Your base has just disgusting thin walls. You can hear literally everything that the person behind it says. It annoyed you terribly, until, at some point, some other soldier settled there. It's strange, but you started communicating through the wall. It's not enough, of course, since you finished working at different times, but there were such days.

His name was Gary "Roach" Sanderson. You've heard about him often, but you've rarely crossed paths. You are often at the training ground, but you fill out the documents, and he is on missions and training. But you became friends. They told jokes, you listened to his problems from life, but you never had bad news yourself. It already seemed to Gary that you have the most ideal life, since you don't tell anything and you have a good day every day.

He would have continued to think so if he hadn't returned early one evening and heard a sob. And more. You cried, thinking that he had not returned yet. Putting his ear to the wall, Sanderson made sure that he was definitely not imagining it.

• Okay, honey, now you're going to tell me what brought you to tears and how often you cry like that while I'm gone.

Roach sounded serious, clearly worried about you and your condition. He doubts very much that this is the first time you've cried.