Chapter 7 - Loss
Saka POV
Semester 2 has ended. I wasn't the top student here like I was back home, but at least I was among the college students with above-average achievements. Besides, working allowed me to save money. Once I had a laptop, I could set aside my money for other needs. Sometimes Arjuna let me pay for the food we ordered when we went out together, though he still paid for most of it.
I already told Dad that I would be coming home late during the Semester 2 break. We junior students would finally get to climb a mountain with the other members of the Outdoor Club. Mount Magelung this time. At 1,745 meters above sea level, Magelung would be the first mountain Arjuna and the other beginners joining us had ever climbed. Magelung was deliberately chosen because its trail wasn't too steep and was relatively safer. I myself had often climbed mountains higher and more challenging than Magelung, but this was still my first time climbing as a college student with my best friend, Arjuna. I'd already brought some of my climbing gear here when I went home for the last semester break. I'd buy the rest with my savings while accompanying Arjuna to buy his own equipment.
The day after tomorrow was the day we'd been waiting for. My hiking pack had been ready since yesterday, and so had Arjuna's at his boarding house. We'd leave before dawn on a university bus to Desa Magelung, hike for around five hours, then return after camping overnight at the summit. After arriving in Sibaru, I would go home to Winota the following day, while Arjuna and Saskia, who was waiting for him at his boarding house, would go home together to Palagan.
I stretched out on my bed, looking around my boarding-house room. It was more furnished than when I'd first come here. Besides the laptop and printer on my desk, I'd been able to buy two pairs of shoes, which now decorated the shoe rack by the door. There was also a small cabinet shelf for storing books and other supplies. Yeah, living away from home had taught me a lot. I had to be good at dividing my time between college, studying, working, doing other chores like washing and ironing clothes, and going out. So far, I was enjoying it, even though I often missed the atmosphere back home.
The phone ringing shattered my reverie. My younger sister Sita's name appeared on the screen. “Hello...” "..............................." “What? When? ... And how is Dad now? Mom?” "............................." I switched the voice call to a video call. My father was lying in a hospital bed. His face looked weak, but he was still smiling. Dad had just been in an accident. It wasn't serious, Sita said, but his leg was fractured and he needed treatment at the hospital. I could see bruises on his face. Dad told me not to worry, but Mom asked me to come home. Of course I would. I'd be more useful at home.
After talking with Dad and Mom, I ended the call. The first thing I did was book a train ticket home to Winota. The fastest train would leave the next day at four in the morning. That was the one I chose. After receiving the electronic ticket, I set my phone down, went to the closet, pulled out my backpack, and started packing clothes. I had to get home right away. Dad was hardly ever sick, let alone sick enough to be hospitalized. Mom and Sita must have panicked earlier. I stared at my backpack, my mind blank. What else was I supposed to bring home? Why was I packing so many clothes when I still had plenty at home? I took some of them back out and carelessly shoved them into the closet. What else? Oh... my laptop. I went to the desk and looked at a few other things. I put my laptop, charger, and several books inside. I closed my backpack again and set it on the desk. That's when I saw my hiking pack in the corner. I had to call Arjuna.
“Ar... I can't go to Magelung the day after tomorrow. My dad was in an accident.” "............................." “His leg is fractured. I have to go home. Mom and my sister need me.” "...................................." “Are you still going to Magelung? You can come with me on the next climb?” ".................................." “You sure?” "................................" “Okay, then. Be careful... I'm sorry I can't go climbing with you after all.” "..........................." “I'll leave tomorrow morning. Thanks, Ar... Be careful.”
That was all Arjuna and I talked about that night. If only I'd known it would be my last conversation with him.
I was sitting in Dad's hospital room watching television when it was almost noon. My friends must have nearly reached the summit by now. There were probably tons of photos they'd sent to the WhatsApp group. How was Arjuna? He must have been thrilled. There would be plenty of photos for Saskia to use as painting references. I picked up my phone from the table and searched for the Outdoor Club group in my WhatsApp app.
There were plenty of photos, but they came with conflicting reports. I scrolled while reading the messages that had piled up one by one. Cold sweat broke out across my forehead and the back of my neck. A college student named Arjuna Atma Widjaya had slipped. I scrolled all the way down, but there was still no clarity. I sent a message, and several people replied almost immediately. They all confirmed that the person who had slipped was indeed Arjuna, and that they were currently working on the evacuation. The climb had been canceled. They hadn't even made it halfway to the summit of Magelung. My body swayed; luckily, I was sitting in a chair with a backrest. My hands trembled as I searched for Arjuna's number and called him. There was no ringing tone, even though my other friends still had a signal. I tried calling someone else. Most of them didn't answer; only Dodit picked up, his voice breaking up because of the bad signal.
“Yeah, Saka... Arjuna fell... went off the hiking trail... slipped. I don't know... I hope he's okay.”
That was all I could hear clearly. I didn't know how long I sat there in silence before someone entered the room—a nurse who was going to check my father's blood pressure. I moved to the sofa and lay down. I hoped Dad would fall back asleep because my mind wasn't here right now. Why had Arjuna gone off the trail? I should have stopped him from going. Wasn't anyone else with him? Someone to remind him? Shouldn't that someone have been me? My thoughts grew more crowded. Please don't let it be him... please let this be nothing but false news. I hoped he was okay. Then I remembered something that made my body go cold again, even colder than before. Saskia. Did she know yet? Should I call her? What was I supposed to say to her? The news wasn't certain yet. I had to wait for the next update. I didn't want Saskia to grieve over something that might not happen. I closed my eyes, hoping this was only a dream.
When I opened my eyes, the clock on the hospital wall read 11:45. I'd slept for almost an hour. I remembered dreaming that I was climbing a mountain with Arjuna and Saskia. Saskia was hugging her canvas and painting as usual. This time, she was painting the clouds while looking at them directly. Arjuna and I sat there, playing with the grass in front of us. Everything in my mind had been pleasant until I remembered what had happened earlier. It wasn't a dream. How could I have fallen asleep in the middle of something like this? I sat up and looked at my phone's still-dark screen. Torn between doubt and worry, I turned it on. There were tons of notifications. I opened a chat message from Dodit. It was a photo of the evacuation effort, with a body bag being carried by the evacuation workers. Arjuna had been found dead... Still unwilling to believe it, I opened every message that had come into my phone until my hands could no longer hold it properly. It really was Arjuna. One photo showed his shoes. I remembered how happy he'd been to buy those shoes with me a few days earlier. They were special hiking shoes, incredibly expensive. They should have protected him from something like this.
I looked at my father, who was still asleep. It would soon be lunchtime, and Mom usually came to take my place then. Why hadn't she come yet? I wanted to go home. I wanted to... I didn't know what I wanted. All I knew was that I didn't want to be here with Dad. Why wasn't I crying? I only felt nauseous. I thought of Saskia, but I couldn't call her. Maybe later, when I was home. Did she know about the news yet?
Even after I got home that night, I didn't call Saskia. I stopped looking at my phone, which kept receiving message notifications. All my friends knew that Arjuna was my best friend and that I was the one who had invited him to climb Magelung. They sent their condolences, but I didn't cry. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. They should send those messages to Arjuna's family instead. Had Arjuna made it home yet? How was his family? How was Saskia? Saskia...