For her mother's sixtieth birthday, Ivona decided to make a small exhibition of photographs. Among the seaside pictures and family lunches, she wanted an image from her mother's university graduation. Her mother often talked about studying literature, her professors, and the days when she could read all night. Ivona had chosen the same course herself, partly hoping to continue the story that sounded most beautiful in their home.
There was no photograph. Her mother said it had disappeared during a move. The diploma was supposedly in a box that was difficult to reach because old furniture had been stacked over it. Ivona suspected nothing; she simply offered to come with her husband and move the wardrobe. At the other end of the telephone, she heard her mother set down a cup. Then she said there was no need for any exhibition.
They argued about the birthday, but neither mentioned the real reason. Ivona accused her mother of rejecting every attempt at affection. Her mother said Ivona turned everything into a project. That evening Ivona found an old family picture of her mother standing outside the university in an ordinary jacket. She sent it with a message saying that this photograph was perfectly sufficient too.
The reply arrived as a voice message. Her mother had never graduated. A few examinations remained, then she had started working, married, and never returned. She had first lied during a conversation with her future mother-in-law, who used education as a measure of someone's worth. Afterward, the lie became shorter than the explanation. When Ivona began saying she wanted to be like her, she became most ashamed of admitting the truth.
Ivona listened to the message three times. The unfinished degree did not hurt her. What hurt was that her mother had spent years sternly criticizing every postponed examination while hiding her own unfinished work behind a perfect image. The next day she said so without softening it. Her mother did not offer a difficult youth in reply. For the first time, she said she had been unfair to her daughter.
They held the celebration anyway. The photograph outside the university hung on the wall with the simple caption "Student days." When an aunt began talking about the family's grand tradition of graduation, her mother stopped her and explained what she had completed and what she had not. Ivona did not rush to make it easier for her. Later they washed plates together. Her mother asked to borrow a book from Ivona's table. Ivona said she could, but this time she must actually return it.