Older Lady Who Raised Grandson Alone & Spent All Savings on His Wedding Learns He Uninvited Her — Story of the Day

An older lady who raised her grandson alone and spent all her savings on his wedding was disappointed when he barred her from the ceremony. She decided to further his education and taught him a painful lesson...

"Did he say I wasn't invited? Maybe my old brain is playing tricks on me," thought Gloria in tears. She was on the phone with her grandson and couldn't believe it when he declared she wasn't invited to his wedding.

88-year-Gloria had devoted all her life to her only grandson, Joseph after his parents died in a car crash years ago. She had raised him entirely by herself because she was a widow, and their extended family members did not want to be involved in his care.

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But Gloria never regretted looking after Joseph. She raised him like her son, and he meant the world to her. She worked two jobs to pay for his schooling, and when he went to university, she sold her jewels to cover his tuition.

At every step in Joseph's life, Gloria was his supporting pillar. And well, Joseph loved her too. He visited her during the university holidays, helped her around the house, and cared for her.

After graduating from college, he got a job and moved out, yet he would visit Gloria every weekend. But after Joseph got engaged to his girlfriend, Clara, things began changing.

"When are you going to invite your fiancée to dinner, Joseph? I haven't even met her yet," Gloria lamented one day while on a call. "Do you not want your grandmother to meet her?"

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Joseph laughed nervously and tried avoiding the question. Clara's dad was a millionaire businessman, and Joseph was embarrassed to introduce Gloria to them. He concluded they would be disappointed to learn he didn't come from wealth.

"Well, you know I've been swamped with work, Gran," he said, avoiding the question. "I'll soon try to arrange your call with Clara. Maybe you guys could meet on the video call…I'll see."

"We didn't have all this technology when we were your age, Joseph. I would appreciate it if she could come over, but if you insist, it will be fine."

Gloria gave up convincing Joseph to invite Clara, thinking the video call wasn't a bad idea. And a week later, she did meet Clara on call. Clara was a lovely girl, Gloria thought, and she looked great with Joseph!

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Gloria was happy for them. Clara hinted the wedding would be somewhere around next month, so Gloria began saving up for it. She had set some money aside for her only grandson's wedding over the years, but she started saving more money to give him and his future wife the best wedding present! She was looking forward to that day and bought herself a lovely pink dress for the special occasion.

"Oh, I can't wait for the beautiful day," she reminded herself every night before going to bed. But all her hopes were crushed one day.

It was around the time when she should have gotten the wedding invitation, but because she hadn't, she called Joseph to ask about it. The call did not go well.

"Is everything all right between you and Clara, honey? I'm not sure how to put it, but wasn't the wedding meant to be this month?" she wondered.

"Gran, please don't hate me for this…." Joseph said quietly, and Gloria's heart began to pound. "The wedding is next week, but you - you are not invited... Clara's family is quite wealthy, and you know what I mean, Gran... We've led rather simple lives, and you, Gran... You'll stand out among the wedding guests like a sore thumb. They're sophisticated and affluent... I'm sorry," he apologized and hung up.

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Gloria was in shock as the call ended. "Oh, he doesn't mean that, does he?" But soon, it dawned on her that her grandson had uninvited her.

Gloria cried all night, unable to believe her dear Joseph no longer cared about her. Deep down, she was more concerned about being ignored by her grandson than being refused the invitation. She wondered if that was the reason why he avoided her and didn't invite Clara over to her house. Gloria decided to test Joseph's love for her.

Just hours before the wedding, Joseph got a call from Gloria's neighbor, Mrs. Murphy. "Joseph, I think you should be home. Gloria died in her sleep this morning. Her last wish was for her grandson to be present during her final rites."

A shock ran through Joseph as he heard the devastating piece of news. He left the ceremony and hurried to Gloria's house with Clara. She insisted on accompanying him.

Mrs. Murphy was crying on the living room couch when Joseph arrived. He was dressed in his wedding suit, and Clara was dressed in her wedding gown. "Mrs. Murphy, how did...Where is Gran? Was she sick? What happened?!" Joseph was in tears as he entered.

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Mrs. Murphy was stunned to see them in that attire. She had no idea about the wedding. "Joseph, you…What is this?"

"I've been a terrible grandson," Joseph suddenly dropped to his knees and began crying like a child. Clara hugged him to console him. "She raised me since I was just eight, and what did I do? I only caused her pain... She wanted to attend the wedding, but I refused to invite her. She must have been devastated. How will I ever be able to forgive myself?"

"Clara, I lied to you. I felt ashamed that I did not come from a wealthy family, so I didn't want Gran to meet your family. Please don't marry me. You deserve a better man. I lied to you that Gran was sick, and she couldn't attend the wedding…I am the worst person alive!"

Gloria was watching everything from another room. Her heart ached to see how much she had hurt Joseph, but she had to be hard to make him regret what he had done.

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"Yes, you were a bad grandson," said Gloria as she appeared in front of everyone. "I'm not dead, Joseph. It was all staged. And well…."

Before Gloria could say anything else, Joseph threw open his arms around her. "I am so sorry, Gran. Oh, I'm so happy you are alive. You are coming to the wedding. In fact, we'll cancel the arrangements if you're not ready now. I am so sorry…."

"It's okay..." She softly rubbed him on the back to soothe him, like she used to do when he was a child. "I'm sorry for making you cry in front of your fiancée, but adults must sometimes be stern with children to correct them. Now stop crying...I forgive you! Clara's looking at you," she laughed. Her little trick of faking her death worked.

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Joseph was very embarrassed about what he'd done. He and Clara finally invited Gloria to the wedding, and she sat proudly beside Clara's parents as Joseph and Clara exchanged their wedding vows.

Later, they had a small reception with only close family members, and Joseph and Clara wore the outfits Gloria had purchased for them as a wedding gift.

What can we learn from this story?

• Grandparents always want what is best for their grandchildren. Gloria had devoted her entire life to raising Joseph and was devastated when he barred her from the wedding. Thankfully, he made amends.
• You can't outwit grandparents; they've seen more of the world than you. Gloria's tactic of feigning her death made Joseph realize his mistake in no time.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an old lady who paid for her granddaughter's wedding with all her savings but was disinvited at the last moment.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.