“Oh, don’t mind him. So, what are you looking for?” Cassey said.

“I’m looking for a wedding dress. Getting married this summer, and I want to go all out,” Betty said cheerfully.

“Congratulations! A summer wedding?! Sounds beautiful. I think I might have exactly what you need. Follow me,” Cassey said, beckoning Betty to follow her.

“You’ve heard what they say about assumptions, right?”

Cassey picked a couple of dresses out for Betty to try on. Betty ended up taking a liking to one of the most expensive dresses. Meanwhile, the other customer tried out several dresses, took pictures, then moved to the next.

“Sorry, ma’am. You’ve tried almost 8 dresses and taken pictures in all of them. Which one do you intend on getting?” Mike asked, trying to hide his frustration.

“Uhm… You know what, I don’t think I’ll be getting,” the other customer said casually as she took another picture.

“What!? Did you even intend on buying anything?” Mike snapped.

“Listen, between you and me, I just needed a couple of snaps for my social media,” the customer said, handing Mike back the dress in her hand.

“Are you serious?” Mike asked, taken aback and irked.

“Sorry, dude!” the customer chirped as she left.

Mike turned to see Cassey at the till as Betty who opened up a bag with wads of cash. Betty paid for the most expensive dress, and left Cassey with a $5000 tip. Mike was utterly distraught and had to make sense of what he saw. He approached them, barely able to put his words together.

“Uhm… That’s quite the tip, ma’am,” Mike nervously murmured, awkwardly clearing his throat.

“Ma’am? I was grandma not too long ago,” Betty replied nonchalantly.

“Oh, no! That was just a little friendly banter. I—If I’d known that—” Mike tried to explain before Betty cut in.

“If you’d known what? That I don’t need to shop at the thrift store? You’ve heard what they say about assumptions, right?” Betty said coldly. Mike couldn’t hide his embarrassment.

Betty turned to Cassey with a large smile, “Thank you, Cassey. You’ve been an amazing help. I’ll see you at the wedding, yeah?”

“Sure thing, Betty. It’s my pleasure. And thank you for the invitation,” Cassey said as Betty exited the store, leaving a dumbfounded Mike.

“I—I—I don’t understand,” Mike said, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

Cassey couldn’t help but laugh at her colleague’s misjudgment. She then explained that Betty was a nurse and was marrying a widowed millionaire. He came into her care at the hospital where she worked with a broken leg and in tatters.

Betty had no idea he was wealthy. They fell in love during his recovery, and then upon his release, she finally discovered he was a successful business tycoon.

Mike was completely baffled and annoyed at his own prejudice. Cassey advised him to just take it as a lesson for the next time he wants to make assumptions about people. That summer she celebrated with Betty and her family and friends at their wedding, it was a ball.

What can we learn from this story?

Don’t judge a book by its cover. Mike’s prejudice towards Betty because of her outside appearance guided him blindly into his own demise. Things might have worked in his favor if he hadn’t judged her harshly.

Treat people with equity no matter how they may appear. If Mike had treated Betty like any other customer instead of making her feel inferior, he would have gotten a good tip and that invite.