Moses never did meet Deb's sons till the day before he flew out; but all the exciting things he did with Kyme over those next few days more than made up for it. They saw amazing buildings, great exhibitions, and top class sporting events; but the best part was just being with Kyme. His real father was regarded as "dead" because of the murder, but Moses now had two others to take the place, one in America and one here in Australia.
He attended an Australian Quaker "meeting" on Sunday the same day that he met Deb's two sons. Kyme had explained that the meeting would be held totally in silence, unless God gave someone something to share with the rest of the meeting. The idea of God talking through someone in the meeting was exciting, and Moses wondered what He would say.
"A whole hour, and all they said was that there's goin' ta be a parade next week?" Moses complained when he was alone with Kyme after the meeting.
"That's not a message from God; it's an 'ouncement."
Kyme reminded him that the man who made the announcement had asked Friends to pray for the festival ("Hold it in the light" was how he put it.) because it would be the first time the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras was held in September, and organisers were fearful that it would not be as successful as it had been in previous years. Quakers were keen Mardi Gras supporters.
"It's still not a message from God," Moses argued, and Kyme decided not to push the point.
Todd and Michael, Deb's sons, rolled out of bed for a late lunch at her house after the others had returned from the meeting for worship. The boys were polite and friendly, but not particularly interested in Moses or where he was coming from. Moses tried to discuss global warming with them, but they showed little interest apart from some private joke about burning a pot, that Moses could not make sense of.
The brothers left after lunch to meet up with their friends, but Moses didn't mind, because he and Kyme were going to tour a big old sailing ship in Darling Harbour before watching a movie on a screen that was bigger than the biggest house he had ever seen. Kyme said that things on the screen would jump out at them like they were real, and they certainly did! Moses wore special paper glasses to get the effect.
On Monday, Kyme arrived quite early to take him to the airport, for the flight back to Nairobi. Kyme had taken time off work during the previous week, in order to be with Moses and he had to be back in Newcastle by midday. Kyme agreed to send used stamps and to stay in touch by mail and phone. In addition, he gave Moses several hundred dollars in cash for Amy. He placed it in a money belt which Moses could wear under his shirt. The rest of Kyme's gift was sent by electronic transfer.
Without a doubt, it had been the best week of Moses' young life, and he went over and over it in his mind on the way home. He now had two very special friends, and through text messaging he could afford to contact both Kyme and Ray at least once a week.
The welcome from Amy was a huge improvement on her reaction when Moses had returned from Chicago. She actually broke down in tears as she thanked him.
"I don't know why you're thanking me, Amy," he said. "I should be thanking you. You won't believe all the things Kyme and me did." Amy did believe, of course, because she had been raised in Australia; but it was very different for Rosy. Rosy found it hard to even picture what Moses was talking about, much less decide whether or not he had made it up. Nevertheless, he talked about it all for weeks after that, giving Rosy a better picture of what life was like outside of their village.
*
By December, when Moses turned 15, things were looking very good for him and his sister. Work on the foundation for their new house had begun; they were eating better; and Moses had started taking one day a week off to do "studies".
He read everything he could get his hands on, including some magazines that Deb and Kyme had given him just before he left Australia. What he learned through reading the articles on global warming made him something of a local expert on that and other environmental issues, which he often discussed with his customers and other bodaboda drivers. Moses faithfully passed the postage stamps on to Amy, but he treasured the handwritten letters and regular text messages he received from Kyme and Ray, as though they were coming from his own father.