Filip's mother asked Lana which hospital she worked at. Lana assumed she had confused professions and explained that she ran a massage studio, with the training required for that work. The woman paused with a bowl of potatoes in her hands. "I thought you were a doctor," she said. Filip immediately began discussing traffic, too loudly and unrelated to the question. Lana looked at him across the table. He didn't meet her eyes.
They had been engaged for three months. She was meeting his parents only now because they lived far away and earlier visits kept being postponed. Filip had said they were straightforward people and she needn't worry about what to say. Now she understood that a script already existed; she simply hadn't received it. His father mentioned her specialization, and his younger brother asked whether she could examine a test result. Lana calmly said she wasn't a doctor and he needed an appropriate professional.
The silence at the table became heavier than conversation. Filip said he had probably described her work awkwardly. Lana asked how a studio became a medical specialization. His mother lowered the bowl and said he had personally described university, hospital shifts, and training abroad. She didn't look disappointed in Lana. She looked ashamed of her son and the questions she had asked based on his invention.
After lunch, Filip claimed he had merely wanted them to accept her immediately. His parents valued titles, he said, and he didn't want them belittling her. Lana replied that the belittlement began much earlier, when he decided her actual work wasn't good enough to introduce. She had built her studio over years, repaying a loan and working weekends. She didn't need someone else's degree to give that effort value.
She returned the engagement ring until she decided whether to continue the relationship. Filip offered to explain everything to his parents, but Lana said he needed to do so without a promise of forgiveness in exchange. A few days later, his mother called to apologize for the discomfort and say she didn't need a doctor in the family. Lana thanked her but wouldn't let the mother repair her son's story for him.
They ended the relationship before planning the wedding. Lana returned to work and ordered a new studio sign because the old one had detached from the wall. It carried her name and an accurate description of her work. When the installer asked whether she wanted another title added, she said no. Then she prepared the room for her first client, knowing she felt more tired than liberated, but at least wouldn't introduce herself as somebody else.