Fixer Upper ..

Some people say, "Never say a famous last line."

That's quite ironic when only today I had told my students who were done with their Creative Writing class to "enjoy the rest of the day!", then, less than half an hour later, it all came crashing down on us.

And I mean literally crashing.

It was around 09:45am and I was sitting in the same classroom waiting for my 10am class. I had a book in my hands, Alex Crawford's 'Colonel Gaddafi's Hat' in which she recounts her experience in Libya during the Feb17 revolution. I had reached the chapter where she arrived in Misurata, observing the dire conditions of here at that time, and interviewing normal citizens who turned fighters. I was living the moments when she and her partner were surrounded by indiscriminate shelling, when I heard yelling from somewhere outside the building. 

'Colonel Gaddafi's Hat' - By Alex Crawford

Back in the days, a verbal skirmish like this was rarely taken seriously and there was no reason to worry that it might develop into something frightening. But now, it's entirely different. Even a glare can get you into trouble.

Then there was pounding on the main gate of the faculty. This was practically closed almost three weeks ago for 'security' reasons and no cars were allowed to park inside the university premises. So, whoever it was that had been causing the racket earlier seemed to want to bring the gate down with his car! This only took a couple of attempts, and I saw from the open door at the end of the corridor the tips of gate fly open!

Before I realized what was going on, there was gunfire. Yelling. More gunfire, but this time it was louder. Not just a normal gun; rather a shot gun!

Catching my breath, I closed my book and got to my feet. There was another blast. I wasn't sure whether to walk to the door to see what was happening or simply look out the window. But as the shots continued, I refrained. Girls were shouting nearby, their waiting lounge was on the ground floor directly below my classroom. 

The moment a thing like this occurs, your mind keeps spinning all the worst scenarios. Was there a crossfire? Was one of the girls injured, or any guy for that matter? Seeing that I was alone on the first floor, I had no form of solace. I called one of my colleagues who urged me to stay put as the wacko that barged in was still on the loose and men were trying to figure out how to stop him. I gathered my belongings and tried to figure out how and when I'd make it out (safely). The only exit was through the only door there was, which lead directly to the gate outside, so there was no going anywhere unless I flipped and jumped out the small balcony at the opposite end.

No, thank you.

The man kept yelling for someone to come out to him. You know, the way some macho guys do when they want to settle a dispute with someone? Exactly.

So, whoever that was, I pray he doesn't come face to face with this guy especially when he's loaded by all means. And with that, a few empty barrels showered on the thin roof overhead of me. His shooting seemed random and that meant I had to take cover. I knelt beside the table (I know I'm already short, but the table was so low I couldn't fit myself comfortably under it) and waited. Praying no one was hurt, that Allah would bestow sense into this lunatic and drive him away from us! 

I texted my siblings alerting them to avoid the vicinity at that time.

It was a matter of minutes when I heard the rumbling of a vehicle departing from the main gate, that sound and a few gunshots faded momentarily after.

There was the voices of people gradually clustering about. I took a deep breath and straightened. If he was gone then that was my chance to slip out before anything else happened! 

It was like seeing the light after being buried. Maybe that's an exaggeration, but, perhaps now that I look back, not really. Weak as they were, my legs managed to carry me all the way to the main building and up to our department, where scatters of ashen faced students and some teachers stood around perplexed. 

Some students already started leaving the faculty. I was in no way fit to give my 10 O'clock lecture, which was already ten minutes overdo. I suggested to my students to leave if they could as we were advised to by a male colleague, fearing that this invader might make a come back. 

A girl who had been in the girls' waiting room showed me photos she took on her iPad of the incident. The man, by far in his mid 20s, clad in jeans, white T-Shirt, dark shades and a cap, seemed more like posing in each image as he held up his shotgun at various locations. And his side kick — a white, mini pickup truck! 

Perhaps in an attempt to make them at ease, I proposed to some girls to write about what happened! I know. Bad timing? Heh.

And here I am doing it on their behalf. Putting it all in words. An attempt, as it may seem, to assist in a country's fixer upper .. per se.

Stay safe.

Hana S.

PS: I left shortly after I arrived at the department.

PPS: Yes, the guy came back again! With back up!