Ashamed of His Mother’s Face—Until the Truth Broke His Heart
Most people didn’t even know Derek Ryder had a mother. While other kids joked about their parents, Derek stayed quiet. He never invited friends over to his house, not once from first grade to his final year of high school.
When he started dating, he’d lie to his girlfriends and say, “Babe, my mom’s super religious. She won’t let me date.” But that wasn’t true at all.
The real reason? Derek was ashamed of his mom.
She had only one eye, and her face was badly scarred on the left side. To Derek, she looked like something out of a horror movie.
Her name was Gail Ryder. And she had looked like that for as long as Derek could remember. When he was little, it didn’t bother him—she was just his mom. But as he got older, he noticed how people looked at her.
Other moms would flinch when she came to pick him up, even when she wore big sunglasses and a wide hat to cover her face.
One night after school, little Derek said harshly, “I don’t want you to walk me to the gate anymore.”
His mom blinked. “But sweetie, all the moms take their kids in. And you’re still small…”
Derek exploded. “You’re a FREAK! I heard Bobby’s mom say so! And now they’re all going to say I’m a freak too!”
From that day on, Gail never stepped onto school grounds again. She would drop Derek off and drive away, tears rolling silently down her cheek. Her son was ashamed of her—and it broke her heart.
As long as his mom stayed hidden, Derek was okay. He told people she was a recluse, or deeply religious. Anything to cover up the truth.
But then graduation came.
Derek had worked hard and earned the honor of valedictorian. At school, the headmaster clapped him on the back and smiled. “I hope we finally get to meet your mother, son. I want to congratulate her personally!”
Panic hit Derek like a truck. My mother? Here? No way! He knew people would whisper and stare. So, he came up with a cruel plan.
He searched online and hired an actress—a woman with a soft face and warm smile, the kind of mom he wished he had. He even coached her on what to wear and what to say.
On the day of graduation, he was getting ready when Gail peeked into his room.
Her eye lit up. “Derek! Is it today? Your graduation? Oh, just give me a minute to get dressed!”
Derek froze. Then he snapped, “Dressed? For what?”
“To come with you, of course! I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said, beaming.
But Derek’s voice turned ice cold. “You’re not going. I’ve spent my entire life hiding you. Do you think I want people to see your ugly face on the most important day of my life?”
Gail’s eye filled with tears. Her voice trembled. “Derek… how can you be so cruel?”
He shouted, “You’re a freak, mom! I’m ashamed of you. I even hired someone to pretend to be you. Don’t you get it?”
Her face turned pale. She nodded slowly, tears spilling down her scarred cheek. “Oh… my son,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry…”
But Derek had already turned away and slammed the door behind him.
Two weeks later, he left for college in California and never looked back. He never called. Never wrote. He erased her from his life.
Ten years passed. Then came a phone call.
Gail had passed away.
Derek didn’t even know. Her friends had arranged the funeral. But she had left everything she had to him: the house… and a surprisingly large estate.
Confused, Derek flew back home and met with her lawyer, Terry Arlington.
“Mr. Ryder,” the lawyer said kindly, “your mother left you $700,000 and the house, which is now worth over $1.5 million.”
Derek’s jaw dropped. “What? That doesn’t make sense! My mom lived a quiet life… My dad left her with nothing!”
The lawyer gave a small nod. “It was from the insurance. And the settlement. You must know about it?”
“No,” Derek said, confused. “What are you talking about?”
Arlington looked at him gently. “When you were just three years old, you wandered toward a strange dog in the park. Your mother saw what was about to happen… and she threw herself between you and the dog.”
Derek’s face went pale.
“She was mauled, Mr. Ryder. Blinded in one eye. Her face was torn apart. But she saved your life.”
Derek’s knees went weak. He whispered, “It would’ve been me…”
“She was one of the bravest, most selfless people I’ve ever met,” said Arlington. “You must’ve been proud of her.”
Derek didn’t respond. The lawyer’s words echoed in his mind.
Later, Derek found himself standing alone at his mother’s grave. The wind whispered through the trees. He knelt down and broke into tears.
“Oh mom…” he sobbed. “You saved my life. And I spent my whole life treating you like you were nothing. Please… please forgive me…”
After that day, Derek changed.
He placed the only photo he had of his mother—wearing her dark glasses—on his desk. Every time he looked at it, he remembered her kindness… her sacrifice… and the terrible way he had treated her.
He made a promise: never again would he be ashamed of his past.
What can we learn from Derek’s story?
Be proud of your parents, no matter what they look like.
Derek was selfish and vain, and it cost him the chance to love the one person who gave up everything for him.
When he finally learned the truth, it was too late to say “I’m sorry.”
Remorse is a heavy burden—and the unkind carry it for the rest of their lives.
