“Look, someone’s leaving the café with a big smile on their face,” Diana’s boss exclaimed, prompting a wave of laughter to echo through the kitchen as they all watched the blushing woman.
“We’ll be there, Miss Diana. When’s the wedding?” a co-worker asked, as the others gathered around Diana, causing her to blush even more.
“It’s this Sunday at 11 a.m. I can’t wait to see all of you at the church,” Diana replied, still blushing.
Diana, a 60-year-old cleaner at the café, had taken half a day off to buy the perfect wedding suit for her only son Arnold. Despite the high price, she wasn’t fazed and thought to herself, “My boy deserves to look his best!” as she spent a long time shopping for the perfect blue suit.
After using up all her savings to buy a suit for her son’s wedding, Diana was eager to see his reaction when she surprised him at home.
“I can’t wait to see him get married,” she thought, anticipating the special day since Arnold had informed her of his plans to marry Masha.
“Son, look what I got for you!” Diana exclaimed, entering their home with the suit in hand and a wide grin on her face. “I’m sure you’ll love this! Can you try it on? The seller said I can exchange it if it doesn’t fit.”
She presented the suit to Arnold from the garment bag, but he didn’t seem pleased, furrowing his eyebrows.
“I can’t wear this ordinary suit for my wedding. I’m marrying a wealthy man’s daughter and need to look my best. I’d look tacky in that cheap suit,” Arnold said dismissively.
Diana’s eyes welled up with tears, but she pretended to be fine, despite her son’s hurtful words that weighed heavily on her heart.
It was even worse when Arnold added insult to injury, saying, “Oh, and one more thing…I don’t want you to come to my wedding. Everyone from Masha’s family will be there, and I don’t want you to ruin my image with your dirty clothes. People will ask me what you do, and I don’t want to say that you’re just a cleaner.”
Unable to hold back her tears any longer, Diana rushed to her room, locking herself in, and cried the rest of the day. Arnold was too busy with wedding preparations and didn’t bother to check on her. The celebration was in two days.
On Arnold’s highly anticipated big day, which happened to fall on a Sunday, Diana was determined not to miss out on such a beautiful moment, despite her son’s request for her not to attend. After pulling herself together and carefully selecting the prettiest dress she had, she confidently declared aloud to herself in front of the mirror, “You are too young to understand this mother’s wish and pain. I cannot afford to miss your big day, son. I’m coming.”
Diana packed an old ceramic vase she intended to give as a gift to her son and headed to the church. Upon arrival, she was pleasantly surprised to see her colleagues and boss already in attendance, and she momentarily forgot that Arnold had asked her not to come. “Howdy, Miss Diana! I’m sure you are the happiest mother on earth!” her boss remarked.
Diana smiled and entered the church, carrying the heavy gift box. As she watched the bride and groom exchange wedding rings and share a kiss, she couldn’t help but shed a few tears of joy. Overwhelmed with happiness, Diana exclaimed to herself, “I’ve done it!”
After the wedding, a grand reception was held, drawing several wealthy guests to greet the newlyweds. Arnold was taken aback when he saw his mother approaching and frowned in disgust, wondering why she had come despite his request for her not to ruin his day.
“Congratulations, my dear! You both look stunning! Best wishes!” Diana exclaimed, presenting her son with a gift.
Arnold noticed that the moment was being captured on camera and didn’t want to cause a scene, so he reluctantly accepted the gift from his mother. He opened the box and discovered an old vase inside. “She gave me this useless old vase lying around the house? How tacky!” he grumbled.
Arnold was about to dispose of the gift he considered trash when his mother’s voice boomed over the microphone, startling him. He turned pale as he had no inkling that a twenty-five-year-old secret she had been keeping would be revealed that day.
Diana began, “Just moments before my best friend passed away twenty-five years ago, she gave me an old vase and instructed me to present it to her son on his wedding day. The vase was a cherished gift from her parents, and she wanted her son to have it.”
Arnold was perplexed and didn’t comprehend his mother’s words.
“After my friend’s death, I adopted her son and raised him as my own child. I never married because I wanted to devote all my love and attention to him. Son, it’s time for you to see what your late mother left for you in that vase. Let’s raise a toast!” Diana lifted a glass as Arnold examined the vase in astonishment.
As he peered inside the antique ceramic vase, tears streamed down Arnold’s face.
He found wads of cash inside. Arnold realized that the woman he was ashamed of was not his birth mother but the one who had dedicated her life to raising him. She was more than just a mother; she was his savior and guardian angel, who rescued him when he was orphaned.
“I kept my promise to my dear friend. I’m happy for you, son. Take care and God bless you!” Diana finished. She made her way towards the door, but Arnold couldn’t let her go. He ran after her and blocked her path.
“Mom, I’m sorry. Your love for me is priceless. I’m sorry for hurting you. I was never a good son, but you were always a good mother to me. Why didn’t you tell me I was an orphan? Please don’t leave me. I don’t want to become an orphan again.”
Diana hugged Arnold, and they returned to the stage, where the groom danced with his mother.
“I love you, mom!” Arnold whispered, and Diana beamed with joyous tears in her eyes.
