Seven Green Beans

(by Kay Douglas)

I’m six years old, sitting at the kitchen table in a small town in northeastern Indiana, and I’m not happy.

The evening meal is supposedly finished, but I'm still staring down at my plate, at the seven evil canned green beans that, while not staring back, are still mocking me.

My parents have labeled me a "picky eater,” and my mom is convinced that by forcing me to try a new vegetable every week, I will overcome this stigma. So every week it's seven something. Seven canned green beans. Seven canned lima beans. Seven canned peas.