When Brooke turned 18, she expected at least a car as a present from her grandmother. When she received an old emerald ring instead, she was disappointed, throwing it on the ground in disgust.
Brooke and her grandmother, Sunny, shared a close relationship. When Brooke was younger, she would spend her summers in Sunny’s farmhouse, helping in picking fruits and harvesting vegetables.
As she was too young to understand at the time, Brooke thought Sunny was well-off because she owned a farm. Little did she know that Sunny was poor and that the farm was the only asset she had to her name.
Brooke would follow Sunny around the farm year after year, carrying their fresh produce inside the house. On quieter days, the two of them would sit on the front porch, enjoying a cup of milk together.
Unfortunately, their relationship started to change once Brooke started growing up. The summer visits began to lessen until they wouldn’t happen at all. As a teenager, Brooke said she had other things to do.
Brooke did not like the emerald ring her grandmother gave. | Photo: Shutterstock
When Sunny would visit Brooke in Washington D.C., she would always complain to her parents. “Mom, grandma’s here again? Doesn’t she have a farm to look after?” she would tell her mother.
“Brooke, she is your grandmother. Stop talking to her that way. And besides, you used to adore her! When did that all change?” her mom, Heather, would reply.
“Grandma stinks, and she doesn’t dress like how people in D.C. should dress. All of my friends make fun of me every time they see her. Please, send her home!” Brooke replied before shutting the door of her room.
Sunny overheard everything her granddaughter said, and she cried herself to sleep that night. The next day, she said goodbye to her daughter and went back home to Virginia. She never returned to D.C. after that.
Sunny would still send Brooke gifts on her birthday despite everything that happened. She would call to see if Brooke liked what she sent, but Brooke barely made an effort to even open the gifts she’d send. “Thanks for sending them over, grandma. I’ll open it when I find the time,” she’d reply.
Brooke would always seem uninterested while talking to Sunny. | Photo: Pexels
As Brooke’s 18th birthday drew closer, she demanded that her parents throw her a ball. Since she was the only child, her parents happily obliged.
While discussing the guestlist, Brooke refused to have Sunny’s name placed on an invitation. “There’s no WAY she’s coming for my birthday,” she said.
That was the only time her parents did not agree to something she said, and they insisted that Sunny be invited. “That’s disrespectful, Brooke. You have to invite your grandma. She loves you!” Brooke’s mom said, feeling bad that her daughter did not like her mom.
“I am NOT throwing a party if she’s going to be there. She’s going to ruin my fun,” Brooke replied, and that was the final straw for her father, who decided to speak up.
Unlike other children, Brooke was not fond of her grandmother. | Photo: Pexels
“Brooke Davis, you better straighten up right now. Do not cross the line. Your grandmother is coming to your birthday, and you will invite her yourself. Call her. Now.”
Brooke rolled her eyes and called Sunny’s line. When Sunny answered the phone, Brooke pretended she didn’t pick up and started talking badly against her again. “See? She’s not replying. Not my fault. Dad, I’ll invite her because you want me to, but she shouldn’t come if she doesn’t want to embarrass herself.”
Sunny overheard everything, and she was gutted. She heard her granddaughter speak ill of her once; hearing it a second time was absolutely heartbreaking for her. That was the first time she didn’t send a gift to her granddaughter on time.
Her gift for Brooke came a week after her birthday. Brooke was curious why her grandmother sent her birthday gift late for the first time in years. She opened the box and found an antique emerald ring. She thought to herself; this is the cheapest ring I’ve ever seen.
Brooke thought the ring Sunny gave was ugly. | Photo: Pexels
“So ugly,” she said, tossing it on her bedroom floor. To her surprise, the ring cracked open, and a note appeared. “The ring box has a key inside of it,” the message read.
“What is this, a scavenger hunt?” She grunted, checking the box for the key. As she lifted the cushion, a key and a small note were inside. The note asked her to check the storage and open the drawer of her old cupboard.
When she got to the storage room, she unlocked the drawer. She was surprised to find a large box with a dress, an old photo album, and an envelope on top. Brooke quickly opened the envelope and started reading:
“To my dearest Brooke, happy birthday, sweetheart! I am sorry I could not send your gift on time this year. Grandma Sunny would do anything for you, and I would never forget to send you a present,” the letter started.
“Your dad helped me sneak this into the house without you knowing. He doesn’t know I wrote you this letter, but I wanted to explain why I had to send your gift late this year. I’m sick, sweetheart, and I’m in the hospital. I was diagnosed with cancer four months ago.” At this point, Brooke was shaking.
“I might not see you ever again, sweetheart, so I filled this box with your favorite things. I’ve also left a photo album with your most adorable childhood photos. I am sorry for embarrassing you, sweetheart. I hope you stay happy for the rest of your life. All my love, Grandma Sunny.”
Brooke was heartbroken after reading the letter. | Photo: Shutterstock
As she finished the letter, stained with her tears, she ran over to her parents. “Mom, dad. Grandma is sick. We need to go to her right now,” she said.
She didn’t realize her parents had been crying, and her mother said, “It’s too late, Brooke. Your grandma died this morning. We just received a call from the hospital.”
Regretting how mean she was to her grandmother, Brooke fell to the ground. She sobbed the entire day, wishing she could turn back time.
After her grandmother’s funeral, she stayed behind alone for a couple more minutes. She looked through the photo album Sunny had given her, and it was all of their photos from her summer vacations at the farmhouse.
Sunny died of cancer. | Photo: Pexels
Brooke couldn’t help but cry as she saw how happy her grandmother looked in their photos together. She started to reminisce about the good old days and how kind her grandmother was all these years. She, on the other hand, was a brat her entire life.
Every year, Brooke flew to Sunny’s grave. However, the guilt of not treating Sunny well haunted her every day. She would cry herself to sleep, wishing she had shown Sunny her love the same way Sunny did to her all her life.
