Author interviewing character. Terri and Briony.

I stepped onto the old oak floorboards of The Red Lion’s top bar and searched the pub for Briony. She’d asked me to meet her here because it’s not far from her flat and she said it’s where she comes with her friends.

A small round woman with oddly rigid blonde hair called to me from the lower bar.

“Hiya love, are you Terri? You’re looking for Briony, aren’t you? She’s down here. I’m Flo.”

The welcome to the pub was so warm. As I got closer to Flo and took the steps down towards her, I assumed she must be the landlady to the pub as she was working on a weekly staff rota on the side of the bar. She pointed down the bar and to the right and that’s when I saw her.

Briony was sat in a green leather booth with two large glasses of rosé on the table. Her blue eyes seemed to sparkle when she saw me and she pulled herself up and out of her seat, instantly laughing.

“Oh gosh, sitting on that faux leather in a skirt wasn’t a great idea in this extraordinary May heat; it’s twenty-three degrees midday on a Tuesday and I’ve just had to peel myself off the seat.”

We both looked at where Briony had been sitting and laughed together. Briony’s long blonde hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun with strands of loose hair flying as she continued to fan off the back of her skirt.

“Hi Briony, it’s really nice to meet you. I’m Terri Boas a writer, from the media department at Schwartzberg Finance Limited. Mr Schwartzberg said you were happy to answer some questions for an article in the monthly magazine about his staff’s work/life balance.”

She pulled her bright blue eyes up and her cheeks seemed to glow a little red. She looked embarrassed.

“Oh Terri, it’s really nice to meet you and yes, I’m more than happy to answer any questions you have for the magazine. I must admit, my life is pretty boring though and I’m so sorry for the skirt, leather seat, sweaty legs thing.”

Her cheeks turned a deeper red and I felt I needed to break the ice (excuse the pun in the heat).

“Maybe we could sit at another table where there is material covering the chairs?”

Briony shifted and looked relieved.

“Would you mind? That’s a much better idea. We always sit at that booth, that’s me and my best friends, Lauren and Natalie. Lauren is away singing on the cruises but home next week and Natalie lives just round the corner with her hubby Martin and the kids, Bethany and Milo. They’re my Guide children, you know? That’s just the non-religious equivalent of a God parent.”

I scribbled notes into my notebook, Briony picked up the glasses of wine and we moved seamlessly to a table and two chairs, rather than a booth. Briony grabbed the menu from the stand in the centre of the table.

“I hope you don’t mind, I ordered you a glass of rosé?” She eyed the blush-coloured wine in the glasses and then looked at me.

Before I had a chance to reply, she carried on, “Have you had lunch? I’m starving and haven’t got to be back in the office until 1:30. Colin, my supervisor, has given me an extra half an hour for the interview.

So the bacon and chicken melts are amazing. I don’t know why I’ve even picked up this menu, I know exactly what I’m having. Would you like to have a look?”

“Oh thanks. Yeah, I’ll just have the same as you if they’re that good. I’ll pay though, I’ll put it through expenses so this is on Mr Schwartzberg.”

I raised my glass of rosé to Briony’s and she clinked the top of my glass against the tip of hers and then tapped the bottom of the glasses together.

“Tits and arse!” And she really laughed, “That’s what we always do when we cheers.”

I must admit, I enjoyed the action and went to the bar to place our food order of two chicken and bacon melts for table 81, as per Briony’s recommendation.

When I returned we both knew that it was business until the food turned up.

“So what would you like to know, Terri?”

“Ok, Mr Schwartzberg wants to know about you. He thinks that new staff would like to hear from employees that they can still have a life away from work. There is evidence that shows some businesses in the industry are expecting too much from their workers. How does an average working week look for you? Do you get much down-time, I think is what he is edging towards?”

Briony took a big swig of her White Zinfandel as she considered her answer.

“I must tell you, I think I’m quite boring. So when Lauren is home from cruising she stays with me and we’ll take it in turns to make dinner, then veg out in front of the telly most evenings. We do like to come here on a Friday night for Cosmopolitan cocktails, ice-cream and karaoke and Natalie will join us too. If Lauren’s not home, then I go for more runs than when she is home, sometimes if I’m lucky I have a date but nothing else much. I don’t have a boyfriend. The last one turned out to be married, so I’m still looking for my Edward Lewis.”

I understood Briony’s Pretty Woman reference.

“I guess he’ll turn up when you’re least expecting him to.” I tried to reassure Briony.

“Well, that’s what they say, isn’t it? I’d like to have the type of everlasting, unconditional love that my nana and papa had. They brought me up because my mum died of an overdose when I was two.”

I inhaled and apologised about her mum but Briony was quite blasé about it all.

“I never knew her, and I know I am so very lucky to have had my nana and papa there to take care of me. They gave me a great start in life and tragically they died within days of each other only eighteen months ago. That is true unconditional love and it’s the exact love that I am looking for.”

I was left quite staggered at Briony’s passion and honesty and felt I’d got enough information to write in the article. It was obvious to me that she had a good work-life balance with time for her friends, exercise and fun away from work.

“I’ve got two chicken and bacon melts.” A young girl approached the table with our lunches.

“Thanks Steph, they look delicious. Terri, you won’t be disappointed.” Steph shyly smiled back at Briony.

“Briony, we’re looking forward to Lauren coming home so we can hear you both on karaoke.”

“Aw, Steph I know. I can’t wait for Lauren to come home too. Terri, you’ll have to join us. This is definitely the best pub in the world.”

I bit into the warm baguette and decided that I would like to take Briony up on her offer; the chicken and bacon melt was indeed to die for.

Two scoops, not Three