Mildred didn’t have much money, living only on her pension, but she wanted to buy a dress for her granddaughter Clara’s prom.

At a fancy store, the saleslady, Beatrice, greeted her but couldn’t hide her judgment,

as Mildred didn’t look like her usual customers. She tried to push

Mildred away, but someone stepped in to help.

“Grandma, I don’t care about prom! Truly, I want to stay home and watch movies with Mom,” Clara said through the phone.

Mildred had called to talk about Clara’s graduation from Strawberry

Crest High School in Tampa, Florida, which was coming up, with prom around the corner.

But she was surprised when her granddaughter insisted she didn’t want to go.

Clara claimed the event wasn’t important, but Mildred knew the truth.

Her daughter, Agnes, worked a low-paying job, and Mildred lived on her pension alone.

They didn’t have enough money to buy Clara a nice dress for prom. The 18-year-old felt embarrassed about it.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go? You know, I went to prom with your grandpa.

He asked me out of nowhere, and we got married a few months later.

We loved each other until the day he passed, and I still miss him every day.

Prom can change your life,” Mildred said, her voice cheerful as she tried to convince her.

“I know, Grandma. But still, I don’t want to go. Also, I don’t have a date,

so it doesn’t matter. Listen, I have to go study, I still have a few finals left.