When my school announced prom, I didn’t feel particularly excited. I wasn’t dating anyone, and to be honest, the whole event seemed a bit overrated.

Then, I glanced over at my great-grandma, Alma, who was comfortably settled in her recliner, watching an old black-and-white film.

“You ever go to prom?” I casually asked her.

She chuckled. “Honey, back in my day, girls like me didn’t get asked to prom.”

Her words stuck with me. Alma had been through so much—raising four kids, losing my great-grandpa too soon, yet still managing to be the toughest and funniest person I knew.

Right then, I made up my mind.

I was taking my great-grandma to prom.

At first, she thought I was joking. “What would I even wear?” she asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

“Something fabulous,” I assured her.

A week later, she had a shimmering blue dress, and I had a matching tie. When we walked into the venue, every eye in the room turned toward us.

I braced myself for some awkward glances or whispers. Instead, applause broke out.

My friends cheered. Even the principal wiped away a tear.

And then? Alma took over the dance floor.

And I mean really took over the dance floor. She twirled, laughed, and even threw in a little shimmy when a Bruno Mars song played.

But the best moment of the night?

Halfway through, the DJ grabbed the mic and announced that the next song was dedicated to the “Queen of the Prom”—none other than Alma herself! The entire room erupted into cheers, and her face lit up with pure joy.

As the first notes of the next song played, I immediately recognized it from Alma’s stories. It was Always by Ella Fitzgerald—her favorite.

“Want to tell me about it?” I asked, noticing the nostalgic sparkle in her eyes.