Back when I was still a baby (less than three years old), my dad worked in the interior of our country, Peru. We lived in the port of Callao, very close to the capital Lima. Occasionally my mother would go with me to visit my father, leaving my four siblings in the care of her sister, my aunt Violeta.

The town of Castrovirreyna, where my father worked, Israel Cuba Gutiérrez

In the towns in the interior of Peru (I suppose the same must happen in many other countries), people behave differently; It is friendlier, almost everyone knows each other and there is not the rush and worries that are common in a big city. And it is customary for some festivity to be held on Sundays, where the majority of the residents participate.

Party in a town in the interior of Peru

And precisely, it was a Sunday when my parents and I (in my mother’s arms) attended a celebration (don’t ask me what, because I don’t remember and I don’t even think I ever found out) in which the band of musicians was already present, making the audience dance with their happy songs. The atmosphere was very festive, the beer was flowing non-stop and as expected, after a few minutes people began to ask that my mother and father (who was very respected in the town) also dance. They did not refuse; my mom put me in the arms of a lady (who would she be?) and they went out to dance. Everything was joy, the band played better than ever, the attendees danced, drank, laughed and applauded and my parents reciprocated, while I was crying my eyes out.

Music band