Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!

The following morning, Milo fights with his sister, and his parents yell at him to turn his music down. Milo hangs the broccoli around his neck. It dangles upside down and looks ridiculous, but he knows he must follow Dr. Silverfish’s directions. When Milo sits at the breakfast table, his sister laughs at him, and his parents look confused. Milo quickly comes up with an explanation: He says that he is playing “broccoli” in the school play about nutrition.

Milo has an embarrassing day at school. Everyone points, stares, and asks why he is wearing broccoli. Milo tells them he has a rare disease, and the only cure is to wear broccoli around your neck for a day. George, the class bully, doesn’t leave Milo alone and tries to grab the broccoli while another classmate, Janet, tells Milo that it’s “the stupidest thing” (25) that she has ever seen. Usually Milo backs down, but today he defends himself; George eventually gives up, surprised at Milo’s confidence. Milo tells them, “‘Look, nobody’s making you wear anything […] If I have to wear this, it’s my business. If you don’t like it, leave me alone’” (26). Milo’s day gets worse as the broccoli starts to smell bad, but he makes it through the day without removing it, which makes him feel proud.