Toni’s Blog

It began with a request for a record on the local radio station.  Then it became much, much, more...

“Not again, Karen!” Mike stormed at me.  “I can’t take much more of this.”

“Oh Mike, come on, it’s only once a week,” I implored.  “Be reasonable.”

Mike stared at me in absolute amazement, and when he spoke his voice was slightly mocking.

“Be reasonable - me?” he began.  “For the last two months you’ve cut short every date we’ve had on a Friday, just so you can listen to that pathetic DJ.  Karen...”

He stopped, lost for words, then sighed heavily and leaned back in the driving seat.

“I don’t know what to say,” he shook his head.  “The whole thing’s crazy. It’s not even as though you know the bloke, and yet you moon over him...  Oh, forget it.  There’s just no reasoning with you any more.”

Mike slammed his fist against the steering wheel.

“But it’s a good programme, and there was a time you wouldn’t miss it!” I argued.  “And anyway, if you object to me going home early, let’s not go out on Friday in future.”

As soon as I’d said it, I knew it was a mistake.  Mike slowly turned to face me and in the moonlight his face took on a pale, almost ghostly appearance.

“Don’t I mean anything to you?” he demanded with a coldness in his voice I’d never heard before.

“Of course you do,” I said quickly, trying to sound reassuring. “It’s just that...”  I bit my lip.  How could I explain to Mike without hurting him - or, worse, losing him completely.

“Then prove it,” Mike challenged.  “Let’s go on to the disco as we arranged. All the others will be there - and we did promise.”

No, I thought, you promised!

“Actually...” I began carefully.  “I’ve got a bit of a headache, and I don’t think I could take those lights and loud music...”

Without another word Mike started the car and slammed it into gear.  We roared off with a squeal of tyres and he didn’t say a word until he pulled up outside my house.

“Goodnight, Karen,” he said.  “Enjoy your programme.”

At first I wasn’t quite sure what to do.  Whether to stay put and argue it out with him, or just go.

“Mike...” I began, but that was as far as I got.

“Goodnight, Karen,” he repeated without even a glance in my direction.

Well, if that was the way he wanted it...

I opened the door and got out of the car.  Before I had chance to shut it properly the car started moving off and I was left staring at the red tail lights.

Why, oh why did he have to be so stubborn?  It wasn’t as though it happened every night, and in my book there was no earthly reason why I shouldn’t go home early if I wanted to.  We weren’t tied to each other.

Quickly I let myself into the house and after a quick hello to Mum and Dad went straight up to my bedroom.

Five minutes to go.  I sighed with relief as I switched on the radio, then felt the thrill of excitement as I lay on my bed waiting eagerly for the first sound of Jimmy Mitchell’s voice...

Every Friday he had a record request programme which he combined with a call-in.  I knew the phone number off by heart but I’d only rung the programme and spoken to him once.  It was ironic that my phone call then had been to request a record for Mike!

We’d been going out together for about four months, and our friendship was already growing into love.  So when Mike phoned me that morning and said he’d have to break our date because he had flu I wondered what I could do to cheer him up.

Then I’d tuned in to Jimmy Mitchell’s late night show.  Mike had mentioned once or twice that he usually listened to it if he was home, so I decided to phone in and let the words of a record tell him how much he meant to me.

I’d been so nervous as I’d waited for my turn to talk to Jimmy, but when he finally came on the line the friendliness in his voice put me completely at ease.

“Hi, Karen,” he said brightly.  “And how are you on this beautiful night?”

“Um...I’m fine,” I stammered awkwardly.

“Is this the first time you’ve called in?” Jimmy went on.

“Yes, it is,” I replied, my voice shaking.

“Well, don’t be nervous, pretend it’s just me and you.”  I sensed he was smiling and for a moment it was easy to believe we were only talking to each other.

“Now, is there someone special you’d like a record for?” Jimmy asked.

“My boyfriend, Mike Gunning,” I replied.  “He’s got flu at the moment, and I thought a record would cheer him up.”

“I hope he knows how lucky he is, Karen,” Jimmy said, and I thought I heard a strange wistful tone in his voice.  “Girls like you are hard to come by these days.”

continue