We were a family of three siblings, living in a small apartment next to our grandparents’ house. Every night, my grandfather had a ritual: he’d open a medium-sized glass bottle of Pepsi and, with near-perfect precision, pour the 300ml of liquid into three small glasses—100ml in each—one for each of us.

Nowadays, glass bottles are a thing of the past, and there are, I believe, three or four additional Pepsi flavors besides the original. I rarely drink soda anymore, but when I do, I always choose original-flavor Pepsi. Instantly, it takes me back to the past—to those moments where three little children would watch, from the kitchen table, a kind and gentle man carefully pour out three perfect glasses of soda.

What seemed like such a simple ritual became one of the most unforgettable memories of my childhood and a tender reminder of my grandfather, who left this world many years ago.