Aunt Pays for Niece's Wedding, Learns Last Minute She Was Invited as a Babysitter and Not a Guest — Daily Drama

All Laura ever wanted was to see her niece, Martha, walk down the aisle on her special day. Unfortunately, since Martha needed a babysitter for her daughter, Laura missed the once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Laura was always a free spirit, full of love for her family and friends. She never took much interest in romantic relationships, especially after her father abandoned her mother. Instead, she decided to focus on the community around her. Her sister, Patricia, suffered the same fate as their mother.

Patricia had a baby named Martha, but one day, the child's father got up and left. Luckily, Laura was always happy to help and raised Martha as if she was her own child. Many years later, Martha was all grown up and met a young man named Keith, and the two had a baby named Hannah together.

Following Hannah's birth, Martha and Keith got engaged. "I'm rooting for you kids. Y'all better stick together," Laura told the couple at their engagement party. The next few months proved to be more challenging than expected. Patricia lost her job due to budget cuts at her company.

She didn't have enough savings to contribute to Martha's wedding costs. Laura was happy to step in and help her niece by covering the costs. In fact, while Martha stressed over planning the ceremony, Laura also helped take care of baby Hannah. A few months later, it was time for Martha's big day.

Laura had a unique dress picked out and even brought a video camera to record the special moment. Laura put her phone on silent and was ready for a good time. When Laura arrived, she was given an unexpected request. "Could you please look after Hannah during the wedding? She's been acting up lately," Martha requested.

"But why is your phone silent? I couldn't reach you! Honestly, you've almost ruined everything!"

Laura was surprised, as she thought she was a guest like everyone else. Instead, Martha was asking her to work when she should be celebrating. "Why couldn't you hire a babysitter for the day?" Laura asked sincerely.

Martha let out a deep sigh before replying, "I'm sorry, but you know how tight money has been lately. We used the budget for the ceremony and the party." Laura was visibly disappointed. She knew Hannah was at an awkward age for a baby and would need space to explore away from the cramped ceremony venue.

This meant that Laura would miss the occasion entirely. "Don't worry, we'll record the whole thing and ensure you get a copy of the videotape," Martha said. This felt like heartbreak for Laura, who knew she couldn't say no. She had been in Martha's life since she was a baby but was missing the most special day in her niece's life.

Right on cue, as the ceremony started, Hannah immediately grew restless and began to cry. Laura took her and left the venue, and the two walked through the garden. Laura was slightly comforted by the fact that Hannah reminded her of Martha when she was the same age.

Meanwhile, Martha and Keith's wedding ceremony wrapped up, and guests slowly began to leave. At this point, Martha realized that she didn't know where Laura and Hannah had gone. Martha tried to call Laura, but her aunt didn't answer. Since she was already emotional from the ceremony, Martha began to panic.

She and Keith began to search everywhere. Eventually, Martha found Laura holding Hannah while standing in the pond. They were feeding the ducks together.

"Where on earth have you been? I've been worried sick!" Martha shouted.

"I'm sorry, we just took a walk. Hannah was feeling cramped," Laura replied apologetically. Hannah tried to take a deep breath before shouting, "But why is your phone silent? I couldn't reach you! Honestly, you've almost ruined everything!"

Laura began to tear up as she tried to find the words. She stammered as she replied, "I-I had it on s-silent because I thought I was a g-guest." Laura handed Hannah over to Martha and left the wedding. Laura cried the entire way back to her house.

"I'm begging you for forgiveness. You've been like a second mom to me, and I can't do this without you."

She cut herself off from her family out of sheer embarrassment, and nobody heard from her for months. Martha struggled to cope after the wedding. Patricia was getting weaker with age and couldn't keep up with Hannah. Martha tried to find a babysitter, but nobody could get along with her daughter.

One day, Laura was at home watching television. She had been lonely and depressed since the wedding. She heard a knock at her door and was greeted by the mailman, who had a package for her. Inside the box were a videotape, an envelope, and a beautiful corsage. The package was from Martha.

All that Laura had been thinking about for weeks was how the wedding must've looked. She decided to play the videotape first, expecting to see the ceremony. In the video, she could see Martha in her gorgeous wedding dress, but Keith wasn't there, and Martha spoke directly to the camera.

"Dear Auntie. First of all, I want to say that I'm sorry. At how poorly I treated you on my wedding day. I should've asked someone else to watch Hannah. I had no right to shout at you like that. I'm begging you for forgiveness. You've been like a second mom to me, and I can't do this without you."

"Even if you don't want to talk right now, there's something I have to let you know anyway. Keith and I are having another baby girl! We'll name her Laura, after the best auntie that a girl can hope for. I love you, and I miss you," Martha said as tears streamed down her face.

Laura also started crying as the video ended. She put on the corsage from the package and opened the envelope. Inside was an invitation that read, "Dinner Party At Your Place Tonight? RSVP: Martha."

Laura laughed as she texted her niece, "Get your butt over here!"

Later that evening, Martha brought Keith, Hannah, and Patricia to Laura's house. As she handed a second tape to Laura, Martha said, "I'm sorry about everything, auntie. Here's the real wedding tape if you want to watch it."

Laura took the tape and hugged Martha before replying, "All is forgiven. I promised you guys that I'll always be rooting for you. Forget the tape for now. Let's have a nice dinner party that I can actually join, shall we? No wine for you, though."

The family had a mini-wedding party and recorded everything on Laura's video camera. Nine months later, Martha gave birth to a baby girl named Laura. The whole family was in the hospital with her.

What can we learn from this story?

• Family is everything. No matter how hard times can get, it is always important to put family first. Without her aunt, Martha struggled to adapt as a young mother, and without her niece, Laura felt alone. Together, they found happiness again.
• Cherish the important moments. Instead of focusing on not seeing the wedding, Laura made a new memory by the pond with Hannah, and instead of dwelling on the past, she turned the dinner party into a new memory for the family.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an estranged mother who shows up to her daughter's wedding after 24 years of not speaking.

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