The day was approaching when Bobby would become a real man. He was about to undergo compulsory military service after graduating from school. Often in his thoughts he repulsed this stormy date with reluctance and fear, because he had heard many bad things that happen to recruits in the army. His older friends who had served in the military were tell ingof humiliation and ridicule from old dogs, of performing uncharacteristic duties, of miserable conditions, of repeating the same orders, and all sorts of other nonsense. He didn't feel at all good from these prospects, but he had to become a real man, didn't he? In addition, he was obliged to alleviate the financial situation of the family and, above all, of his beloved mother Sasha. She, the lovely one, became a widow at the age of 40 and took on all the responsibilities of supporting her two sons. Sasha was like an eagle, she went to work all day and came back exhausted in the evening, but she always had the strength to cook them something delicious and provide them with a normal life. Although she was a young widow, she had no relationship with another man after the death of his father and devoted herself entirely to her children. Bobby had a strong love and great respect for her and did not want to disappoint her for anything in the world, much less show himself as a weak man. What was his anguish compared to the difficult path his mother had gone through? So he had to grit his teeth and push these two years into the army.
Bobby sat in the chair in the hair salon and ordered to female hairdresser to cut his bare head. She smirked, as if taking some kind of sadistic pleasure, picked up the trimmer and began. He saw in the mirror how the beautiful brown hair disappeared from his head strand by strand and fell to the ground. He thought that she would then be swept away with the broom and thrown somewhere, but he gripped the backs of the chair tightly and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw that a completely different person was standing opposite him. Supposedly the same boy, with the same features and the child's naive green eyes, but somehow completely different man. It was as if he had aged exactly two years.
Here the day has come. Bobby was carrying a large suitcase with the essentials - several pairs of socks, underwear, tank tops, sweaters and toiletries. Such were the instructions from the heads of the military unit. All his civilian clothes would be taken from him after crossing the checkpoint, so he had dressed as casually as possible. He wouldn't see those rags for two years when he was going to be fired anyway, so he didn't really care. He stepped timidly, heard an officer shout his name, and continued with slow steps forward into the uncertain future.
On the evening of the same day, after all the fuss about recruiting the platoon, distributing military clothing, enlisting a personal weapon Kalashnikov assault rifle (AK-47) and placing the recruits in a dormitory, Bobby settled on the windowsill and stared into the darkness. Far behind the stone fence that separated the military unit from civilization, he could see the lights of the street lamps flickering, he imagined people walking freely, he could hear human conversations, dog barking, children's laughter, but shook his head to banish those images.He had to last 45 days until the military oath was passed. Then all recruits would receive a garrison leave, carefully entered in the personal military book under the abbreviation "GO". Those two lowercase letters sre the sweetest thing while you you are in military service.
The daily life in the barracks was monotonous and repetitive to the point of nausea. Getting up early, breakfast, listening to the national anthem and raising the national flag, physical exercises, drills, running a few kilometers, then lunch and afternoon rest, and then lectures on military training, sweeping, cleaning, washing corridors with soap and water, dinner, listening to the national anthem and lowering the national flag, and finally returning to the dormitories for bed. The only pleasant occupation was when on certain days they were taken by trucks to the shooting range, where they shot at targets with machine guns under the expert orders and instructions of the commander.
After the first few days, Bobby began to get used to reality and got to know to a certain extent the boys with whom he was assigned to the dormitory. Some of them were just like humorous characters from movies and Bobby thought that they had a future as actors if they started studying at the theater academy after the barracks.
Ivan, whose bed was closest to his, came from a small town. He didn't have a sharp mind, but he had huge biceps and could deadlift 100 kilos in the blink of an eye. To their surprise, the boys found out that Ivan had practiced cycling. They joked that he didn't ride the bike, but ran with it on his shoulder. Ivan did not take offense to the jokes, he was calm and meek, like a ruminant animal.
Zheko, whose father was a colonel in another military unit and because of this fact enjoyed the favor of the platoon commander, had an almost square head. He became famous for his constant complaints that something hurt him and if someone paid more attention to him, he would certainly become an anatomist. He also repeated dozens of times a day: "What will my father say? Will I feel like scolding? It was a strange bird.
Neycho was small in stature, which corresponded to his zero intelligence. He had a small funny moustache, which additionally gave him a silly look. I don't know how Neycho had managed to get a few erotic magazines with his luggage and the boys often gathered around him in the evenings to look at and comment enthusiastically on the photos of the naked girls. It was always very cheerful around Neycho.
Tsetso was from some downtrodden village on the back of geography. A cute boy with endless blue eyes and a slight worry that he comes from the deep countryside. After all, he was well-read, understood quickly and had a good sense of humor. He often said: "I am Father Tsetso from the fourth corridor, America! - a hint that specifically in the sport of swimming, the greatest champions always put them to swim in the fourth swimming corridor. He had self-confidence and believed that he would achieve great things in life.
Joro was definitely the most comical figure in the dormitory. His face had a tortured and bored look, as he had just turned 65 years and would be getting his retirement certificate from the insurance institute tomorrow. A chubby young man with slow reflexes. He was lazy about everything and with difficulty carried out the orders of the commander. He moved slowly and leisurely, and gave the impression that at any moment he would lie down and fall asleep. Sometimes he jokingly said: "I'm too lazy to sleep, because if I fall asleep, I'll dream that I'm walking!" Joro was the black sheep in the platoon. He couldn't do even one bar pull. The chin of his head reached the bar, but there was no strength and most of all desire for more. Just in the sublimated moment before climbing over the bar, his hands began to tremble like boiled macaroni, and combined with the bored look on his face, this caused a storm of laughter in everyone. Joro could not run even 100 meters. He stopped somewhere around the fiftieth meter with his tongue sticking out and swam all over in sweat, as he had run a marathon at an Olympic Games. Because of him, every day the platoon received several punishments from the commander. Nevertheless, Joro had one great dignity. He came from a very wealthy family and was the only boy who had a serious girlfriend out there in civilization.
On the half-collapsed shelf in the bedroom, right in the middle, Joro placed a large photo frame with a photo of his boyfriend. Bobby and the other boys took advantage of the moment when Joro went to the toilet and curiously studied the photo closely. A blonde girl with a large face, a wide nose and a dimple on her chin was looking at them from her, and what surprised them most was the fact that the girl had the same bored and casual look as Joro's. By all accounts, she was not the first beauty, but as is well known in life - the eyes of a lover see differently. Every morning before going out on the parade ground, Joro went in front of the photo, kissed it, caressed it tenderly and reluctantly went outside. In the evening, he lay down on the bed, fixed her eyes on the photo and froze in a sweet enchantment. Before falling asleep, he got up, kissed the photo again and turned off the lights. He often brought small flowers, mostly celandine, violets and dandelions, found during the day and placed them carefully in front of and around the photo. Joro shared that this was the woman of his life, that they would get married and dream of having 4 children. At first, this behavior caused teasing, jokes and a lot of giggling from the boys, but although the days until the military oath passed slowly, like a donkey that stubbornly moves on a bridge, Joro continued to strictly observe his ritual with the photo. Bobby noticed how, as time passed, the guys began to show great respect and the girl in the photo became their mascot. They also began to bring small flowers every day and put them in front of the photo, and when they left the room, they looked at the photo for good luck, wished for some things in their minds and it became easier for them. Imperceptibly, the place around the photo on the shelf looks exactly like an Altar.
The day before the military oath was taken, the Altar had tripled in size. Other boys from the platoon came in front of him, leaving notes with wishes, small padlocks with hearts, braided wreaths of flowers and other small objects. From their weight, the shelf could collapse at any moment, but most believed in the mysterious power of the blonde and that she would not allow this. Only Bobby had his feet firmly on the ground and was looking forward to seeing the cherished inscription in the military book "GO" to see his mother. Although he was 18 years old, he was clearly aware that there were two women in every man's life - the mother who gave birth to you and made you a man with morals and principles, and the great proven love he hoped to meet in the future. It seemed unreal to him what was happening around the Altar and this mass psychosis, but he tried to keep his composure.
The military oath was successful. Everyone kissed the flag, swore to serve the motherland and protect it from enemies when necessary. The moment came when the rookies had to go to "GO". Bobby spotted his mother beyond the fence and quickened his pace eagerly. He saw the tears in her eyes, but at the same time they radiated maternal approval and pride. Then Bobby realized that he had already become a real man.
After the hug he received from the most precious person in his life, he looked around to see where his comrades in arms were. Joro stood frozen like an iceberg with a large bouquet of flowers, waiting for his beloved. The other boys had stood behind him, hoping to see the Altar girl, the image they had created in their imaginations that had sustained them in their worst moments. Bobby wasn't about to fuss anymore and set off with his mother for the nearest diner. He had so many things to tell her.
When he returned from "GO" the next day and entered in a dormitory, he was surprised to find that there was no sign of Altar. The photo frame with the girl's picture was missing, and the bookcase was tilted to one side, ready to collapse. All the boys were in the room except Joro. They had been leaning over the new batch of erotic magazines sneaked in by Neicho. They giggled and exchanged their usual banter. Bobby approached them puzzled and asked:
- Guys, what happened to the Altar?
Neicho answered in surprise:
- Haven't you heard? The Altar Girl did not appear. When we came here there was nothing. Zero. I found this in the trash...
With a jerky gesture, Neicho reached into his nightstand and pulled out the few remaining intact pieces of the torn photo of the girl.
