Member-only story
Buttons
Why I don’t like them
Have you ever heard of Koumpounophobia? Well, I have it. You will wonder why. Here is the explanation.
When my grandmother was a child, she did not have a lot of toys. Toys were expensive at the beginning of the 20th century, and only wealthy families could afford some. But as any child, she found a substitute for the beautiful dolls, teddy bears, and horses. She kept her treasure in two small metal boxes.
As a child, I did not have a lot of appetite. My grandma cooked for me and tried many things to make me eat. I was a very skinny girl and often had colds, throat aches, and stomach aches. So, eating more food has been essential to make me a bit stronger and more resistant.
One day, she cooked a wonderful vegetable soup for me. I liked the small pieces of carrots, potatoes and all kinds of vegetables in it. I ate it with pleasure, but my small stomach was quickly packed, and I could not empty my plate.
So she decided to show me her most significant treasure. She brought the two old metal boxes and put them on the dining table next to my plate of vegetables. Then she opened it and showed me the hidden objects in it. She came from a home of seamstresses, and she collected the most beautiful buttons. They were ancient and in all possible shapes and colors. She picked one of her favorites and held it in her hand just above my soup plate.
Suddenly, I imagined the buttons falling into the soup, and I would be made to swallow them. My stomach turned around, and even the little soup that I had already eaten came back up.
Since that day, I could not see any buttons anymore. I wanted to wear only clothes without buttons. They were banned from my life forever.
