Chapter Sixteen: "Coastal Shifts"
The third year came like a storm rolling in from the hills—fast, loud, and unapologetically demanding. Andra felt its weight in her schedule, in her bones, and in the throb behind her eyes from too many sleepless nights.
She had settled into the rhythm of university, but with more intense units—Hydraulics and Structures, Advanced Surveying, and Teaching Practice preparation—it felt less like a rhythm and more like a treadmill set too fast.
Andra was juggling more than coursework. Kingsley had started baby class, and with that came new expenses—uniforms, books, lunch fees. Her parents had stretched themselves thin, but never complained. They never made her feel like a burden. That guilt lived rent-free in her heart.
Parker, as usual, was an occasional ghost.
He'd shown up one evening with a pair of new sneakers for Kingsley and a phone charger she didn't need. He stayed long enough to play with the boy, take a few selfies, and mutter something about "still trying to get his photography studio up."
When she reminded him about school fees, he gave the same reply he always gave:
"I'll send something tomorrow."
Tomorrow had started sounding like never.
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Now, a new opportunity was on the horizon: a Technology Field Trip to Mombasa. The department had organized a ten-day industrial visit, including stops at construction sites, civil engineering firms, and a tour of Kenya Ports Authority's massive logistical systems.
Andra wanted to go. Badly.
Not just for the learning experience, but for the break—an escape from everything heavy.
The trip would cost her Ksh 8,000.
She'd saved 1,700. Ken had promised to lend her another 1,000.
She swallowed her pride and texted Parker.
> "There's a school trip to Mombasa. It's important for my course. I need support, please."
The message stayed on read for two days.
When she followed up, he replied, "I wish I could. Things are tight. Try your sisters?"
She didn't reply.
Instead, she sat in the quiet library that evening and cried behind the tall stacks of concrete technology books.
She didn't want to keep begging. She didn't want to keep pretending like Parker was still something more than a passing father figure.
---
That night, she drafted a letter to the school welfare office requesting partial sponsorship. She didn't even know if it would work. But she attached a copy of her fee statements, Kingsley's birth certificate, and a handwritten appeal.
She also did something she hadn't done in a long time.
She called her eldest sister.
"I don't want to keep asking you for money," she whispered. "But I really want to go."
Her sister didn't hesitate.
"Of course, Andra. Just graduate. The rest will sort itself."
The next day, she made the full payment.
She was going to Mombasa.
Not because Parker came through.
Because she did.
Because her family always had her back—even when she hated needing it.