Many a couple has vowed that their divorce would be different. Civil, harmonious with a settlement that is win-win for both participants. They calmly acknowledge that while they are breaking up it is just one of those things where it’s everybody’s fault and at the same time no one bears the blame. One thing they guarantee to themselves and each other is no matter what they will remain the best of friends.
And then it happens. A minor conversation takes a wrong twist. Maybe a piece of bric-a-brac that the two of them picked out together suddenly becomes the center of their universe. Or deciding who the kids are going to live with turns into a heated exchange. Whatever the cause, the result is war.
Now anything or anyone becomes a weapon to destroy the other person. Old wounds and exaggerated slights are reopened with a vengeance. Even issues that were resolved a long time ago make a comeback but this time with a new slant; it was not resolved to either or both spouse’s satisfaction.