My Classmates Spent Years Laughing at My ‘Lunch Lady’ Grandma – Until My Graduation Speech Made Them Fall Silent

I buried myself in books, scholarships, and anything that would get me out of that school and into college.

I spent more nights at the library than I did at parties. I missed homecomings and game nights.

All I could see was the finish line, and all I could hear was her voice saying, “One day you’re gonna make something beautiful out of all this.”

In the spring of senior year, everything changed.

It started as a tightness in her chest. At first, she brushed it off.

“Probably the chili,” she joked, patting her collarbone. “That jalapeño was mad at me.”

But it kept happening.

She would wince while stirring a pot or press her palm to her ribs when she thought I wasn’t looking.

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