The 'New' Divorce 

I am a huge fan of soap operas, especially the ones on ABC, like "All My Children". You can make fun of me if you want, but I enjoy watching people with worse problems than mine, regardless of how unrealistic these shows can be at times.

One recent storyline on "All My Children" that caught my eye was one involving a highly publicized divorce between the infamous Erica Kane (portrayed by Susan Lucci) and her umpteenth hubby Jackson Montgomery (portrayed by Walt Willey).

You see, I don't think that either of them really wanted to get divorced. There had been a lot of drama between them and they disagreed on many things. Erica had done something unforgivable (at the time) and they could not come to any resolution other than to simply part ways.

Jack didn't really want this; even though he was furious with Erica's manipulations, he still loved her. He probably just needed some time to cool off. The same went for Erica; she wanted to fight for the relationship but was far too proud to ever just come out and admit it.

Erica, the host of a ficticious talk show "New Beginnings", decided to do a series about divorce. She wanted to showcase how a couple could be friends throughout and after the process. It didn't have to be the end of the friendship, just the marriage.

Erica and Jackson would appear together on screen and show the audience how they were coping with the divorce proceedings. They were supportive and kind to each other and spent a great deal of time reminiscing about the good times they had once shared.

The thing is, they obviously didn't really want to get divorced. Everyone could see that. Eventually, they began sneaking around together and rekindled their romance behind closed doors (they didn't want to hurt the ratings of the show; the "New Divorce" was a wild success).

As of now, they are not technically together. (Long story) But their love for each other is plain as day. It made me think about all the people who get a divorce even when they could potentially work their problems out together. Why let pride get in the way of love, of family? It's stupid; life is too short to not go after what you want.