Chapter Twenty: "Mombasa Bound"
The days that followed were a blur of preparations, deadlines, and late nights wrestling with programming code that refused to behave. Andra spent hours with her Civil Technology group preparing for the trip—gathering tools, measuring samples, printing project reports.
She borrowed boots from Happy's cousin, patched her own backpack with thread and prayer, and scraped together every shilling she could to make the Mombasa trip happen.
Her parents sent what they could. "We believe in you," her mother had whispered over the phone.
The night before departure, Kingsley hugged her tightly.
"Are you going far, Mommy?"
"Yes, baby. But only for a little while."
He looked up with his big eyes, wiser than his years. "Will you bring me sea sand?"
Andra blinked back tears. "I'll bring you the whole ocean if I can."
The next morning, as the bus rolled away from campus, past sleepy towns and rising sun, Andra stared out the window. Her world was still messy—unresolved love, relentless rumors, tired feet, and aching hopes.
But the road ahead was long, and for the first time in a while, she didn't feel stuck.
She felt like she was going somewhere.