“So, Lara, how can I help you this morning?”

I was courteous on the call, as I always was.

“Well, Margie, I have a problem I’d like some help with today. I don’t know if you can help me, but here I go.”

I took a draught of my espresso, with another lined up behind it. I needed to sharpen up this morning after last night, so the big hit of caffeine was just what I needed to get me going.

“Over the last few weeks, my boyfriend has started acting weird,” Lara began.

Looking over at Damian, my producer, I rolled my eyes. This was going to be a very normal Monday morning. The usual cascade of samey, trivial issues that everyone had, but only those craving attention would ever share on the radio.

“We’ve been together for nearly two years now and it’s well, been fantastic most of the time. A perfect relationship for both of us, or so I thought. We’ve been saving towards our first house and are ready to start looking. And, well, moving the whole thing on, really.” Lara stopped for a breath.

“Then three weeks ago, some strange things started happening,” I waited as I noted a downturn in her voice, “Mike began to wear aftershave.”

There was silence on the end of the line as I waited for more. But it didn’t come.

“Hi Lara, you still there?” I waited for a response, but the only thing that came was a snuffling and a sighing that shouted to me that all was not well.

“I’m here.” She said, finally.

“So, let me get this right,” I continued, conscious that ‘good radio’ did not involve too much silence, “He’s started wearing aftershave.”

That was a question.

“Yes, and it’s really worrying me,” Lara said, slowly, yet now quite clearly.

“And he’s started to go to the gym, as well.”

As was so often in these cases, the caller would have only a sliver of information that seemed huge to them, yet provided the merest of clues for me on the performance end of the call.

“So, he’s started wearing aftershave and is now going to the gym. Can you tell me, Lara, why these two things are of such concern to you?”

Let’s move this right along.

“Mike is a creature of habit, that’s why,” she continued, “And now he’s changed, that why I’m worried about it.”

“What do you think is going on with Mike, Lara?” I now asked.

On these calls, it was always a good idea to get the caller to do as much of the work as possible. Our lawyers had told me that, so that it reduced our likelihood of litigation, down the line. Tell them to do as little as possible.

“I don’t know, it’s just weird for him and it’s stressing me out.” Lara was now beginning to think, which was my intention in all of this.

“What have you said to Mike about this, Lara?” I asked, so that not only I could get the full picture, but Lara herself might start to see her role in all of this.

“I haven’t said anything yet. Everything has been going so well and I don’t want to spoil everything.” There was a little sense of fear in Lara’s voice now. She clearly didn’t want to cause their relationship any problems, so was sticking her head in the sand.

“What do you think might be happening?” I decided to go for the jugular. It might do her good to get it out there and, after all, it was good radio.

“I really don’t know, but it worries me.”

What are you fearful of then?” I said, keeping the pressure up.

“I just have a feeling that it might not be a good thing. He might have found someone else.” So, now it was coming out, Lara’s worry of a competitor, because of aftershave and trips to the gym.

“What could you do to find out what Mike’s up to, Lara?” My intention here was clear. Give Lara a step she could take that would bring the situation forward and start to move things along.

“Well, I could ask him, nicely, I suppose,” she said, with a little quiver in her voice.

“Is that something you would be able to do, Lara?”

My job here was to give her momentum and ownership of the next stage in her life. One which for the moment, was stalling on her fear of her man smelling differently and working out.

“I could, yes,” was the short reply.

I’ve always believed that there needs to be momentum, so my next question was simply to draw that out.

“When will you do this, Lara? I asked her, putting the final touches to a great call.

“Tonight,” she said, “And thank you.”

Job done. Solution found.

Next!