena doesn't answer. She points at her slippers. He understands, nods silently and leaves the kitchen. The house rules are clear, and now they're written down too.

IRONIKS slippers speak for you when you don't feel like it. That's why people who get them as gifts actually wear them, every morning. And every morning they remember who gave them.