Ashamed of His Mother, a Son Hires Another Woman to Pose as Her at Graduation

Hardly anyone knew that Derek Ryder even had a mother.

Whenever his friends brought up their parents, Derek would go quiet or change the subject. He never invited anyone over—no movie nights, no birthday parties, not even a short gaming session.

From elementary through senior year, his home remained off-limits.

When he started dating, he invented excuses to avoid introducing his mother.
“My mom’s super religious,” he’d say. “Strict about dating.”
But the truth was much harder to admit.

Derek was ashamed of his mom.

To him, she looked like a horror movie character. Gail Ryder had only one working eye, and deep scars covered the left side of her face.

She had always looked that way. As a child, it didn’t matter. She was just his mom—warm, protective, loving. But as he got older, Derek began to notice how people looked at her.

On his first day of school, he saw other parents staring, even though she wore sunglasses and a large hat to hide her face.
That night, he said:
— “I don’t want you walking me to the school gate anymore.”

Gail was stunned.
— “But sweetheart, the other moms walk their kids in too. You’re still little.”

— “You’re a freak!” Derek snapped. “I heard Bobby’s mom say it. Now everyone thinks I’m a freak too!”

From that day on, Gail never stepped on school grounds again.

Each morning, she dropped him off at a distance, her cheeks silently soaked in tears. Her son was ashamed of her—and it broke her.

Meanwhile, Derek comfortably lived in denial. As long as his mom stayed invisible, he felt free to make up any story.

To classmates, she was either deeply religious or sickly and isolated. Anything but the truth.

But graduation changed everything.

Derek had been named valedictorian. His principal was proud:
— “We can’t wait to meet your mother. She must be so proud!”

Panic set in. The thought of her showing up terrified him. Determined to protect his image, Derek contacted an agency and hired a professional actress to play his mother.

She was exactly what he imagined a mom should be—graceful, warm, unscarred.

He gave her strict instructions: what to wear, how to act, what to say. She was to pick him up just before the ceremony.

That morning, Gail saw her son in his cap and gown and beamed.
— “Derek! It’s today, isn’t it? Let me change quickly!”

— “Change? For what?” he asked coldly.

— “Your graduation, honey!”

— “You’re not coming,” he said firmly.
“I’ve spent my life hiding you. Why would I let you ruin the most important day of my life with that face?”

Gail’s one eye filled with tears.
— “Derek… how can you say that?”

— “Face it, Mom,” Derek snapped.
“You’re a freak. I hired someone else to pretend to be you. Understand now?”

Her face went pale.
— “Oh my son… I’m so sorry…”
But Derek had already walked out.

Two weeks later, he moved to California for college. He never contacted her again.

Ten years passed.

Then one day, Derek received a phone call. His mother had passed away.

Neighbors and friends had arranged her funeral.

She had left everything to him—her modest home and, to his shock, a sizable estate.

Confused, he met with her attorney, Mr. Terry Arlington.
— “Your mother left you nearly $700,000, plus the house, now worth over $1.5 million.”

— “I don’t understand,” Derek said.
“My dad left her nothing. She lived so simply. Where did this come from?”

Arlington gave him a long look.
— “You don’t know?”

“When you were three, you wandered toward a dangerous dog in the park. Your mother threw herself between you and the animal. She was severely injured—lost her eye, suffered permanent disfigurement. She received a settlement and lifelong insurance payments.”

Derek sat in stunned silence.

— “It should’ve been me,” he whispered, eyes welling up.

— “She was one of the bravest, most selfless people I’ve ever met,” Arlington added.
“You must’ve been proud.”

Derek didn’t respond. He went straight to the cemetery and knelt by her grave.

— “I’m sorry, Mom,” he choked.
“You saved my life… and I treated you like a shameful secret. Please forgive me.”

From that day on, Derek stopped hiding.

He placed one of the few photos he had of her—wearing sunglasses—on his desk.

It became a daily reminder of her love, her sacrifice… and his greatest regret.

And every time he looked at it, he silently promised:
To be better.