Susan Peterson was only 16 years old when she found out she was pregnant. She was so happy! She thought her boyfriend, James, would be just as excited as she was. Susan dreamed they would raise their baby daughter together, as a happy family.
But things didn’t go as she hoped. When she told James the big news, he didn’t smile or hug her. Instead, he walked away and said, “I don’t want to be part of this. I’m not going to take care of you or the baby.” And just like that, James left Susan all alone.
Susan’s heart broke. She was an orphan herself, with no parents to lean on. Now she had to face this huge challenge by herself. But Susan was strong. She worked hard, finished her school, and found a good job. Most of all, she loved her little girl, Ruth, and raised her with all her strength.
Ruth grew up always wondering about her dad. “Mommy, why don’t I have a dad?” she would ask. Susan never lied. She would sit Ruth down and say, “Ruth, your father didn’t want to be with us. He left because he didn’t want to care for us. But we don’t need him. You and I can be happy just the two of us, right?”
Ruth would nod quietly. But inside, she started to think that all men were bad, just like the man who left her mom. So whenever Susan tried to date, Ruth hated it. She didn’t want her mother to be sad or hurt again.
One day, Susan came home with a man named Jeremy. She smiled and said to Ruth, “Honey, this is Jeremy. I’m dating him.” But Ruth didn’t smile. In fact, she hated Jeremy right away.
At dinner, Ruth quickly moved to sit next to her mom, pushing Jeremy away. She thought, If I sit next to Mom, Jeremy won’t be able to get close.
After Jeremy left that night, Susan went into Ruth’s room. “Sweetheart, I have something important to tell you,” she said softly. “Jeremy and I like each other a lot, and we want to get married. But we want you to know before we decide anything.”
Ruth frowned. “I don’t like him, Mommy,” she said fiercely. “All men are bad. He’s like Dad. He’ll leave you, and you’ll be sad.”
Susan hugged her close. “Oh, Ruth, Jeremy is different. He’s a good man. He loves you, and he loves me. He came here today because he wanted to meet you.”
“But Mom,” Ruth said quietly, “I don’t want you to be sad.”
“Mommy will be happy with him, Ruth. And so will you. Won’t you try to like him if Mommy says he’s nice?”
Ruth hesitated but said, “Okay, Mommy. If you like him, maybe he is nice. But I don’t want you to marry him yet.”
Susan smiled gently. “We’re not getting married anytime soon. We still have a whole month. Jeremy wants to spend more time with you. Is that okay?”
Ruth nodded, but inside, she was making a secret plan. She didn’t trust Jeremy at all. She thought he was just pretending to be nice to marry her mom. Ruth was determined to stop the wedding.
The morning of the wedding, Ruth told her mom she was going to play in the garden. But really, she was waiting for something important. She had overheard her mom on the phone say the wedding dress would arrive at 11 a.m. Ruth waited until 10:30 a.m., then, when the package came, she grabbed it and ran out.
She ran to a nearby beauty salon where she’d seen brides getting ready on TV. Ruth thought maybe someone there would buy the dress. “Hi,” she said to the receptionist, setting the big box on the counter. “Can you buy this dress from me?”
The receptionist blinked in surprise. “Young lady, why do you have a wedding dress? You’re too young to marry.”
Ruth looked serious. “It’s not for me. It’s Mommy’s dress. If you don’t buy it, I can’t stop the wedding. I don’t want Mommy to be sad.”
The receptionist was confused. “Why would your mommy be sad if she got married?”
Before Ruth could answer, the salon manager, Mrs. Anderson, came over. She knew Ruth’s mom well and was worried to see Ruth alone. “Ruth, what are you doing here? Where’s Susan?”
Ruth looked down. “Please, Mrs. Anderson, can you buy this dress? I don’t want Mommy to get married.”
Mrs. Anderson exchanged a look with the receptionist but didn’t say anything. She agreed to buy the dress and smiled gently. “Would you like some cookies and milk, Ruth?”
“No, thank you,” Ruth said. “I have to go before Mommy finds out.”
“Ruth, you can tell me why you did this. We won’t tell your mom. I promise.”
Ruth’s eyes brightened. “Really?”
“Yes! You can trust me.”
Ruth told her everything — how she didn’t want her mother to marry Jeremy, how she thought all men were bad. Mrs. Anderson felt sorry for Susan and for Ruth.
After sending Ruth home, Mrs. Anderson called Susan. She told her what had happened with the dress and Ruth. By then, the wedding was canceled — no dress, no Ruth. Susan was frantic. She asked neighbors, called friends, even Jeremy wanted to call the police.
When Susan finally found Ruth, she was furious but also scared. “Ruth, what happened? Everyone was at the church, and I had to cancel the wedding because you disappeared! Jeremy was so disappointed.”
Ruth’s voice shook. “Mommy, I was just playing, but then…”
“Tell me everything!” Susan demanded.
Ruth knew she couldn’t lie. She told her mother everything about selling the dress and trying to stop the wedding.
Susan was angry and locked herself in her room. “Don’t talk to me,” she said. Ruth felt terrible. “I’m sorry, Mommy,” she whispered, knocking on the door. But Susan didn’t answer.
Later that evening, Ruth came back. “Are you still mad, Mommy? I’m sorry.”
No answer.
Then Jeremy arrived. He’d tried calling Susan and was worried. Ruth answered the door, crying. Jeremy knocked on Susan’s door, but no answer. Then he forced the door open and found Susan unconscious on the floor.
He lifted her carefully and rushed to the hospital with Ruth.
At the hospital, the doctors said Susan collapsed from stress. Jeremy stayed by her bedside all night. When he left to get water, he told Ruth, “Stay right here with your mom, okay?”
Ruth nodded, tears running down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Mommy. I’m a bad girl. You got sick because of me. I promise I’ll never do that again.”
Jeremy heard Ruth’s soft voice outside the room, “Please wake up, Mommy! You promised you’d make a dress for my fancy dress competition in two days! Please don’t stay asleep.”
Ruth cried harder when her mom didn’t respond. Jeremy comforted her and took her home to rest.
The next day, Jeremy told Susan about Ruth’s apology and asked her to forgive her daughter. “She’s just a child,” he said. “It will take time for Ruth to accept me. We’ll be patient.”
Susan nodded. “Okay.”
When Ruth visited Susan later that day, her mother hugged her. “I’m sorry for scolding you, honey. I won’t do that again.”
Ruth smiled weakly. “I’m sorry too, Mommy. Can we go home now?”
“Not yet,” Jeremy said. “Mommy’s still weak. We’ll see her again tomorrow.”
The next day, Ruth was surprised. “Wow, Mommy! This dress is beautiful! You remembered my fancy dress competition?”
Susan smiled. “Jeremy made it for you. He heard you talking about it and spent all night sewing it.”
“Really?”
“Yes! Jeremy used to help his mom make dresses when he was little. You should thank him. That’s why you won first prize.”
Ruth turned to Jeremy and said, “Thank you, Dad.” Then she hugged him tightly. “I know you’re nice. You’ll never leave us. I love you both.”
Jeremy’s eyes filled with tears. “Susan…she just called me Dad.”
Susan smiled quietly, happy to hear that. From that day, Ruth and Jeremy grew closer than ever.
Susan felt relieved. Her daughter finally trusted men again. Susan and Jeremy planned to marry at the end of the month. And the person most excited about the wedding? Little Ruth.
What can we learn from this story?
When it comes to children, patience is key. Jeremy knew Ruth needed time to accept him, so he didn’t rush anything. That love and patience made all the difference.
Also, moving on from a painful past is hard but possible. Ruth once believed all men would hurt her mother. But meeting Jeremy showed her that not everyone is the same — some people truly care and stay.
