I Chose to Wear My Grandma’s Prom Dress in Her Honor – But the Tailor Gave Me a Note Hidden in the Hem That Revealed She Lied to Me My Whole Life

All I could think about was the dress. How wearing it might make it feel like Grandma wasn’t really gone.

I had no idea that this dress was the first thing that would prove I never really knew her at all.

The smell of lilac seemed stronger.

***

The tailor shop downtown looked like it had been there forever. The sign was faded, the window slightly dusty, and the bell above the door rang too loudly when I walked in.

“Be right there,” a man’s voice called from the back.

I took a step inside and immediately noticed the smell.

Fabric, old wood… and lilac. The same scent Mrs. Kline wore.

“That’s weird,” I said under my breath. “Familiar scent.”

Fabric, old wood… and lilac. The same scent Mrs. Kline wore.

“Not really,” the man said, stepping out and wiping his hands on a cloth. “Half the women in this town smell like lilac. Guess it sticks to everything.”

“Okay.”

He gave a small smile. “You must be Emma.”

I frowned. “Yeah… how did you—”

“Mrs. Kline called ahead. Name’s Mr. Chen.”