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At just 24, Andra Summers finds herself navigating the joys and burdens of new motherhood while chasing the future she once dreamed of. With a four-year-old son, a distant father who floats between charm and absence, and no steady income, she leans heavily on the strength of her aging parents, her sisters’ sacrifices, and friends who step in where love falters.

When Kingsley's father, Parker—once a dreamer with political ambitions—proposes at their son’s six-month baby shower, Andra, overwhelmed by post-partum depression and unmet promises, rejects him publicly. What follows is a slow unraveling of illusions. Andra returns to school with Kingsley on her back and determination in her heart. But when money runs out, the pressure mounts. A missed salary payment. A broken promise. A loan her mother silently takes to protect her dignity.

As Parker's love continues to flicker in and out, Andra learns to depend on no one but herself. She hardens with grace—smiling politely at his new girlfriends while quietly chasing a better life for her son.

What She Carried is a heartfelt tale of resilience, silent sacrifices, and the quiet strength it takes to rise while the world expects you to beg. Andra doesn’t just carry a child—she carries generations of hope, pain, and the fierce will to never be a story of failure.

What She Carried

Chapter Thirty-One: Steel Toes and First Impressions

The sun had barely risen when Andra stepped off the matatu and walked into the gates of AxisBuild Constructors Ltd., the private construction firm where she'd landed her internship. Her boots were stiff, borrowed from a cousin, and the hard hat perched awkwardly over her braids. A part of her felt like a child playing grown-up.

The reception area smelled of concrete dust and freshly printed blueprints. Posters of completed mega structures and highway projects covered the walls, showcasing what AxisBuild prided itself on—precision and power. Andra swallowed hard.

She turned. A tall man in navy overalls extended a hand. "I'm Engineer Matata. I'll be supervising your attachment. You're in Site Management and Civil Drafting for the next twelve weeks."

Andra shook his hand, trying to appear more confident than she felt. "Nice to meet you, sir."

The first week was overwhelming. Every tool had a name she struggled to remember. Rebars, formworks, slump tests, cube molds, pile caps—it was a different language. Andra found herself silently repeating terms at night like bedtime prayers. She scribbled notes in her small black notebook and took pictures when she could, pretending she wasn't panicking every time someone asked her a question.

Her supervisor wasn't cruel, but he didn't sugarcoat anything either.

"This site won't slow down for you, Summers," he told her when she mixed the wrong ratio of sand to cement. "If you want to survive in this field, get your math right."

By the end of the second week, her back ached, her nails were ruined, and she'd cried once in the ladies' bathroom. But she hadn't quit.

Kingsley, staying with her parents in Kitale during the internship, became her motivation. Every evening, she'd call and listen to him tell her about his new toy car or how he helped his grandma plant sukuma wiki. He always ended with, "I miss you, Mommy."

"I miss you more," she'd whisper into the receiver, tears often threatening to fall.

In her third week, things started to click.

She could read site plans without blinking. She spotted errors in leveling. When Engineer Matata handed her the task of supervising a foundation slab pour, she didn't freeze. She gave clear, respectful instructions to the workers, double-checked the bar placement, and stayed alert throughout the job.

"You're improving," Matata admitted that Friday.

"Thank you," she said, surprised at how proud she felt.

One evening after a 10-hour shift, she sat outside the small hostel the firm provided for interns, her boots kicked off, eating bread with avocado.

She'd learned, painfully, that motherhood made a woman grow up—but fatherhood didn't always do the same to a man. So she didn't expect much anymore.

When she turned in her first internship report draft, the firm's HR manager called her in.

"Your technical writing is clear, and you've documented site activities well," the manager said. "But can I be honest?"

"You have more potential than you think. Don't let school end your learning. This field needs women like you."

Andra smiled. Not because she believed it entirely, but because, for the first time in a long time, someone did.