5
I arrived at work at Division X that morning. Before breakfast at the employees’ cafeteria, I had managed to do my ten kilometers on skis, which I did every day, and I barely found a moment to rest, change my clothes, and catch my breath. At weekends I would do distances that were twice or three times longer, and also three times a week I would visit the gym and lift weights or hit a punching bag.
It was the fifth year since I had been conscripted into the army. Before that, I had spent several years working in a small rural clinic straight after graduating from medical school in Riga. I admit that I had thought myself unlucky with my assignment compared to my classmates, who went on to advanced studies or got jobs in clinics in Riga. However, by a twist of fate, the recruitment board,
