Real Work. Real People.

I went to work with my spirits a little higher. I finally realized I should be excited because I was about to start my first actual career. I got to work early to start going over the info sheets and prep my speech modeled on the role-plays from last week.

I'm not really sure what I can say about the details of my job without breaching my contract but we have to collect info on the victim from the "initiating party," in a very rigid, structured way. But what we do with that info isn't a science, it is an art.

We need to get a good physical i.d on the target (preferably a photo) so that Enders, like myself, can get a good idea what the guy looks like. Really feel him out.

Then we have to ask for a brief history of the romance. How it started, when it started, why it started. Next we go over the details as to why the romance is in the progress of termination. At which point we allow the initiator to reflect and discuss their relationship qualms. We do this in order for the initiator to confirm the certainty of termination by signing a non-binding legal document stating how Beautiful Break-Up is not clinically, or legally, responsible for any feelings caused by the initiating party post-ending. We have to inform the party of this at every meeting. And I know what you were wondering, it is a mouthful.

So my first client opens the door and a middle-aged woman comes in. I should mention I'm professionally bound to not share information that can identify a client. I'll call her S. just for ease. So S. comes in and says she wants to get out of her relationship and we start getting into all the bureaucracy of it. It was all really cut and dry. Her and the victim, D., met seven months ago at a bar. He danced with her, bought her drinks, and called her the next morning. Swell guy. So things go well but S. starts to get annoyed by D.'s quirks. He's too needy, he's too dependent, he's too short. S. knows this relatively early but every time she goes to break up with D. he talks her out of it for various reasons. Three attempts later she is fed up with trying and saw our ad in the Times.

It all went extremely smoothly and according to protocol. But when we are finishing up the initiating interview. S. put on her coat and shook my hand. While she was shaking my hand she gives me a cautionary stare and tells me to be careful with D. because he gets upset over bad news and tries to talk away a problem rather than accept it.I don't anticipate any problems. "Firm and professional," as Carolyn says.