Fear of Cucumbers

Most people fear creepy crawlers or haunted objects that appear in the dark, but I fear the oddly colored, innocent looking vegetable—a cucumber. A vivid memory of being forced to eat one sticks with me every time I see or smell one. It was a normal night at the dinner table. My family ate mash potatoes, my favorite, and chicken. The house smelled of a warm thanksgiving aroma that drew you to the kitchen. I couldn't think of anything that could possibly make this dinner bad. My mom called my brother and I and within seconds we were both seated and waiting patiently for everyone one else. Once everyone had sat down I grabbed my fork and knife, ready to dig in. Without even noticing I dug into my mash potatoes. The smell of the thanksgiving meal had never smelt better. Bite after bite the meal got better and better. I continued to scarf down my meal until a hint of a smell I feared snuck its way over the thanksgiving aroma. I looked down at my plate in slow motion to see the innocent green vegetable staring at me. Instantly the tree bark, sour smell took over the tasty thanksgiving smell. I all of a sudden didn't feel so good. How could I have gone the whole meal without noticing the horrendous smell coming from the cucumbers? I looked at my mom who was biting down on her cucumber that instant. She loved cucumbers and always wished my brother and I did too. I reminded her that I hated cucumbers and that I was just going to throw them away so why would she put them on my plate. She stared at me and smiled and said, “Not tonight you aren’t. You are going to eat those cucumbers before you leave this table.” This was my worst nightmare. The smell was getting stronger by the minute and I started to feel light headed. My family began to finish up and leave the table. I sat there glaring at the cucumber that sat in the middle of my plate. I held my nose shut to block out the nasty smell. Three hours had passed and I hadn't even attempted to eat the stupid vegetable. My mom came back and gave me the option to eat it with another food that was left on the table. Then and there I wished I still had some leftover chicken or mash potatoes to accompany the cucumber as I ate it, but all that was left was carrots and grapes. I told myself to just forget about the smell and eat it as fast as I could. I threw it in my mouth and chewed as fast as I could. The texture gave me chills and I swallowed as quickly as I could. I shoved five grapes in my mouth to follow the cucumber, but nothing was making it better. I ran from the table straight to the bathroom where I brushed my teeth more than three times. I will never forget the torture of eating that cucumber that one night I thought was going to be the best dinner as it turned into the worst dinner ever.