Went with both three girls to the house, to plant some trees. Two birches, four apricots and a curvy willow. The weather was foreboding of spring, and we picked exactly this leap day to do this, so we'd remember. The curvy willow withered the same summer.
That evening there was some talk about another possible delivery of war invitations. The family council decided I'd better not sleep at home, so I took the car and went to sleep in the unfinished house. Didn't have any furniture there - not even the floors. There was the roof and the windows and doors were in place, with the 15cm of space beneath the doors for the future in-floor heating and insulation. Didn't stay all night because I just couldn't sleep. These guys would usually finish by midnight or so, by which time they would just have delivered a sufficient number of summons. The legality of it was very doubtful, as one would allegedly go to maneuvers of the reserve, and then in the morning find himself a volunteer in the army in Croatia.
In my case, there wouldn't be any legality in a quick summons, because I was dismissed some sixteen months ago, my connoitering unit was disbanded, and I'd have to have a regular invitation weeks in advance if I was to be assigned to a new one. Gathering guys at midnight would be legal in case of general mobilization, which is legal in case it's publicly announced and country is officially in a war - which the government officially vehemently denied. So guys were dragged into a war in which our country wasn't engaged... thanks, but I'd skip that party.
p.s. Twenty eight years later, there were still the two apricots and the rear birch, the one close to Juliška's garage. We had to cut the other birch in 2013. The apricots aren't doing too well either - the one on the hill withered when its roots didn't grow fast enough through all that clay to reach the fertile black soil beneath. The one by the birch suffered a lot when Faik's daughters brought their goat too close, on Aleksa's lot, and it grazed most of the branches. By the time it recovered to an extent, it was too late, the other apricot and the birch already had crowns above it, so it dried too.
The big wallnut in the middle was too big, and they had to grow away from it. But they are standing and still bear fruit - small, early, not much, not every year, but just enough to matter. After the walnut lived out its time and we had to cut it, in 2021, the apricots started slowly reclaiming the middle ground. A good cultivar, those of today are selected to grow fast and bear fruit early and aplenty, then around eighth year they just die. These now last more than twenty years and just discard the old branches and grow new ones.
10-II-2013 - 11-VI-2026