The countdown to Peru: Dad's birthday and the big departure

Peruso pushed his chair back, the wooden leg scraping across the floor. His father's birthday had begun like many of his days: with quiet chaos that slowly escalated. The suitcases were piled up in the hallway as if someone was trying to build a barricade. His mother was rushing frantically back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room while his father cut the small chocolate cake.

"One piece for you, one for me, and the rest for the trip," his father said with a half-hearted grin before taking a bite of his piece.

Peruso watched him. "Wait, Dad, I have something for you too." He pulled a carefully folded piece of paper out of his pocket. On it was written in scrawled letters: 'A day without Peruso stress.' His father laughed, the first real laugh of the morning.

The Plan: A Journey Through the Night

The family would be leaving in less than 24 hours, at an hour not meant for humans. Three in the morning. Darkness would weigh heavily on the city, as if the world had decided to sleep a few more hours. Peruso, however, knew sleep was not an option.

"Amsterdam is the first stop," his father explained as he shoved the last bite of cake into his mouth. "From there we go straight to Lima. That's the capital, Peruso."

“Will there be cheese?” Peruso asked innocently.

His father frowned before he understood. "This is in the Netherlands. There is no cheese festival in Lima, but I promise you, something better is waiting for you there."

Inka Cola: The Liquid Gold

The relatives who would pick them up in Lima had already prepared for their arrival. In addition to warm hugs and a crowded car, an invaluable reward awaited them: ice-cold Inca Cola.

Peruso had heard of this yellow liquid, which was almost a national treasure in Peru. It was sweet, fizzy, and the perfect mix of sugar and magic - at least that's how his father had described it.

"Inca Cola is the best thing you'll ever drink," he had said. "Forget cola, forget lemonade. This is Peru in a bottle."

“And the relatives really bring this with them?”

"Of course. But be quick. Your aunts and uncles love it as much as you do."

The last hours

His father's birthday was the last moment of calm before the storm. The family was preparing for the trip, but for Peruso the adventure had already begun.

The suitcases grew heavier, the tension grew, and Peruso wondered if he could really be satisfied with a single Inca Cola. Morning came quickly, and with it the darkness of the airport. The world would still be asleep, but Peruso knew that the journey would begin - with a sip of ice-cold magic.