Lida || Lida || Romadov

A light burned in the window of a ninth-floor apartment, like a lonely lighthouse on a night sea. It was their one-room apartment, their little world, where they lived—a young couple whose lives were just beginning to intertwine. The clock was inexorably approaching midnight, and the kitchen was bustling with activity.

"Kolya, our fridge is empty!" came the girl's clear, slightly alarmed voice. She stood by the open door, peering into the gaping emptiness. Indeed, the fridge was empty, as if a mouse had hanged itself, leaving behind only the pitiful remains of cheese and a tube of ketchup.

Kolya, her boyfriend, appeared in the doorway. His expression expressed bewilderment, mixed with a hint of fear. "What, empty? I was buying groceries..." he hesitated, remembering. "A week ago. Shit, I'm hungry. I can't live long without food..."

The girl sighed, but a spark of determination had already lit in her eyes. "I should have kept an eye on him... Okay, we'll figure something out now."

All the meager supplies were laid out on the table. Rummaging through the drawers, they discovered everything they needed for the dough: flour, yeast, salt, sugar. The solution presented itself – pizza.

While the girl deftly kneaded the dough, turning it into a pliable, elastic ball, Kolya enthusiastically grated the remaining cheese. A couple of minutes later, the pizza base was ready. The dough was rolled out, generously spread with ketchup, and then generously sprinkled with cheese. All this splendor went into the preheated oven.

Kolya, throwing his oven mitts on a chair, looked at his companion with a satisfied smile. His voice sounded smug, but there was also a hint of genuine pride in it: "Well, I'm a cook, of course..."