Bagas never expected that he would go this far. In all his twenty-nine years, he had never left home to seek his fortune elsewhere. Compared to his friends, he had the least experience. Fear came rushing over him—fear that he wouldn’t be able to adapt to the urban environment. People always said that the capital would swallow you alive if you chose the wrong place to plant your feet. And yet he had chosen to leave home with a resolve that often wavered. In short, the road ahead of him had been built on a fragile foundation.
"Bro, Bagas doesn’t have to go, okay...? Nisa doesn’t have to go to college. Nisa can work for a year first and save up, so you don’t have to leave home."
If not for his younger sister, Nisa, he wouldn’t have gone anywhere. He would have chosen to stay in the village with whatever he had. But his sister deserved the opportunity he had never been given. He was reminded of himself back when he was a vocational high school student, dreaming of getting into a public university and becoming the first person in his family to attend college.
Well... dreams didn’t always come true. He had let go of that dream when cruel fate crushed his family so completely that they weren’t even given room to breathe. Although those darkest days had passed, Bagas was still in fighting mode. Just like the other people on this bus, each of whom had come and gone with their own struggles. He was one of them.
A phone call pulled Bagas back from his reverie. It was Bimo, the friend who had recommended him a job in the city. Why was his friend calling when he was already one step away from leaving? A bad feeling suddenly surfaced.
"How’s it going, Bim? I’m already on the bus to join you there."
The few seconds of silence from the other end only strengthened that ominous feeling. Bimo replied shortly afterward, beginning with a brief sigh.
"It’s nothing, Gas. I just wanted to let you know—the dorm doesn’t have any room left for you."
Sure enough, Bagas immediately panicked.
"Then what am I supposed to do, Bim? I barely have enough money to find a place in the city. It’s so expensive there."
"I can only offer you one solution, Gas. We can put you up for two or three days. A week at most, but you still have to find a place. I’m sorry."
Bagas sat there stunned. Ugh, why did this have to happen now? The bus was about to leave, and he had just received unexpected news like this. Where was he supposed to find a place that quickly—and more importantly... one that was cheap? Why did it have to happen so suddenly? But at the same time, he couldn’t bring himself to complain to Bimo. Bagas hated making people feel bad. It was completely at odds with his large, fairly muscular build. Besides, Bimo was the one who had helped him get the job.
"Okay, Bim. It’s all right. I’ll try to find a place first. Thanks for letting me know."
A name crossed his mind. A few days earlier, the two of them had exchanged messages after Bagas uploaded a photo of the many fish that had died in the fish cage where he worked to his messaging app status. Feeling sorry for Bagas, that person had offered him the job again—the one he had previously turned down—and then ended the conversation as usual. He really didn’t want to contact that number, but in the end, he did anyway. After all, surviving alone in an unfamiliar big city wasn’t easy.
Bagas typed a message to that name. It didn’t take long for a warm reply to come.
[I’ll ask a friend to find you a place first, okay? Let me know when you get to the city.]
Bagas pursed his lower lip. One problem was temporarily solved. He slipped his phone into his backpack, and at that moment, the conductor and driver boarded the bus. They announced that the bus would be leaving soon. At this point, Bagas no longer had the chance to change his mind. No matter what happened, he had to leave for the city.