Alice surprised her mom, Maria, by taking her to a high-end restaurant to celebrate. However, their joy turned to humiliation when the smug manager mistook Maria for a maid and publicly disrespected her. Tensions rose as the restaurant’s owner intervened.

So, let me tell you about the craziest, most infuriating day of my life. I had just finished defending my PhD—yep, I’m officially Dr. Alice now! You’d think that would be the most significant part of my day, right?

Wrong! Because what happened afterward almost ruined everything.

After the defense, I was on cloud nine. I decided to surprise my mom, Maria, who was back at our little cottage, knees deep in her beloved garden.

“Mom, you’re not going to believe this!” I yelled.

“I did it, Mom! I’m officially a PhD!” I practically screamed.

“That’s wonderful, sweetheart!” she beamed. “We have to celebrate!”

“Exactly what I was thinking. We’re going out.”

Fifteen minutes later, we were in the car, heading to this swanky place I’d heard about.

The manager, Richard, sneered, “The service entrance is around back.”

“Excuse me?” I snapped. “This is my mother, and we have a reservation.”

Then, the owner appeared. “Maria? Is that really you?”

“Thomas? Oh my goodness, it’s been ages!” my mom exclaimed.

Thomas turned to Richard. “You’ve made a grave mistake.”