Poor Granny Does Not Sleep for a Week Making Her Orphan Granddaughter a Prom Dress — Story of the Day

Julie is devastated when her nasty cousin lets her aunt’s dog rip her prom dress to shreds. All her dreams of being crowned prom queen are shattered until Granny shows up with a large shopping bag.

Julie glanced across at her cousin, Mira, who was showing off a bright pink prom dress to Aunt Clara. When Mira flounced off to the fitting rooms, Julie sidled up to her aunt to show her the sparkly black dress she'd picked out.

Aunt Clara pinned Julie with her gaze. "I can't afford two expensive dresses, Julie. You can wear my old dress to prom."

Julie shook her head. "It's a nice dress, but you were about eighty pounds heavier than me. It would need alterations—"

"You rude, ungrateful girl! I've cared for you since your parents passed away, and this is how you speak to me?" Aunt Clara snapped.

A few minutes later, Julie followed her aunt and cousin to the cashier. She hung back as Clara paid for Mira's dress and looked away when her cousin smirked at her.

Julie ran downstairs to her room—a sectioned-off corner of the basement. She retrieved a battered cookie tin containing her most prized possessions, which included a stack of birthday and Christmas cards from Grandma.

Grandma was poor, but she'd sent Mira and Julie a card and some cash every year since they were kids. Julie had kept the money all these years, but now she gathered it together.

She had just over a thousand dollars!

When Julie went back upstairs, Mira was parading her dress in the sitting room while Aunt Clara looked on proudly. The scene made Julie’s heart ache with longing for her mom. She slipped out the front door. Once she had her dream dress, she, Mira, and Aunt Clara could all get hyped for prom together.

A few hours later, Julie returned home with her shopping. Aunt Clara's little dog, Jewel, ran up to yap at her and snap at her heels. She quickly changed, then strutted into the sitting room and twirled for her aunt and Mira.

Mira glared at Julie's outfit. "If you're going for a mashup between 'plain jane' and thrift store chic then yeah, you nailed it, Julie."

Julie crossed her arms. "Why are you being so mean?"

"Oh Julie, don't be so touchy." Aunt Clara sneered as she scooped Jewel into her arms and stood. "Your funeral dress looks fine and, if you like it so much, then you shouldn't worry about other people's opinions. Now, you should tidy up in here, so Mira and I will let you get to it."

"You’re just jealous! I will definitely be crowned prom queen in this dress," she said as her aunt and cousin walked away.

Julie woke to a nasty surprise the following morning. She’d hung her dress over the top of the closet so it would be the first thing she saw in the morning, but it was gone!

Julie called for her family as she ran to the sitting room. She was about to head upstairs to search for Aunt Clara when she spotted something moving in the yard. She froze in horror at the sight of Jewel tearing her dress to shreds on the lawn.

"You awful little rat!" Julie cried as she ran toward the dog. "What have you done to my dress?"

"Sorry, Julie." Mira came up behind her. “I was taking another look at your dress when it…blew out the window. I tried to get it back, but Jewel got there first. At least you know the dog likes your dress."

Julie yelled in frustration and anger. Her dream dress was gone, and she couldn't afford to replace it.

"How could you be so careless?" Aunt Clara scolded Mira as she removed a strip of fabric caught between Jewel's teeth. "Jewel could get sick from swallowing this cloth."

Tears stung Julie's eyes as she stormed from the sitting room. She gathered the remains of her dress from the lawn and ran down the street.

She wanted to scream, cry, or tear up Mira's stupid dress and see how she liked it, but none of those things would heal the hurt in her heart.

Julie hopped on a bus instead. Soon, she arrived at a familiar door and knocked.

When Grandma answered the door with a welcoming smile, Julie couldn't contain her pain anymore. She held up her torn dress and burst into tears.

"Mira did it on purpose!” Julie exclaimed once she’d finished telling Grandma what happened. “And Aunt Clara doesn't care that my dress is ruined. I wish I could live with you, Grandma. I could help you."

Grandma shook her head. "I'd love that, Julie, but it's not possible. There is something I can do to help you with your dress, however. Follow me."

Grandma shuffled from the room with rapid steps, leading Julie into the tiny dining room across the hall. There, she removed the cover from her old sewing machine and instructed Julie to open the top drawer of the dresser.

Julie frowned. "But I thought you couldn't sew anymore...you know, your hands."

"Parkinson's is not a cuss word, Julie, it's okay to say it," Grandma replied. "You're right, I can't sew anymore, but I can tell you what to do. Now, get the drawer."

Julie gaped at the beautiful fabrics in the dresser. She removed a shimmering red chiffon and ran her fingers over midnight blue, purple, and stormy gray taffetas, silver organza, and crimson satin.

"You'll really help me make my own gown?" Julie stared at Grandma.

"Of course." A muscle in Grandma's cheek started to spasm when she smiled. "With my know-how and your steady hands, we'll make the most beautiful dress at the prom."

Grandma and Julie spent the next few hours looking at fabric and embellishments and discussing dress designs Julie found on her phone. The dress she and Grandma could make might be even better than the one the dog destroyed.

Julie had to face Aunt Clara's wrath the moment she returned home. The dishes hadn't been cleaned since that morning, the house was untidy, Jewel's poop needed to be removed from the lawn, and Julie had to do it all before dark.

"I've spoiled you for long enough, Julie," Aunt Clara told her as she washed dishes.

"I've let you have liberties and it's given you a bad attitude. A few extra chores will keep you busy and out of trouble."

The following evening, Julie announced she was going to bed early, then snuck out of the house and caught a cab to Grandma’s place. Her eyes lit up when Julie showed her the design she'd chosen for her prom dress.

"It's perfect for you, my dear!" Grandma shuffled toward the sewing machine. "Now, let's get to work making it."

For the next few days, Julie spent every night working on her dress with Grandma. She made some mistakes and frequently cursed herself for choosing such a complicated design, but Grandma was always there to help her.

Later that week, Julie silently crawled in through the window at midnight. Just as she was climbing down to the floor, the lights came on.

"I knew you were up to no good!" Aunt Clara crowed.

Julie folded her hands together. "Please, let me explain. I've been going to Grandma's house—"

"And I suppose you've been knitting together and baking cookies," Aunt Clara scoffed. "You're grounded until graduation, Julie, and you definitely aren’t going to prom anymore. I’m also going to lock you in here at night so you don’t get any ideas."

Julie didn't understand their reasons, but it was clear that Mira and Aunt Clara would do anything to stop her from attending prom. And they'd succeeded. There was only a week left, and she'd never finish sewing her dress now.

"I've decided not to lock you in the basement while we're out," Aunt Clara told Julie as she and Mira were leaving for prom. "This way, you can finish your chores. I'll even let you watch TV."

"Try not to be grumpy, Julie," Mira said. "It's not like you had a dress to wear to prom anyway."

Once her family was gone, Julie sat with her back to the door, hugged her knees, and let the tears fall down her face. Being forced to miss prom by her aunt and cousin's petty, spiteful actions hurt her in unimaginable ways.

Then the doorbell rang.

"It's me, Julie. Please open up."

"Grandma?" Julie unlocked the door and tugged it open.

"Why aren’t you getting ready for prom?" Grandma said. Her eyes twinkled as she held up a large shopping bag.

Julie gasped as she peeked inside the bag and recognized her dress. "You couldn't have finished this alone, your hands..."

"It cost me a few nights' sleep and a lot of exasperation, but it was worth it," Grandma replied. "Go on now, get dressed."

Everyone stared when Julie entered the ballroom an hour later. The MC on stage trailed off as he was announcing the next performance, and someone started applauding. She'd thought her original dress would turn heads, but this one was a showstopper. Her whole class was cheering and chanting her name.

A loud, echoing clang and discordant booms followed by a shrill cry broke the spell. Mira had somehow gotten tangled in the stage curtains and fallen near the drummer. A cymbal stand had caught in the material and clanged against a drum as Mira tried to free herself. Everyone watched as she hurried from the stage.

When Julie signed up for the Prom Queen competition, she noticed Mira's name one place higher on the list, with a hastily drawn line crossing it out.

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