Mildred didn\u2019t have much money, living only on her pension, but she wanted to buy a dress for her granddaughter Clara\u2019s prom. At a fancy store, the saleslady, Beatrice, greeted her but couldn\u2019t hide her judgment, as Mildred didn\u2019t look like her usual customers. She tried to push Mildred away, but someone stepped in to help.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandma, I don\u2019t care about prom! Really, I just want to stay home and watch movies with Mom,\u201d Clara said through the phone.<\/p>\n
Mildred had called to talk about Clara\u2019s graduation from Strawberry Crest High School in Tampa, Florida, which was coming up, with prom just around the corner. But she was surprised when her granddaughter insisted she didn\u2019t want to go. Clara claimed the event wasn\u2019t important, but Mildred knew the truth.<\/p>\n
Her daughter, Agnes, worked a low-paying job, and Mildred lived on her pension alone. They didn\u2019t have enough money to buy Clara a nice dress for prom. The 18-year-old felt embarrassed about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure you don\u2019t 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,\u201d Mildred said, her voice cheerful as she tried to convince her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, Grandma. But still, I don\u2019t want to go. Also, I don\u2019t have a date, so it doesn\u2019t matter. Listen, I have to go study, I still have a few finals left. Talk to you later!\u201d Clara said and hung up the phone too quickly for Mildred\u2019s comfort.<\/p>\n
So, Mildred decided something. She was saving a bit of her pension every month for her funeral costs so Agnes wouldn\u2019t have to worry about anything expensive. But something felt more important now.<\/p>\n
She wanted to buy a dress for her granddaughter. Clara deserved it. She was a bright kid who worked hard at school. It wasn\u2019t her fault they were poor most of the time, and Mildred would convince her to go to prom in a lovely dress.<\/p>\n
The next day, she went to the mall and found a beautiful shop full of amazing dresses. She walked in, and her eyes widened at the sparkle. \u201cWhat would Clara like?\u201d she asked herself, touching one dress closest to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello! My name is Beatrice. How may I help you\u2026 um\u2026 today?\u201d a saleslady approached Mildred, but her words stumbled for some reason. The woman looked Mildred up and down, and her mouth twisted oddly.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi there! I\u2019m looking for a dress for my granddaughter. Her prom is coming up,\u201d Mildred explained, smiling at the woman despite her strange behavior.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry. This is not a rental shop. You have to buy these dresses in full,\u201d Beatrice said, linking her hands together.<\/p>\n
But Mildred didn\u2019t understand what she meant. \u201cI know that. Can you show me some of the most popular dresses?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, the popular ones are pretty costly. In fact, this whole store might not be in your budget. Maybe you could go to Target for it?\u201d Beatrice suggested, and Mildred finally understood the woman\u2019s attitude. She didn\u2019t think Mildred could afford anything and shouldn\u2019t be shopping there.<\/p>\n
She felt hurt right away but didn\u2019t want to say anything and make a scene. She kept walking around the store, with Beatrice following. \u201cI\u2019m just going to look around, okay?\u201d Mildred said, trying to get the woman to leave her alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen, you can find nice things at Target in your budget. This is just too much,\u201d Beatrice continued, crossing her arms. \u201cAlso, we have cameras everywhere. You won\u2019t be able to hide anything in that old bag of yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mildred finally turned to face the rude saleslady, and her eyes widened. Beatrice smirked at her, daring her to do something. But Mildred was never one to argue, so she rushed out of the store, ashamed, with tears streaming down her face.<\/p>\n
She was right outside the mall when she dropped her bag by accident, and for some reason, that made her break down even more. After being humiliated by the woman, she cried hard, but someone touched her shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cMa\u2019am, are you okay? Can I help you with anything?\u201d a kind male voice asked. Mildred lifted her head to see a young police officer, who helped her stand up straight. He bent down to pick up her purse and gave her a warm smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, thank you, officer,\u201d Mildred said, grabbing her bag and trying to calm herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I\u2019m still an apprentice. I\u2019m only 20, but I\u2019ll be a real officer soon,\u201d the young man said with a laugh. \u201cCan you tell me what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, it\u2019s a bit silly\u2026\u201d Mildred began. Something about his kind face made her want to talk. He was frowning deeply by the time she finished.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s awful! How can a salesperson treat you like that?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s your name, young man?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeonard Walsh,\u201d he answered and looked toward the mall doors. \u201cLook, my mentor came here for coffee. But we have time to choose a dress. Let\u2019s go!\u201d<\/p>\n
Mildred wanted to say no, but Leonard pulled her along toward the fancy shop. Beatrice spotted her right away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I told you to leave\u2026 oh, officer, what\u2019s going on?\u201d Beatrice asked, changing her tone as soon as she saw the officer with Mildred.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe came here for a dress, and we\u2019re not leaving without one,\u201d Leonard said firmly, and he waved for Mildred to keep shopping. He also complained to Beatrice\u2019s manager while Mildred looked for a dress.<\/p>\n
After a few minutes, she picked a beautiful dress for prom, and Leonard even paid for half of it despite Mildred\u2019s protests. But it wasn\u2019t too expensive because the store gave them a discount after Leonard\u2019s complaint. They heard the manager scolding Beatrice as they left.<\/p>\n
Leonard walked Mildred out of the mall and said goodbye. But Mildred couldn\u2019t let such a kind young man go just like that. \u201cLeonard, do you have any plans this weekend?\u201d she asked, raising her eyebrows with a sly smile, and Leonard laughed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mildred didn\u2019t have much money, living only on her pension, but she wanted to buy a dress for her granddaughter Clara\u2019s prom. At a fancy store, the saleslady, Beatrice, greeted her but couldn\u2019t hide her judgment, as Mildred didn\u2019t look like her usual customers. She tried to push Mildred away, but someone stepped in to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30322"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30323,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30322\/revisions\/30323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}