Hierarchy

It was a Saturday in 1977, and a group of four people was outside the Army General Hospital in Benfica, Rio de Janeiro, waiting to visit the Colonel's mother-in-law, who was hospitalized.

According to hospital rules, only two people could enter at a time. The Colonel and one daughter went in, while the other daughter stayed with her boyfriend, smoking a cigarette by the door near the sentinel soldier.

About 15 minutes passed when a breathless man arrived, eager to enter. He had heard that his son or daughter was born and wanted to see the baby and his wife, but in his hurry, he had forgotten the necessary documents and “pass.”

The sentinel stopped the man while the “barred” couple looked on, thinking:

“Well, we’re not the only ones being turned away.”

They even prepared to offer a cigarette to the new dad when, from inside, the sergeant who was supervising everything in an air-conditioned room rushed out, and to the surprise of the sentinel and the observing couple, he quickly allowed the man to enter without any formalities.

Facing the disapproving looks from the three, the sergeant, pretending to speak only to the sentinel, with a serious and solemn voice, unaware of the “blunder,” explained:

“He's the father of the general's grandchild!”

Miguel Fernández y Fernández

Engineer and columnist.

1,195 characters. Written in September 2024.