The telephone rings…

The telephone call begins innocuously enough: “Hello, can I speak to Mr Smith please?” Now Mr Smith may or may not be there, but generally the reply is “Who’s calling?”

This is usually followed by an awkward silence as I am still new to this game. I then say something like, “I’m sorry, but I need to speak to Mr Smith directly.”

I wait for the response, and then it begins. They want to know who I am and why I want to speak to their husband/wife/daughter/son. As a family member, they feel that they have a right to know. I try to deflect …