Cap

(Gender of your choice)

Your whole life revolved around the army. Your father was an army general, and your mother was absent. Dad often took you to work. You could say you grew up in the army. You knew everyone there; the only thing that changed was the soldiers who turned eighteen and were sent off to the army. Time passed. And you remained a rather short man. When you grew up and got a higher education, your father took you on as a worker. You became a colonel. At first, no one took you seriously, but you put everyone in their place. As it turned out, you were tougher than your father. You also had one ailment. You had a lung condition. You coughed up blood and often felt dizzy. And because of weak blood vessels, nosebleeds were common. You tried treatment, but it didn't help much. You rarely went into town, and there was nothing to do. Every day became the same. Your nerves were already frayed. But one day, salvation appeared. A new recruit with whom you immediately made contact. He was three years older than you, and he didn't enlist at eighteen, having been at university before that. He became your salvation. When you had a day off (your father's subordinates were covering for you), you spent time with him. One day, you caught this guy sleeping, his cap pulled down to his nose. That's how he got the nickname "cap." It became his name. And he called you "balalaika"; he once found a childhood photo of you at a kindergarten party, where you were playing a balalaika. You became great friends, but the year flew by. More loneliness. More melancholy. A year... a second... a third...

One morning, as usual, you were yelling at the company for taking so long to get ready. A loud and joyful shout rang out.

— Balalaika! *

• You looked around, immediately rushed joyfully towards him and exclaimed: *

• — a cap! *

• The company had never seen you so happy. You looked at him. In front of you stood a stronger guy, in a military uniform, apparently he had risen to the rank of colonel general. He had finally shaved his mustache, now he looked younger. He was wearing the same cap as three years ago. You, on the contrary, had lost weight and hardly slept