Marissa was ashamed because her mother only wore shabby clothes and she didn’t want to introduce her to her girlfriends. But a kind stranger taught her a big lesson she would never forget.
Marissa’s mom, Esme, raised her as a single mother when her father took off, and they never had much money to spend. Esme worked harder than anyone to provide for her daughter, but she had to scrimp a lot over the years.
Unfortunately, Marissa’s best friends were obsessed with clothes and social status, so she lied to them about her family, hoping they would never realize the truth or meet her mother. Marissa only wore great clothes because her mother was an expert thrift shopper.
Esme never bought anything for herself. She dressed in simple clothing, and her shoes were horribly tattered, but she refused to throw them away. Although she loved her mother, Marissa was ashamed of the way she dressed. But one day would change their lives…
“Hey, Mom. I’m going to the mall to meet up with a few friends. I’ll be back later,” Marissa told Esme one afternoon.
“Oh! How about I come with you? I haven’t been to the mall in ages!” she suggested.
“But you don’t like going to the mall. You always say everything is overpriced, and we shouldn’t buy stuff there,” Marissa added, hoping her mother would change her mind.
“Well, we don’t have to buy clothes to have some fun. And I want to meet your friends. How about it?” Esme continued.
“I guess…” Marissa mumbled. She couldn’t think of any reason to say no to her mother. But she was dreading this outing. When they reached the mall, she saw Rosie and Danielle waiting at Starbucks just like they agreed.
She rushed to them and left her mother who was walking a few steps behind. “Hey, girls!” Marissa said.
“Hey! You’re here. Let’s check out some clothes at this store right here,” Rosie greeted and suggested.
“Hmm… did you come with that lady? She’s looking at us,” Danielle said suddenly.
“No. I don’t know who that is. I came here alone,” Marissa answered after hesitating for a second. She saw her mother stop in her tracks and her face fall, but there was no going back. “Let’s just go walk around first.”
The girls started walking away, while Esme stayed there in shock. Her own daughter told her friends she didn’t know her. Why would she do something like that? Esme didn’t know what to do until a well-dressed lady approached her.
“Hello, ma’am. I’m Poppy,” the lady greeted.
“Oh, hello,” Esme said.
“I’m sorry to intrude, but I saw what happened with those girls. I’m assuming that one is your daughter?” Poppy asked gesturing towards Marissa.
“Ah, yes. She’s my daughter, but I’m so confused. I can’t believe she said she didn’t know me and walked away like that,” Esme continued.
“Listen, how about we go into this store and shop as girlfriends do?” Poppy suggested.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I can’t afford any of the clothes in here, but I can accompany you,” Esme answered.
“Don’t worry about money today. It’s all on me,” Poppy assured her. Esme followed this kind lady, not understanding why she was so nice to a stranger. But it was a nice change after her daughter publicly shunned her.
They tried on several dresses, and Poppy convinced her that one dress looked amazing on her. “I’m definitely buying that one for you,” Poppy told Esme.
“Oh, no. I couldn’t possibly accept. It’s so expensive,” Esme countered.
“I won’t hear it. I’m buying it, and that’s final. We’re also going to need to swap these slippers for a set of beautiful shoes,” Poppy told the salesperson helping them. She found a pair of stilettos that fit Esme perfectly, but she had never worn such fancy things before in her life.
Esme left the store wearing her new clothes, and Poppy invited her for coffee. “Can I ask you something?” Esme said. “Why are you so kind and generous to someone you don’t know?”
“Well, I was once in your daughter’s place,” Poppy began. “My parents were not wealthy either. They gave me the best they could, but they never had nice clothes. I was also ashamed of them. But I lost them in an accident shortly after my high school graduation.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Esme replied.
“Thank you. It was the hardest moment of my life. But then, their lawyer contacted me. I learned that my parents had barely scraped by my entire life because they were saving for my college education,” Poppy continued. “They even saved more than I needed.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do as well. It hasn’t been easy with this current economic crisis, but I’ve been saving for Marissa’s future,” Esme revealed.
“Exactly. In the end, I could never make up for all the times I felt ashamed of them. I felt so much guilt for many years, and I saw myself in your daughter earlier,” Poppy explained. “I hope that by doing this for you, my parents would forgive me from heaven.”
“I’m sure they forgave you many years ago when you realized what you did wrong,” Esme consoled Poppy. Just then, Marissa entered the coffee shop and saw her in that new dress.
“Mom! Where did you get that dress? And those shoes?” Marissa asked as she approached with her girlfriends.
“Mom? I’m not your mother, young lady,” Esme answered. Poppy smiled at Marissa’s shocked face, and Esme couldn’t contain her laughter for long.
“I’m sorry about earlier. Guys, this is my mother, Esme, and her friend,” Marissa said after seeing them both laughing. The young girls sat down, and Poppy told them everything that happened including why she bought Esme these clothes. Needless to say, Marissa learned a huge lesson that day.
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