For two decades, Abby McCarthy was in the financial driver’s seat in her marriage, as Jake struggled to earn a steady living directing until recently. It could have created an unsustainable power dynamic given her then-husband’s ego and penchant for hoarding resentment, but luckily, Abby found her writing niche in the self-help market and parlayed tales of her “perfect” marriage and children into a lucrative career. Not only was Abby able to support her family while enjoying the small slice of fame her writing gave her, she quickly settled into the role of provider and found that she genuinely liked being in the working world. It gave her life a sense of direction and purpose that granted her that illusive feeling of contentment, but along the way, Abby’s self-image became deeply intertwined with her professional life, so much so that a life without work doesn’t seem like something she wants to live.
On the next episode of Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, Abby is forced to take an account of the other aspects of her life after Jake wipes away all financial obligation from her. Following decades of being the primary breadwinner for her family, Abby was now free to do anything her heart desired, especially so given that she was let go by SheShe. But Abby has spent so long going toward a particular path that changing direction is surprisingly daunting; still smarting from the unceremonious uncoupling with SheShe, she doesn’t necessarily want to jump into another writing gig right away, but her life has been so complex and chaotic that just doing the mom thing might not leave her as fulfilled as she was while she was working. While Abby loves her children deeply and wants to be there for the positive moments in her life, even if they’re baseball games she doesn’t quite understand, she’s happiest when her professional career is flourishing alongside her personal life, so sooner or later, Jake’s words be damned, she could be looking for a new job.
Elsewhere on Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, Jo makes the necessary move of putting Frumpkis in rehab in order to give her relationship with Scott a real shot, while Phoebe reenters the work force with a new job at an art gallery and Delia loses a big client.
Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce airs Wednesdays at 10:00 on Bravo.
Will Abby ever adjust to a life without work? What would happen to Jo’s relationship with Scott if Frumpkis gets out of rehab and wants to get back together? How will Phoebe losing her alimony impact her relationship with JD?
