This client, she came to me in the midsts of migraines. Somehow, after a few cancellations, we met.

She had been a stay-at-home mom for her only child, a daughter. Her husband travels for work. As a result, my client is well-travelled too. She is vivacious, interesting, interested, charming.

We talked about real positions she could do - events, personal assistant, part-time concierge for a hotel chain she liked. Her strength was all that travel. It shaped her into a worldly, capable person.

She has a real passion for art, architecture, archeology, politics, decoration, design. It’s fun to be around her. Usually, I stay very focused with my clients, but she and I lapse into chatting.

Last week, she mentioned her husband. She seemed pissed at him, in her way, and what woman can’t relate? Our men irritate us, we irritate them - true love. I shared some little thing about how Marvin irritates me too sometimes, and we moved onto her resume and our next steps.

This week, she was more direct. Her husband was in town more than usual and he was driving her nuts. She wished he would leave. He’s mean to her. He’s always been this way, but now more than ever.

He’s just like her parents, telling her she’s not good enough, she can’t do it. He screams at her. She hates him. She hates her parents. She wishes he would die.

Yeah right. Good luck. They never die. You have to change.

She has no idea how much money they have in his 401(k). No solid handle on her expenses. She feels trapped. She is lost and kept apologizing to me for telling me her truth.

I told her to steal the information she needed to get clear about her finances and call a lawyer.

“And why don’t you try screaming back at him?” I suggested.

“You mean like a silent scream?”

“No, like a real one.”