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

Julie is heartbroken when her nasty cousin and aunt tear up her prom dress. All her hopes of becoming prom queen are shattered until Granny shows up with a large shopping bag.

"Ooh, look at this one!"

Julie glanced across at her cousin, Mira. She was showing off a bright pink prom dress with a white lace overlay to Aunt Clara, who examined the dress with a smile.

"I think this is the one, sweetie." Aunt Clara gestured toward the changing rooms in the fancy dress shop. "Go try it on."

While Mira flounced off with her dress, Julie sidled up to her with the sparkly black dress she'd picked out.

"Aunt Clara? Will you look at the dress I'd like to get?" Julie asked.

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

Julie shook her head. "I really can't, Aunt Clara. It's a nice dress, but you were about eighty pounds heavier than me—"

"How dare you be so rude, you ungrateful girl! I've given you a roof over your head and put food in your stomach since your parents passed away, and this is how you speak to me?" she said.

"I didn't mean it like that! Just that it would need alterations to fit me."

"Be quiet!" Aunt Clara raised her hand.

At that moment, Mira emerged from the dressing room with a bright smile on her face. She stopped in front of Aunt Clara and Julie and did a spin, her skirt flaring out around her. Aunt Clara gasped with delight and put her hand over her mouth.

"You look gorgeous!" Aunt Clara said.

"I love this dress so much, Mom. Can we get it?" Mira asked.

"Of course! Get changed and we'll pay for it immediately.

Aunt Clara walked away, leaving Julie hurt and mystified. She just wanted a pretty dress to wear to prom. She'd never meant to hurt Aunt Clara's feelings, but it seemed like this was one of those days when Julie's mere existence offended her aunt.

Julie hung her dream dress back on the rack and 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 the basement. She didn't have a room of her own, exactly, but rather a corner of the basement sectioned off with a curtain on one side and a closet on the other. She flipped up a corner of the carpet covering the dirt floor and reached into the hole beneath.

The slightly battered cookie tin hidden in the floor contained Julie's most prized possessions. She smiled sadly as she looked at her dad's cufflinks and her mom's wedding ring, then removed the stack of birthday and Christmas cards from her grandma.

Her grandma didn't have much, 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 stacked the bills together into a pile. Once she'd gathered the notes, she counted just over a thousand dollars!

"More than enough for my dream dress!" Julia whispered.

She tucked the cash in her pocket and ran upstairs. Mira was parading her dress in the sitting room while Aunt Clara looked on proudly. Julie watched them for a moment, and her heart ached. If only her mom were still alive.

Julie turned away from the happy scene and slipped out the front door. Once she had her dream dress, she could join Mira and Aunt Clara. They 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.

"Where have you been?" Aunt Clara appeared, setting her hands on her hips as she scowled at Julie. "I spent ages calling you to come and tidy up the sitting room."

"Sorry, Aunt Clara, I'll do it soon." Julie smiled at her while simultaneously fending off Jewel with one foot.

"First I'd like to show you and Mira what I got for prom, if that's okay?"

Aunt Clara’s face went red and she glared at the shopping bags Julie held. “What? Where did you get that kind of money? If I find you’ve been stealing from me…”

“I haven’t, Aunt Clara. I used the money Grandma sent me for my birthdays and Christmas for the past few years."

Aunt Clara humphed. “Well, I guess I’d better see this dress you bought.”

Julie called up the stairs for Mira and then went to change in the bathroom. Soon, she strutted into the sitting room like a catwalk model and twirled for her aunt and Mira.

"Isn't it beautiful? And look at the jewelry I got to go with it." Julie showed off the bracelet, necklace, and fancy hairpin she'd bought with the money left over after paying for her dress.

"Meh." Mira pouted fiercely and 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. "What do you mean? I think it's elegant and understated."

"Which is the 'plain jane' part," Mira sing-songed, her lips curled into a sneer. She pointed at Julie's neck and wrist. "You might want to take that cheap jewelry off before it leaves a green stain on your skin."

Julie gasped in shock. "It's genuine gold, Mira. Why are you being so mean to me?"

"Oh Julie, don't be so touchy." Aunt Clara had a sour look on her face as she scooped Jewel into her arms and stood. "You look perfectly fine in your funeral dress and, if you like it so much, then you shouldn't be so worried about other people's opinions. Now, you have to tidy up in here, so Mira and I will let you get to it."

Julie clenched her hands into fists. "You’re just jealous! I will definitely be crowned prom queen in this dress," she said as her aunt and cousin walked away. "You'll see."

Julie sat up in shock when she woke the following morning. She’d hung her dress on a hanger hooked over the top of the closet just before she went to sleep. She’d wanted the dress to be the first thing she saw in the morning, but it was gone!

"Mira? Aunt Clara?" Julie ran up the stairs and into the kitchen. Her family wasn't there, so she went into the sitting room.

"Has anyone seen my dress?" Julie shouted. She was about to head upstairs to search for Aunt Clara when she spotted something moving in the yard that caught her attention.

Julie looked outside and froze in horror at what she saw there.

She yelled for her aunt as she ran out and across the lawn. Jewel looked up as she drew closer and snarled at Julie.

"You awful little rat!" Julie cried as she surveyed the tattered strips of sparkly black material spread across the grass. "What have you done to my dress?"

"Don't let Mom hear you talking about Jewel like that."

Julie spun and found Mira standing behind her. She sipped orange juice from a glass as she calmly watched Jewel tearing up the dress.

"Don't just stand there, help me!" Julie said.

"Already tried." Mira shrugged. "I was taking another look at your dress when it blew out the window. I immediately came outside to get it, but Jewel got to it first. She wouldn't let go when I tried to take it from her."

"Mira, please!" Julie tried to grab the little dog, but Jewel snapped at her.

"Sorry, Julie, but there's no way I'm going to risk getting bitten." Mira turned around and headed back inside. "But hey, at least you know the dog likes your dress."

Julie looked back at Jewel and yelled in frustration and anger. It didn't matter if she got the dress back from the dog now because it was already ruined. 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 tried to remove a strip of fabric caught between Jewel's teeth. "Do you have any idea how sick Jewel could get if she swallowed any of this horrible, glitter-strewn cloth?"

Tears stung Julie's eyes as she stormed from the sitting room. She should've known Aunt Clara wouldn't take her side. All that woman cared about was her dog and Mira. Julie was just a distant afterthought at best.

She went outside, 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. She sat at the back with the torn dress in her arms and glared at anyone who looked her way. At the third stop, she jumped off and ran down the block.

She knocked on a familiar door and waited. When the door opened and she saw her grandma's welcoming smile, she couldn't contain her pain anymore. She held up her torn dress and burst into tears.

"Mira did it on purpose, Grandma, I know it! And Aunt Clara doesn't even care that my prom dress is ruined." Julie took the box of tissues Grandma offered her. "She just kept carrying on about how sick her stupid dog could get from eating cloth."

"Oh, sweetheart." Grandma joined Julie on the sofa and put an arm around her shoulders. "I'm so sorry, for everything."

"I wish I could live with you, Grandma. I could help you." She looked hopefully at her.

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 turned away from Julie. There was a moment's delay before she stood and shuffled from the room with rapid steps. Julie followed her into the tiny dining room across the hall.

"Remove that cover, please." Grandma gestured to an object concealed beneath a thick cloth. "And open the top drawer of that dresser. Let's see what I have that will suit you."

Julie removed the cover and frowned. "Your old sewing machine? I thought you couldn't...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 opened the dresser's top drawer and gaped at the beautiful fabrics in there. She removed a shimmering red chiffon and ran her fingers over midnight blue, purple, and stormy gray taffetas, silver organza, and crimson satin.

"I don't think I have anything in black, unfortunately, but I may be able to salvage some of the cloth you brought with you." Grandma shrugged. "It all depends on what you like, and which design you want to use."

"You'll really let me use this, and 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 different dress designs Julie found on her phone. Grandma guided Julie through setting the sewing machine up and let her try sewing different types of stitches on a swatch of linen.

"See? It's easy as pie," Grandma said.

Julie rose and hugged Grandma tightly. After the heartbreak of seeing her dress destroyed that morning, she now felt unstoppable. The dress she and Grandma could make wouldn't be like her dream dress. Instead, it would be even better.

Julie went back home and immediately had to face Aunt Clara's wrath. 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 it got dark.

"I've spoiled you for long enough, Julie," Aunt Clara told her as she washed dishes. "I've let you have liberties and clearly all it's done is give you a bad attitude. That changes today. A few extra chores will keep you busy and out of trouble."

Julie rolled her eyes at the bubbles filling the sink. "Whatever you say, Aunt Clara."

When Julie returned home from school the next day, Aunt Clara had even more chores. The moment she finished her homework, she had to start ironing laundry. Once that task was completed, she had to clean the bathrooms.

"A tired child can't be a naughty child," Aunt Clara said with a wide grin when Julie announced she was going to bed early. "Sleep well, Julie. I expect you up early tomorrow to make breakfast."

Julie faked a smile and shuffled downstairs. She stuffed pillows into her bed, turned out her light, and squeezed through the small basement window above her dresser. She got dirt and grass all over her shirt as she pulled herself along the ground, but then she was free.

Julie stayed low to the ground as she approached the sitting room windows. Mira and Aunt Clara were still watching TV. Julie smiled and circled around the back of the house.

She stayed close to the fence separating their yard from the neighbor's. When she reached the street, she took one last look at the house before running away.

Grandma was waiting for Julie. 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 on making it."

Grandma took Julie's measurements, which Julie noted on paper. Then came the tricky part: creating the pattern.

"I normally wouldn't let a beginner do this, but we have no other option," Grandma said. "Now, I think the simplest way to do this will be to take one of my old dress patterns, copy it onto the paper, then adjust it to suit your design."

So, that's what Julie did. She traced and measured, sketched, and cut until Grandma was satisfied. When she pinned the paper pieces of the bodice pattern together and held it against her body, it was darn near perfect.

"That will do just fine," Grandma said. "Now, we need to cut the fabric."

For the next few days, Julie snuck out every night to work on her dress with Grandma. She made some mistakes, which cost them time, but Grandma always told her how to fix them.

Julie worked hard to sew the different layers and folds and frequently cursed herself for choosing such a complicated design.

"Why didn't you tell me sewing was so painful?" she asked Grandma after pricking her finger again while removing the pin from a pleat.

"Because I knew it wouldn’t stop you, Julie."

Grandma patted her shoulder. "Remember, once all this tricky stuff is out of the way, the rest is quite simple."

Julie groaned and took a break to yawn and rub her eyes. She was exhausted from her school work, extra chores, and late nights at the sewing machine. The only thing that kept her going was knowing that her dress would stun everyone at prom.

Julie got home at midnight. She crawled through the window as quietly as possible and knelt on top of her dresser. Just as she was climbing down to the floor, the lights came on.

"I knew you were up to no good!" Aunt Clara crowed, a satisfied look on her face.

"She's probably been sneaking out to see a boy, or go to wild parties." Mira peeked out from behind Aunt Clara with a smug smile on her face.

"No, I didn't!" Julie walked up to Aunt Clara. "I know this looks bad, but I wasn't doing anything wrong."

"Don't lie to me. If you weren't doing anything wrong then you wouldn't have to sneak out of the house to do it." Aunt Clara shook her finger at Julie. "And I will not have you bring shame on this family by falling pregnant, getting arrested, or whatever delinquent activities you're up to."

"I won't, I swear." Julie folded her hands together. "Please, just let me explain. I've been going to Grandma's house—"

"Oh really! And I suppose you've been knitting together and baking cookies," Aunt Clara scoffed. "You're grounded until graduation, Julie, and I'll be sealing that window so you can't go running around town anymore."

"No, please! What about prom?" Julie asked.

"Prom?" Aunt Clara laughed. "You definitely aren’t going to prom anymore, not after I’ve caught you sneaking out at night."

"Maybe she wanted to wear those tatters, Mom," Mira said. "She could tape them to a trash bag and poor Julie would finally have a dress that suited her."

Julie recoiled at the venom in Mira's words. "What is wrong with you? You're always so mean to me and I've done nothing to you."

"Stop picking a fight with Mira," Aunt Clara snapped.

"Nothing you say will change the fact that you are in the wrong Julie, and you must be punished for your bad behavior."

Aunt Clara spun on her heel and ushered Mira toward the stairs. When Aunt Clara reached the bottom step, she turned back and gave Julie a calculating look.

"And just to be certain you don't get any ideas, I'm going to lock you in here at night."

Julie stared at Aunt Clara until she disappeared from view. She clenched her jaw when she heard the key turn in the lock, snatched up the pencil case lying on her desk, and threw it against the wall.

It didn't make her feel any better. Julie let herself fall back onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling. It wasn't fair...Aunt Clara blamed her for everything and always chose Mira's side, even when she was wrong.

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

All her efforts over the past few days had amounted to nothing. Julie rolled over onto her side and hugged her pillow. All she'd wanted was one magical night, but it seemed like it was too much to ask for.

That Friday, Julie looked on as Aunt Clara adjusted Mira's corsage. They were standing in the hall and were just about to leave for the prom.

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

"Thanks, Aunt Clara, that's so kind of you," Julie replied.

"Are you being sarcastic?" Aunt Clara glared at her. "Because I can always change my mind."

Julie shook her head. She watched her aunt take photos of Mira in her prom dress and then it was time to leave.

"Try not to look so grumpy, Julie," Mira said.

"It's not like you had a dress to wear to prom anyway."

"Mira's right, Julie." Aunt Clara smiled at her. "You should try not to be sad. After all, you're learning an important life lesson from being grounded. That's far more important than attending a dance."

Once her family was gone, Julie sat with her back to the door, hugged her knees, and let the tears fall down her face. It would be bad enough to miss prom for a valid reason, but being forced to stay away by her aunt and cousin's petty, spiteful actions hurt her in unimaginable ways.

The doorbell rang. Julie lifted her head and turned to face the door. It rang again.

"Who's there?" Julie called out as she stood and wiped the tears from her face.

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

"Grandma?"

Julie unlocked the door and tugged it open. Grandma stood there with a smile. Her eyes twinkled as she held up a large shopping bag.

"Why aren’t you getting ready for prom?" Grandma said.

"Don’t say you finished sewing the dress on your own?" Julie gasped as she took the bag from Grandma. She peeked inside and immediately recognized her dress. "You couldn't have, 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."

Julie couldn't stop smiling as she hugged Grandma and ran off to change. She covered her face with her hands as she admired the final effect of all her and Grandma's hard work.

The pleated chiffon detail on the bodice, the sparkling silver decorative piece, the satin bow, and the ruffled skirt...it was perfect down to the very last stitch.

"Julie?" Grandma knocked on the bathroom door. "You'd best hurry up, dear. I've called a taxi and arranged for them to pick you up here in an hour's time."

"You're an angel, Grandma, thanks!" Julie called as she set to work on her hair and make-up.

The security guard at the entrance to the hotel ballroom smiled at Julie as he opened the door for her. She nodded to him and entered the room.

A few nearby students stopped to stare at Julie in shock. Excited whispers radiated outward like ripples in a pond as more of her classmates turned to stare at her in her gorgeous dress. Her classmates and their dates parted as she made her way toward the stage.

Everyone was looking at Julie now. The singer on stage trailed off as he was announcing the next performance, and in the silence that followed, someone started clapping their hands. Julie blushed as others joined the applause.

She'd thought her original dress would turn heads, but the one she and Grandma made was a showstopper. Her whole class was cheering for her and chanting her name. A loud, echoing clang and discordant booms followed by a shrill cry broke the spell.

Everyone turned to look at the stage. Mira had somehow gotten tangled in the stage curtains and fallen near the drummer. One of the cymbal stands had caught in the material and clanged against a drum as Mira tried to free herself.

The drummer tried to help, but she brushed him off and staggered free. She pressed a hand to her forehead then hurried from the stage.

Julie chuckled and hurried up the stairs to sign up for the Prom Queen competition. She couldn't contain a smirk when she noticed Mira's name just one place higher on the list, with a hastily drawn line crossing it out.

What can we learn from this story?

• Value and appreciate your family. Family bonds are special and should be cherished, but that doesn't mean people are exempted from bad behavior just because they're relatives. If you don't treat your family members with love and respect, you'll lose them.
• Justice will prevail. Those who choose to harm others will always have to face the consequences of their actions eventually.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a soldier who's determined to find the conmen who scammed his mom while he was away at training.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.