At the clinic between patients, Xavier filmed Jafar, an African gray parrot with a profane vocabulary, and sent the video to Samantha. They spoke briefly and playfully about her mustard health campaign and a couples challenge she wanted to try when he arrived, underscoring their excitement to see each other. Xavier reflected on how distance stretched time and how his intensified work schedule, taken to afford travel, was becoming unsustainable.

After the call, Xavier received a message that his mother was on the line. Anxious, he took the call as "Dr. Rush" to maintain professional distance. His mother opened with casual small talk and a request to reconnect, mentioning his father’s sobriety and church, and asking about future grandkids. Xavier’s silence and guarded tone prompted her to push for a “polite conversation.”

When Xavier challenged her lack of apology, his mother reframed past events as strict parenting, blaming Xavier for conflict and citing an incident where he punched his father—ignoring that his father was hitting him with a belt. Xavier named their actions as abuse, including verbal degradation and drowning a dog’s puppies, while she dismissed these as discipline and accused him of having an “attitude problem.”

She escalated to belittling Xavier’s character and achievements, implied he would fail, referenced reading negative reviews, and closed with a patronizing “I’ll be praying for you,” then hung up. The call lasted under three minutes but left Xavier flooded with memories and emotions, recognizing the gaslighting and the lingering power his parents had over him.

Overwhelmed, Xavier resisted calling old friends who knew his mother and instead felt an urgent need to confide in Samantha, realizing how vulnerable he was willing to be with her. This led to two firm resolutions: he would never allow his parents to witness him fail—especially by closing his clinic—and he admitted to himself that he was deeply in love with Samantha.