I did not witness this in the first person. The story I’m about to tell you was relayed to me by my Adviser, when I was in Graduate School. So, here goes.
When my Adviser was a young buck at Berkeley (this was probably in the late 1950s), he had a close friend. Now, this close friend was a polymath who was preparing to go to medical school. He was engaged to a lady, who couldn’t wait to start her married life with the future doctor.
One day, Dr. Polymath had this realization that he was not interested in becoming a medical doctor after all. His interest was piqued by that seductress of the pure abstract - Mathematics. He couldn’t imagine being in an office, caring for patients - when he could be immersed in his thoughts on a giant blackboard, with only the numbers and Greek letters for company in a University that would be lucky to have him. When he revealed his plans to his fiancee, she promptly broke off their engagement. She had been set on being a doctor’s wife. She couldn’t come to terms with being a Mathematician’ wife.
Dr. Polymath was devastated. He had always imagined that his former fiancee as being a part of his life. White coat or tweed, he’d always imagined his ladylove in his life. After the necessary period of mourning, he got back on his feet. He started his graduate work in Mathematics.
One year in Mathematics taught him that he was not suited for this field after all. He found that the challenges of becoming a doctor was more in line with his personality. He decided to give up Mathematics, and got back on his old track.
The future doctor had lost a year and his fiancee in this process. But, it was not to be so- for, the former fiancee came running back to him. She was supremely delighted to be reunited with her beau, and her broken dream of being a doctor’s wife had been made whole once again.
In due time, a date was fixed for the wedding. It was to be a modest ceremony, with all of the bride’s family gathered to celebrate the young ones’ nuptials. The bride’s father walked her down the aisle, only to find that the groom had walked out at the last minute.
You see, his fiancee had abandoned him when she had perceived that he would be making far less money as a Mathematician, than as a Doctor. While he had not been motivated to move back to medicine because of his earning potential, her departure had left a sour taste in his mouth. Her return never did mitigate that. He couldn’t imagine living the rest of his life with someone who would abandon him so easily. While letting her down easily would have been the more gentlemanly approach, he decided to get petty - but in style. He walked out of their wedding. A most savage revenge, indeed!