Button Love

He’d been chewing on his button again. He knew he shouldn’t his mother had shouted at him enough, his father slapped him.

‘Stop chewing your buttons, you’re ruining your clothes and we don’t have money to buy new ones!’

‘Stop chewing on your buttons, it’ll make your teeth grow funny!’

‘Stop chewing on your buttons, you’re not a baby any more!’

‘Stop chewing your buttons, you’ll swallow one one day and choke!’

Shouting, shouting, SHOUTING. Originally it had been his parents screaming at each other that made him reach for the solace of a button. But then it was his older sister joining in the arguments, making things worse.

So sodden material pressed against his cheek, the hard comfort of the button in his teeth, a snotty running nose and crying eyes got him through the painful noise.

And now, as an adult faced with his problems he still reached quietly for the quiet emotional prop when he was alone. This time as the tears ran down his face, as breathlessness turned his face purple and desperate retching wouldn’t work one childhood shout returned to haunt him.

‘Stop chewing your buttons, you’ll swallow one one day and choke!’