She imagined herself on the sidelines, while her husband provided fame, social respect, and an interesting life; she would merely put her delicate shoulder under this sweet burden. Without question! Michelle believed more in Roy’s lucky star than even herself. Moreover, Roy came from a family of psychiatrists; both his grandfather and his father were psychiatrists. Fate itself determined the continuation of this familial tradition.

And indeed, he followed in the family footsteps, after Stony Brook University enrolling in medical school for psychiatry.

But in the middle of his studies, Roy (as he himself phrased it) “jumped off the cliff.” He quit medical school to study at the New York Film Academy.

As he explained to Michelle, he finally realized that psychiatry was not his calling. “Yes, psychiatric abnormalities are interesting for me, from a learning point of view, how unpredictable the human psyche is. But I am not drawn to treating mental patients. I want to, and I will, make movies. And I absolutely don’t care that my family is against this decision. It’s enough that you understand and support me.”

It must be said, for the sake of objectivity, that Michelle also saw that the more time and effort med school required, the more resistance Roy developed. He was constantly irritated, gloomy, depression-prone, and spoke more often about the fact that he is not doing what he was supposed to do and not fulfilling his calling.

“It’s a pity he dropped out. But a talented man will always find his way in life. The cinema? Well, maybe this is even better,” Michelle decided. “He’s going to make films and will become a famous director. Our life is going to be a hell of a lot of fun.”

Oh, the naïve notions of wives who have linked their fate to artists! Ladies, don’t have expectations of what you see in beautiful films or what you read in glossy magazines. They lie about everything! They lie. And if you happen to meet a pale young man with a burning gaze who seems to you a genius—run away! Run away without turning back, lest you turn into a pillar of salty tears!