Stuart flicks my CV with his finger before rising to his feet and once again offering his hand. I sheepishly take a weak grip of his palm as we exchange pleasantries. Gail shakes my hand too but has a much more sympathetic look in her eye. I head towards the door and pause for a moment before turning back to face this bastard Stuart. I'm going to tell him. I've fucked this interview up anyway so I may as well come clean and see if there is any pity that lies deep within this arrogant arsehole.

I pull my hood over my head and pop my earphones in. I don’t live too far but it’s enough of a distance to warrant music to be played. I seem to measure distances by how many songs I listen in that duration rather than actual time and for this journey, I’ll let Charles & Eddie soothe me. That one song ‘Would I lie to you?’ What an absolute masterpiece. It doesn’t matter how many times it’s played; it always hits just right. It’s the ‘WOOO’ That gets me every single time before the last chorus of the song. It sends chills down my spine, makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up and generally brightens my mood. Charles & Eddie have a fantastic archive but this one song stands out strong amongst the others – like I say, it just hits perfectly.

Staggered footsteps and heavy shrugging and breathing occur throughout the twigs on the ground. The footsteps on the crispy leaves on the grass become louder and louder until they sound to be right behind the bench. The small forest that has camouflaged Eric has now produced him from the darkness of the trees as he emerges, frantically trying to catch his breath back as he leans on the worn out bench, overlooking the village. Dennis is here already and has been for quite some time as he is completely relaxed and doesn’t seem phased from the walk through the forest at all. Without even a hint of turning around, Dennis blows out the smoke from his pipe, clears his throat and addresses Eric.