A Little Girl’s Big Plan to Stop Her Mom’s Wedding — and What Happened Next
Ruth was only 9 years old when she did something shocking — she took her mother’s beautiful wedding dress without asking and ran away with it! Why? Because Ruth wanted to stop her mom from getting married. She planned to sell the dress to a stranger and save her mom from heartbreak.
But things didn’t go as Ruth hoped. When her mom got very sick and rushed to the hospital, Ruth realized she might have made a huge mistake.
The Story of Susan and Ruth
Susan Peterson was just 16 when she found out she was pregnant. She was so excited! She thought her boyfriend James would be just as happy and that they would raise their baby daughter together.
But Susan was wrong.
James didn’t want anything to do with the baby or Susan anymore. He left them both behind. “I don’t want to be part of this,” he told Susan coldly before walking away.
Susan was heartbroken. She had no family to turn to because she was an orphan. But she didn’t give up. She worked hard, finished school, got a good job, and raised Ruth all by herself.
Ruth’s Feelings About Her Dad — and About Men
Growing up, Ruth always wondered why she didn’t have a dad like other kids. When she asked Susan, her mom told her the truth.
“Ruth,” Susan said gently, “your father didn’t want to be with us. He left. But we don’t need him to be happy. Just you and me — that’s enough.”
Ruth nodded, but deep down, she was scared and angry. She started to believe that all men would leave and hurt her mom, just like her dad did. So when Susan started dating again, Ruth didn’t like it one bit.
Enter Jeremy — The New Man in Their Lives
One day, Susan came home with a kind man named Jeremy. “Mommy is dating someone new,” she told Ruth.
Ruth’s face scrunched up. She didn’t want Jeremy around. At dinner, she even moved next to her mom so Jeremy couldn’t sit close.
Later that night, Susan sat by Ruth’s bed and said, “Honey, Jeremy and I like each other. We want to get married. But we wanted to tell you first.”
Ruth’s voice was sharp. “I don’t like him, Mommy. Men always leave. He’ll break your heart like Dad did.”
Susan hugged her tightly. “Jeremy is different, Ruth. He loves you. He came here to meet you because he cares about us.”
Ruth still wasn’t convinced. “I don’t want you to be sad,” she whispered.
Susan smiled gently. “We’ll take it slow, okay? Jeremy wants to spend time with you before anything else.”
Ruth sighed quietly, but inside, she was still doubtful.
Ruth’s Plan to Save Her Mom
Even though Jeremy was kind and tried to be nice, Ruth believed he was pretending just to marry her mom. She decided she had to stop the wedding — no matter what.
On the morning of the wedding day, Ruth sneaked away to the garden. She had overheard her mom talking on the phone about the wedding dress arriving at 11 a.m. Ruth waited until the dress came, then grabbed it and ran off.
She rushed to a nearby beauty salon, thinking, People who get married must buy dresses here! She went up to the receptionist and said, “Hi, my name is Ruth. Can you please buy this dress from me?”
The receptionist blinked in surprise. “Why do you have a wedding gown, little lady? You’re too young to marry.”
“It’s not for me,” Ruth said firmly. “It’s Mommy’s. If you don’t buy it, she’ll be so sad. I want to save her.”
The salon manager, Mrs. Anderson, walked in and recognized Ruth right away. “Ruth, what are you doing here alone? Where’s your mom?”
Ruth explained everything with big, worried eyes. Mrs. Anderson felt sorry for the little girl and promised to keep her secret. She even offered cookies and milk, but Ruth said she had to hurry home before her mom found out.
The Wedding Day Chaos
Meanwhile, Susan was frantic. Ruth was nowhere to be found, and the wedding guests were already waiting. Without the dress and her daughter, the wedding was canceled.
Susan called neighbors and looked everywhere. Jeremy was worried, too. They even talked about calling the police if Ruth wasn’t found soon.
When Ruth came home, Susan was furious. “What happened, Ruth? Do you know everyone was at the church? Jeremy was so disappointed! Where did you go?”
Ruth, scared and trembling, told her everything.
Susan was so angry she locked herself in her room and told Ruth not to come in.
A Scary Night — And A Lesson Learned
Ruth felt awful. “I’m sorry, Mommy,” she whispered, knocking on the door. But Susan didn’t answer.
Later that night, Jeremy came to the house. Ruth answered the door, tears in her eyes, and pointed to Susan’s room.
Jeremy knocked but got no answer. Worried, he gently opened the door and found Susan unconscious on the floor.
He picked her up carefully and rushed her to the hospital with Ruth by his side.
At the Hospital
The doctors said Susan collapsed from too much stress. Jeremy stayed by her bedside all night, watching over both mom and daughter.
When he stepped out to get water, he overheard Ruth softly crying, “I’m sorry, Mommy. Please wake up. I promise I won’t do anything to make you sad again.”
Jeremy comforted her, “Susan will be okay, Ruth. You did your best. Let’s rest now.”
Healing and Forgiveness
The next day, Jeremy told Susan everything and asked her to forgive Ruth.
“She’s just a child,” he said. “She’s scared and needs time.”
Susan nodded and agreed.
When Ruth visited, Susan smiled and hugged her. “I’m sorry for being angry, honey. Mommy loves you.”
Ruth smiled back. “I’m sorry, too. Can we go home now?”
“Not yet,” Jeremy said gently. “Mommy needs to get better.”
A Happy Ending — And A New Beginning
The next day, Susan surprised Ruth with a beautiful dress for her school fancy dress competition.
“Wow, Mommy! You remembered!” Ruth exclaimed.
Susan smiled. “Jeremy made it for you. He stayed up all night sewing it.”
Ruth hugged Jeremy tightly. “Thank you, Dad. I love you. I know you’ll never leave us.”
Jeremy’s eyes filled with tears. Susan smiled, hearing Ruth call him dad for the first time.
From that day, Ruth and Jeremy grew closer and happier than ever. Susan was relieved to see her daughter trusting and loving again.
The wedding was rescheduled — this time with Ruth excited and ready. Because sometimes, love and patience can heal even the deepest wounds.
What We Can Learn
This story teaches us two important things:
- Patience with children is key. Jeremy understood that Ruth needed time to trust him. By going slow, he won her heart.
- The past doesn’t have to control the future. Ruth’s dad left, and she was hurt. But she learned that not all men are bad — some, like Jeremy, can bring happiness.
