A grandmother wanted to make sure her granddaughter did not miss out on having the best prom experience. As she knew all of her granddaughter’s classmates would be wearing designer gowns, she wanted her to have a pretty dress too.
Erica Moran has been living with her grandmother Ellie in New York ever since her parents died in a tragic car accident when she was only 15. Erica previously grew up in Los Angeles and only met Ellie a handful of times in the past.
It was not easy for Erica, an only child, to suddenly have to move to a completely different state with a person who was practically a stranger to her all her life. Growing up, Erica’s parents were too busy to bring her across the country to be with her grandparents. Instead, they spoiled her with anything she wanted.
The young girl would always get the newest toys every time they visited the toy store, she was allowed sweets, even on weekdays, and she traveled to the most luxurious vacation spots, like the Hamptons and Aspen, two places she frequented since she was a child.
Unfortunately, Erica’s parents only lived in the moment. By the time they passed away, they had no life insurance set aside for their daughter’s future, and the money they left behind all went to their funeral arrangements and Erica’s education plan.
When Erica went to live with Ellie, she realized that the lifestyle she had known all her life was something she could no longer afford. While Ellie was not poor, she was not rich enough to afford any extras in life. Instead, what she had was enough for them to get by daily.
Erica and Ellie lived in an affluent neighborhood, as their home was something her late grandfather once purchased before the housing boom in New York. It was the only asset they had, and while all of Erica’s classmates thought she was rich for living in the neighborhood, she did not have any money to purchase a prom dress.
Although Ellie tried to make sure Erica wouldn’t feel poor amidst her affluent classmates, sometimes, she couldn’t help but compare the new life she lived to those of her classmates. It did not help that the girls at her new school were not friendly and were quick to judge.
Luckily for Erica, one person made sure she felt safe and secure at school. It was Timothy Brown, a handsome football player, who found her extremely beautiful.
At first, Erica thought it was a ploy to embarrass her. After all, what would the star of the football team want to do with her? No other girls liked her in school. However, she soon learned that Timothy was just an all-around nice guy who genuinely wanted to get to know her.
Soon enough, people at the school knew that Erica was not one to be messed with. They’d have to go through Timothy if they did, and nobody wanted to go against him. Of course, this made the school’s “it” girls very jealous, especially Katie Dunst, who was head-over-heels in love with Timothy.
Katie, who has had her eyes on Timothy since middle school, could not believe that he had asked Erica to the prom. Then she came up with a plan to embarrass her at the dance.
“Erica, sweetheart. Congratulations on getting Timothy to ask you to prom! Have you any idea what you’re going to wear yet?” Katie asked with the most sarcastic voice.
“I actually haven’t thought about what to wear yet,” Erica said, smiling nervously at Katie, who was surrounded by her group of friends.
Katie flashed her friends a quick look before glancing back at Erica. “Well, guess what, I’m going to let you in on a secret. The prom committee is planning an award for the most original homemade dress. I mean, that’s definitely going to stand out amidst all the designer dresses everyone else plans to wear.”
“I didn’t know that, but thanks for the tip, Katie,” Erica said hesitantly. She knew that designer brands mattered to the students more than anything in her high school. It didn’t make sense to her that there was a prize for homemade dresses suddenly.
Knowing that there was no way she could afford a designer dress, Erica plopped on her bed and cried. Ellie heard her from downstairs and made sure to check on her. “Erica, sweetie, what’s wrong?” she asked her granddaughter.
“Granny, I got asked to the prom by this guy who I really really like. But I can’t go!” she explained. Ellie rubbed a reassuring hand on Erica’s back.
“Why can’t you go? What’s the problem?” Ellie asked her granddaughter, wiping away her tears in the process.
“Everybody’s going to be wearing designer gowns worth at least a thousand dollars, and well, I obviously can’t afford it. I can’t be going to the prom in a dress from a cheap department store,” she said, crying even more upon hearing herself.
“Oh my, honey, it doesn’t matter what you wear to the prom. You’re gorgeous! And if you say Tom likes you for who you are, he wouldn’t mind, would he?” Ellie was right, but Erica did not want to be embarrassed in front of the girls at her school. She knew they would pick on her dress if it wasn’t from a known designer.
“I know he’s not that type of person, gran. But he’s likely going to become prom king.. and I can’t be standing beside him looking hideous,” Erica shook her head at the thought.
“Designer gowns, you said? Well, why don’t we take a look at some of the best gowns online? Go ahead and show me which one you like, and I’ll be sure to get it to you,” Ellie winked at her granddaughter. At this point, Erica was outright confused.
“Gran, what do you mean? How are we ever going to afford a designer dress?”
“Oh sweetheart, your grandma just happens to be skilled at sewing! I will make you a dress that will make you the queen of the ball. That’s my promise to you,” Ellie said, helping Erica browse through different gowns.
After finding out the exact dress her granddaughter wanted, Ellie got to work. She went to town and bought herself several yards of silk and tulle cloth to make the dress for Erica.
Upon watching her grandmother, Erica couldn’t help but feel excited. “Gran, this looks amazing! Will you be able to finish this in a week?” she asked.
“Of course! Give me a few days and this will be the perfect prom dress for you. What do you think about some sheer puff sleeves to go with this gorgeous midnight blue gown?” Ellie asked her granddaughter, who was looking at her in awe.
“I love it, gran. Thank you so much for doing this for me,” Erica said, rushing to hug her grandmother. Ellie’s heart melted, and she realized this was the first time Erica took the initiative to hug her.
It took Ellie a week of sleepless nights just to get the dress done and just in time for the prom. The day before the highly-anticipated event, Katie decided to taunt Erica about her dress. “Hey, Erica. So, have you found yourself a nice dress to wear tomorrow?” she sneered.
This time, Erica was not nervous at all. She smiled proudly and said her grandmother was making her dress. Katie and her friends laughed at her face. “Oh, god. Are you serious? I can’t wait to see how THAT’S going to look,” Katie said, shaking her head before walking away.
Erica was not bothered by what Katie and her friends had to say for the first time ever. She was confident in her dress, as her grandmother worked day and night to make sure it looked lovely. The dress really did turn out lovely.
Erica couldn’t fight back her tears, and she enveloped her grandmother in a tight hug. “Gran, thank you so much for doing this for me. This dress is more beautiful than all those designer dresses combined. Thank you,” she said.
When Timothy picked up Erica, he could not stop looking at her. “You look… amazing… beautiful,” he said, struggling to find the right words. True enough, everybody else at the prom couldn’t take their eyes off of her.
Erica and Timothy won prom king and queen, and they danced the night away in his dapper tuxedo and her gorgeous silk dress. When she arrived home from her dreamy night, she hugged her grandmother Ellie once more. “Gran, I had the best night. Thank you so much for making it happen for me,” she said.
Ellie smiled. “Honey, it was my pleasure. I’d be happy to make more gowns for you. Sometimes, the power of love is a lot greater than what money can buy. Always remember that.”
