Rama looked at Adnan Buyung and clapped when the lawyer said that no matter what happened, the process of reform must begin today. I studied Rama’s face; his features were twitching with evident emotion. The cause, I guessed, was not because of his breakup with Rininta or the glare he was now under as a result of his family’s “political hygiene.” I guessed it was because of his sense of belonging with this campus. Maybe.
He looked as if — how can I describe it? — as if he was proud to be part of what was happening. Were my eyes deceiving me?
Rama looked at me as if he wanted to say something but was reluctant to speak. Finally: “Lintang …”
“Yes …”
“Thank you.”
That was a true shock.
I sought the meaning for his expression of thanks and I think I found the answer. I nodded and took his arm, then told him that I was going to look for Alam. But just at that moment we heard an announcement roll off the loudspeakers that the people who were now on the campus grounds were not to leave through the main gateway. Apparently, right outside the main gate, a mass of unknown people had gathered and were egging on the students to fight. The students were becoming more restless, moving this way and that. Once again, anxiety suffused the air.
“What’s going on?”
“I heard that some people are setting fires.”
“Where?”
“Near the overpass.”
The speeches continued, but not in as orderly a fashion as before. From a distance I could see campus security officers trying to keep the students away from the main entrance and the unknown people outside. Not knowing Alam’s whereabouts, I too began to feel anxious there in the crowd by myself. I tried calling him on my cell phone but he didn’t answer. I then called Mita, who did. I was grateful to learn that she was still on campus. We promised to meet me ASAP outside the front door to the Syarief Thayeb Academic Building.
As I made my way there, I saw her coming toward me in the distance. “Mita!” I called out. And somehow, even with her loaded knapsack, she managed to run to me. I was overjoyed to see a face I knew.
“Where’s Alam?” she asked.
“I was just going to ask if you’d seen him. He went off earlier to find Rendra.”
“Well, most of the big shots just left. I saw them come down the elevator from twelfth floor. Where are Gilang and Agam?” Mita asked, looking at her wristwatch.
The yells of the crowd were growing louder. And then, suddenly, I couldn’t hear anything clearly at all; even the loud cries were drowned out by the sound of engines. At first I thought the source of the clamor was from a bulldozer or some other kind of machine outside the campus. But no, the sound was coming from the air. Everyone looked upwards. There were helicopters flying overhead. My God. One, two, three of them, green and dark gray in color. What were they doing, flying so low and circling over the middle of campus like that, as if they were in battle? A shiver went down my spine and my heart beat faster. Were they carrying machine guns? Or were they just showing off, trying to frighten the crowd as they circled around? I started to shake and I could see that Mita was nervous too.
“What’s going on?” I shouted at Mita as I grabbed her by the arm. “We have to find Alam and Gilang and the rest of the guys.”
As the helicopters continued to circle overhead, the students below grew all the more angry. Even if I could get through to Alam on the phone, I knew I wouldn’t be able to hear him over the roar of the helicopters. I concentrated on filming this mysterious incident instead.
When finally the helicopters did begin to leave the area, the students booed and waved their fists in the air. With the choppers’ tails still visible, I focused my lens on their identification numbers as they flew away. Who knows, maybe I could use this information at a later date. Just at that moment, we heard the sound of gunfire. One shot. Two. Then screams of surprise. And wails. Mita spontaneously pulled me down into a crouch. Everyone covered their heads and ducked. People started running in all directions. We heard some more shots. From the outside, coming in. Members of the student regiment yelled for everyone to move away from the perimeter of the grounds and to go inside the building. Students ran past us, throwing stones. Who knows where they’d found them. I now felt more afraid with that barrage of stones going over our heads towards the outside. Mita clutched my shoulder to prevent me from standing up because I was still trying to see what was going on.
“Don’t stand up, you dumbass!” Mita screamed at me while pushing my head down.
“It’s stopped, Mita. I want to see.”
We slowly stood and I quickly prepared to use my video camera. Mita kept grumbling that I was acting like a damned fool war correspondent. Thankfully, there didn’t appear to be anyone who had been hurt or wounded, but the students were swearing and shouting. What had that gunfire been about? Just to make people afraid. Quel imbécilité!
“Lintang, turn that thing off and get inside the building!” Mita shouted at me. The shooting had stopped. There was no sound except that of people running. Mita grabbed my hand and pulled me inside the lobby of the building. At that moment I caught sight of Gilang, Bimo, and Alam who were running in our direction. Finding me, Alam immediately embraced me and held me tightly. Suddenly, I felt so safe that I never wanted to part with him.
All together now, we quickly talked about what to do. Alam would drive Om Aji’s van. Mita had her motorcycle, but we weren’t going to let her go off alone.
“We’ll form a convoy,” Agam suggested.
“What’s the big fuss?” Gilang said. “Bimo comes in my jeep. Agam and Odi can take Mita’s bike, and Alam can take the girls in the van!”
Mita had her hands on her hips. “What girls are you referring to?”
“Oops, sorry, Mita. I meant ‘women.’” Gilang held up his two hands in submission.
As we were making our way to our respective vehicles, something else made us pause: Alam reported that a student guard had told him that hundreds or even thousands of people had congregated at various points along Kyai Tapa, the boulevard adjacent to campus that leads to the center of town. He said they had begun burning cars and were making their way towards the Tomang Plaza shopping center, very close by.
“So what do we do?” Bimo asked. “Wait till they pass or try to make our way through them?”
Not knowing how to read the situation, no one replied. No one knew what to do.
Alam told the rest of us to wait where we were for the moment. He would try to see what the situation was like outside and would be back in five minutes. No! I didn’t want to be separated from him again and I ran after him, ignoring Mita’s shouts for me not to follow.
“What are you doing coming with me? I’ll be right back.”
Alam seemed to intentionally pick up his stride.
“No, I’m coming with you!” I answered stubbornly as I struggled with my knapsack.
Alam took my knapsack from me and started to run. Near the front gate, we could see that the crowd of people who had amassed outside the campus gate earlier had begun to drift away. Alam questioned two student guards. They gave him an answer similar to the news he had heard previously: cars were being set afire and unknown groups of men were commandeering trucks and public mini-vans. The guards pointed towards a cloud of smoke whose source we couldn’t see. The situation seemed to be getting out of hand. I squeezed Alam’s hand as hard as I could, wanting to sew his hand to mine.
“Thanks!” Alam said as he hugged the younger men who remained standing there steadfast.
He then looked at me and gave me a little smile for having squeezed his hand so tightly.