Honestly, smoke is coming out of my ears at her saying, "I thought you were joking." Even if she did think you were joking, wasnt it her job to understand what your jokes were really trying to say? Doesnt take a rocket scientist! Or maybe it does. I got that same line. Oh you made a joke about it so I thought you had resolved it. Really??? Im bouncing off my chair here so things seem resolved to you??

Eta: but your situation sounds like a big miscommunication. Idk. You're 60, not 16. And you kind of preemptivly quit.