Make this story dramatic and somewhat scary

Plate of Peas by Rick Beyer

My grandfather died when I was a small boy, and my grandmother started
staying with us for about 6 months out of every year. She lived in a room that doubled
as my father's office, and which we invariably referred to as "the back room." She
carried with her a powerful aroma. I don't know what kind of perfume she used, but it
was the double-barrel, 90 proof, knock down, render the victim unconscious, moosekilling variety.
She kept it in a huge atomizer and applied it frequently and liberally. It was
almost impossible to go into her room and remain breathing for any length of time.
When she would leave the house to go spend 6 months with my Aunt Lillian, my
mothers and sisters would throw open all the windows, strip the bedding and the
curtains and the rugs, and spend several days washing and airing things out, trying
frantically to make the pungent odor go away.
This, then, was my grandmother at the time of the pea incident.
It took place at the Biltmore Hotel, which to my eight-year-old mind was just
about the fanciest place to eat in all of Providence. My grandmother, my mother and I
were having lunch after a morning spent shopping. I grandly ordered a salisbury steak,
confident in the knowledge that beneath that fancy name was a good old hamburger
with gravy. When brought to the table it was accompanied by a plate of peas.
I do not like peas now. I did not like peas then. I have always hated peas. It is a
complete mystery to me why anyone would voluntarily eat peas. I did not eat them at
home. I did not eat them at restaurants. And I certainly was not about to eat them now.
"Eat your peas" my grandmother said.
"Mother," said my mom in her warning voice. "He doesn't like peas. Leave him
alone."
My grandmother did not reply, but she got that certain glint to her eye and grim
set to her jaw that signaled she was not going to be thwarted. She leaned in my
direction, caught my eye, and uttered the fateful words that changed my life.
"I'll pay you five dollars if you eat those peas."
I had absolutely no idea of the impending doom that was headed my way like a
giant wrecking ball. I only knew that five dollars was an ENORMOUS, nearly
UNIMAGINABLE amount of money, and as awful as peas were, only one plate of them
stood between me and the possession of that five dollars. I began to force the wretched
things down my throat.
My mother was livid. My grandmother had that self-satisfied look of someone
who has thrown down an unbeatable trump card. "I can do what I want, Ellen, and you
can't stop me." My mother glared at her mother. She glared at me. No one can glare like
my mother. If there were a glaring Olympics, she would undoubtedly win the gold
medal.
I, of course, kept shoving peas down my throat. The glares made me nervous,
and every single pea made me want to throw up, but the magical image of that five
dollars floated before me, and I finally gagged down the very last of them. My
grandmother handed me the five dollars with a flourish. My mother continued to glare in
silence. And the episode ended. Or so I thought.
My grandmother left for Aunt Lillian's a few weeks later. That night, at dinner, my
mother served two of my all-time favorite foods, meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Along
with them came a big, steaming bowl of peas. She offered me some peas, and I, in the
very last moments of my innocent youth, declined. My mother fixed me with a cold eye
as she heaped a huge pile of peas on my plate. Then came the words that were to
haunt me for years.
"You ate them for money" she said. "You can eat them for love."
Oh, despair! Oh, devastation. Now, too late, came the dawning realization that I
had unwittingly damned myself in a hell from which there was no escape.
"You ate them for money. You can eat them for love."
What possible argument could I muster against that? There was none. Did I eat
the peas? You bet I did. I ate them that day, and every time they were served thereafter.
The five dollars was quickly spent. My grandmother herself passed away a few years
later. But the legacy of the peas lived on, as it lives to this day. If I so much as curl my
lip when they are served (because after all, I still hate the horrid little things), my mother
repeats the dreaded words one more time.
"You ate them for money" she says. "You can eat them for love."
The tale of the Plate of Peas still sends shivers down my spine, a haunting memory that lingers in the depths of my being. It began innocently enough, with the passing of my grandfather and my grandmother's arrival to stay with us for half of every year. Her presence brought an overpowering scent that permeated the air—a scent so potent it could knock out a charging moose. The aroma, emanating from her enigmatic perfume, was stored in a colossal atomizer and liberally sprayed at every opportunity. Venturing into her room meant subjecting oneself to an assault on the senses, gasping for breath in the face of the overwhelming fragrance. Whenever she left to stay with Aunt Lillian, a frantic ritual ensued, involving open windows, stripped bedding, and days dedicated to washing and airing out the rooms in a desperate attempt to banish the lingering odor.

But it was during an ill-fated lunch at the Biltmore Hotel, a place I deemed the epitome of luxury in my eight-year-old mind, that the nightmare unfolded. Accompanied by my grandmother and mother, I indulged in what I thought was a sophisticated choice—a salisbury steak, a fancy name disguising a humble hamburger smothered in gravy. Alas, the innocent-looking dish arrived with an unwelcome companion—a plate of detestable peas.

Peas, those repulsive green orbs, were my nemesis. I detested them with every fiber of my being. Their slimy texture and bland taste baffled me, leaving me bewildered as to why anyone willingly subjected themselves to such culinary torment. I refused to consume peas at home or in restaurants, and I certainly had no intention of succumbing to them now.

"Eat your peas," my grandmother commanded, her voice carrying an ominous undertone.

"Mother," my mother interjected, her voice a warning. "He doesn't like peas. Leave him be."

My grandmother remained silent, her eyes glinting with a determined resolve, her jaw set in unwavering determination. Inclining herself toward me, she fixed her gaze upon my own and uttered words that would forever alter the course of my life.

"I'll pay you five dollars if you eat those peas."

At the time, the impending catastrophe eluded me entirely. All I comprehended was the sheer magnitude of the offer—five dollars, a sum unimaginable to my young mind. The allure of possessing that vast fortune outweighed the wretchedness of the peas. With a mixture of apprehension and greed, I began to force the loathsome legumes down my throat, one after another.

My mother, livid with anger, directed her glare at both her mother and me. No one could glare like my mother—an Olympic champion in the art of withering stares. The glares unsettled me, each pea causing me to retch internally, but the promise of that coveted five dollars sustained me. And so, with each agonizing bite, I persevered until the last pea disappeared from my plate. My grandmother, triumphant, bestowed upon me the coveted prize, a five-dollar bill presented with a flourish. Meanwhile, my mother's silent glare continued, a testament to her disapproval.

Weeks later, my grandmother departed for Aunt Lillian's. That evening, at the dinner table, a sinister plot unfolded. My mother served two of my all-time favorite dishes—meatloaf and mashed potatoes. But accompanying them, like a steaming bowl of malevolence, were peas—endless, vile peas. She offered me a serving, and in the waning moments of my youthful innocence, I declined. A cold, piercing gaze from my mother accompanied her actions as she piled a mountain of peas onto my plate. And then, the words were spoken, words that would haunt my existence for years to come.

"You ate them for money," she hissed. "You can eat them for love."

Despair consumed me. Devastation washed over my soul. In that moment, the cruel reality sank in—I had unwittingly damned myself to an eternal torment from which there was no escape.

"You ate them for money. You can eat them for love."

What defense could I possibly muster against such a damning proclamation? There was none. I ate the peas that day, and every time they were served thereafter. The five dollars evaporated as quickly as it came, and my grandmother, herself, passed away in the following years. Yet, the legacy of the peas endured, a relentless reminder of my capitulation. Even now, if I dare to display the slightest distaste upon their appearance, my mother resurrects the dreadful words, her voice dripping with a sinister tone.

"You ate them for money," she hisses once more. "You can eat them for love."

And so, the peas continue to haunt me, an eternal punishment for my youthful folly.