Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Signs. Everything you don't recognize is mind. I just really like the movie and I am such a Merrill groupie! Also, of course, it is a love story. So this takes place after the movie and of course, we all want to know what happens to Merrill! Te he he! What fun! So leave me lots of lovely reviews and I will love you forever!!!!!!!
It had been a couple of months since it happened. The aliens had left earth and who knows where they were. The Hess family was still slowly recovering, Morgan and Bo returned to school, Graham found his faith again and was reinstated as the town's minister and then there was Merrill. He had kept his job at the gas station, where he went every day and every once in a while, pumped some gas. Most of the time, he just sat out back, smoked, and took his break everyday at 2:30 so he could pick up Morgan and Bo from school.
He certainly wasn't living life in the fast lane. Merrill wanted a change. Maybe that's why he went to the army recruitment office every week and just looked at the enlistment sheet. He could never bring himself to put his name on the list. Maybe it was because he couldn't bear to leave his family. Or maybe it was because he was scared of them. Every since "it" happened, the military was on high alert, men in dark uniforms came every three weeks to the Hess farm to check if they were ok. They did that to every place within a mile of a crop circle site. It was a strange time.
Merrill threw down his cigarette and went back to his station. Bill, the owner, hobbled out of the creaky office. He had only survived the attack because he followed the advice of the town vet; he went up the lake. He grabbed his trusty cane and started to scold Merrill.
"Now, lookie here, Merrill! You can't be ditching your post! I only keeps ya because you're the only grease monkey I got left after them damn aliens!"
"I know, Bill." Merrill said, almost automatically. They had this talk nearly every day.
"Good, now go get me a ham sandwich!" Bill grumbled and started to tend to the customer who just rolled up in a rusty, red, Chevy.
Merrill started his trek up the hill to Reba's, the only eatery in town. The owners were killed and their neighbors, the Keens, took up the business. Guess they couldn't let a local place like that just die. People were just beginning to pick up the pieces. He opened up the door and stepped inside. He always liked the Keens. Mrs. Keen was a round, happy women and her husband was a tall, skinny man. They were both in there 50's and had no children. They had no help, no cooks, and no waitresses. It was just them.
"Merrill! How good to see you!" Mrs. Keen chirped when she saw him standing at the door. The diner was a little bit more crowded than usually. " I haven't seen you for the last 2 Sundays! It's awful that Bill makes you work."
"Yep," said Merrill. He was never much for small talk.
"Have you met the new girl, Lottie?" Mrs. Keen asked,
"Nope," Merrill answered and suddenly he heard a crash. They both looked over and saw a pile of food and broken plates on the floor. Standing over them was a pretty girl. She had short, chin-length hair, tan skin, and large blue eyes. She was wearing a black tank top, flared jeans and orange adidas sandals. Merrill liked her from the moment he saw her.
"Oops," she said sheepishly and began to pick up the pieces.
"It's all right, child." Mrs. Keen said motherly, leaving Merrill and coming over to help her pick up the plates. "You must remember to pace yourself. Don't carry too much at once. Balance, Lottie."
"I am so sorry, Mrs. Keen. I'll clean it up, I swear." She said, gathering the pieces and putting them on a tray.
"It's ok, dear. I'll get Mr. Keen to clean this up with the mop. You tend to the diners," said Mrs. Keen and went off to look for him. Lottie wiped herself off and headed towards the counter. Merrill took a deep breath and walked over to her.
" Hi," she said cheerfully, "are you ready to order?"
"Um, can I get 2 ham sandwiches to go," Merrill asked her, looking at his feet.
" Sure thing," She answered and place his order in the kitchen.
"Lottie!" A voice called, it was Lionel Pritchard. It was a wonder to Merrill why the assholes survive the aliens when thousands of good people perished. "Refill!"
"I'll be back;" she told Merrill and grabbed the coffeepot. He watched her blow off Lionel as he tried to flirt with her. He really liked her now.
"Order's up, Lottie!" Mr. Keen called, with a mop in his hand.
"Thanks," she answered and grabbed the Styrofoam containers, she turned to Merrill. "Do you want pickles and chips with the sandwiches?"
"Both."
"K," Lottie looked at him closely, "don't I know you from somewhere?"
"Maybe," Merrill said, watching her reach the tongs into the pickle jar.
"No, I've seen you somewhere before. I just can't put my finger on it;" Lottie fixed her blue eyes on his strong features.
"I bet you know him sweetness!" Lionel interrupted, "Our boy Merrill Hess here use to play in the minors, but they kicked him out because he couldn't stop swinging. He holds the strikeout record for the whole damn league!"
"It felt wrong not to swing," Merrill said softly, then he said, "At least I was drafted to play minor league ball."
Lionel made a move towards him and Merrill countered. They obliviously did not want to look like pansies in front of the only women in town who didn't have a double chin.
"Boys, Boys, Boys," Lottie said, placing one of her hands on each of the fuming men's chest. "Let's be grown-ups here. Lionel, I think you better go, you owe me $4.50."
Never taking his eyes off Merrill, he reached into his pocket and fished out a 10-dollar bill.
"Keep the change." He said flatly and with a final smirk at Merrill, walked out of the diner.
"I hate Lionel;" Lottie stated and went back behind the counter. "He comes in here everyday and won't let Mister or Missus Keen wait on him. He gives me the creeps."
"I'm Merrill Hess," he said, taking her out stretched hand.
"I'm Lottie. Lottie Wilkes. I know you from Sports Center! I saw you being interviewed when you were with the Philly Stallions. 3 home run records, right?"
"You follow baseball?" Merrill asked,
"I did," she replied, " I am, and forever will be , a big fan of the Red Soxs."
"Favorite player?"
"Brian Daubach. I always did have a thing for first basemen;" she said and put a couple of Lay's potato chips bags on the counter.
"You know I played first base," Merrill said slyly.
"I know," she grinned mischievously. " 2 ham sandwiches.... 5-dollars." Lottie looked at the menu to see if the math was correct.
Merrill got out his wallet and a picture of Bo and Morgan at Graham's 40th birthday party cluttered to the counter.
"Are they yours?" Lottie asked, picking up the wrinkled photo. "Your not married are you?"
"No, I'm their uncle," Merrill replied, "I live with my brother, Father Graham. I help raise them." He rambled, " In fact," he said, glancing at his watch, "I have to pick them up in about half a hour if you wanna come with me." He finished hopefully.
"Wish I could, but I have to work. Maybe some other time?" Lottie responded, taking the 5-dollar bill in his hand.
"Well, ok then," Merrill exclaimed with delight. "I'll see you around sometime."
"Yeah," she answered wistfully; "I'd like that."
"Bye," he said and left the diner, taking his sandwiches with him.
Merrill had an extra bounce in his step as he bounded down the hill. Maybe the New World wouldn't be so bad after all.
**********************************************************************
That's all for this chapter, folks! Leave me lovely reviews. No flames, please! More of Lottie's history will be revealed next chapter so keep reading!
It had been a couple of months since it happened. The aliens had left earth and who knows where they were. The Hess family was still slowly recovering, Morgan and Bo returned to school, Graham found his faith again and was reinstated as the town's minister and then there was Merrill. He had kept his job at the gas station, where he went every day and every once in a while, pumped some gas. Most of the time, he just sat out back, smoked, and took his break everyday at 2:30 so he could pick up Morgan and Bo from school.
He certainly wasn't living life in the fast lane. Merrill wanted a change. Maybe that's why he went to the army recruitment office every week and just looked at the enlistment sheet. He could never bring himself to put his name on the list. Maybe it was because he couldn't bear to leave his family. Or maybe it was because he was scared of them. Every since "it" happened, the military was on high alert, men in dark uniforms came every three weeks to the Hess farm to check if they were ok. They did that to every place within a mile of a crop circle site. It was a strange time.
Merrill threw down his cigarette and went back to his station. Bill, the owner, hobbled out of the creaky office. He had only survived the attack because he followed the advice of the town vet; he went up the lake. He grabbed his trusty cane and started to scold Merrill.
"Now, lookie here, Merrill! You can't be ditching your post! I only keeps ya because you're the only grease monkey I got left after them damn aliens!"
"I know, Bill." Merrill said, almost automatically. They had this talk nearly every day.
"Good, now go get me a ham sandwich!" Bill grumbled and started to tend to the customer who just rolled up in a rusty, red, Chevy.
Merrill started his trek up the hill to Reba's, the only eatery in town. The owners were killed and their neighbors, the Keens, took up the business. Guess they couldn't let a local place like that just die. People were just beginning to pick up the pieces. He opened up the door and stepped inside. He always liked the Keens. Mrs. Keen was a round, happy women and her husband was a tall, skinny man. They were both in there 50's and had no children. They had no help, no cooks, and no waitresses. It was just them.
"Merrill! How good to see you!" Mrs. Keen chirped when she saw him standing at the door. The diner was a little bit more crowded than usually. " I haven't seen you for the last 2 Sundays! It's awful that Bill makes you work."
"Yep," said Merrill. He was never much for small talk.
"Have you met the new girl, Lottie?" Mrs. Keen asked,
"Nope," Merrill answered and suddenly he heard a crash. They both looked over and saw a pile of food and broken plates on the floor. Standing over them was a pretty girl. She had short, chin-length hair, tan skin, and large blue eyes. She was wearing a black tank top, flared jeans and orange adidas sandals. Merrill liked her from the moment he saw her.
"Oops," she said sheepishly and began to pick up the pieces.
"It's all right, child." Mrs. Keen said motherly, leaving Merrill and coming over to help her pick up the plates. "You must remember to pace yourself. Don't carry too much at once. Balance, Lottie."
"I am so sorry, Mrs. Keen. I'll clean it up, I swear." She said, gathering the pieces and putting them on a tray.
"It's ok, dear. I'll get Mr. Keen to clean this up with the mop. You tend to the diners," said Mrs. Keen and went off to look for him. Lottie wiped herself off and headed towards the counter. Merrill took a deep breath and walked over to her.
" Hi," she said cheerfully, "are you ready to order?"
"Um, can I get 2 ham sandwiches to go," Merrill asked her, looking at his feet.
" Sure thing," She answered and place his order in the kitchen.
"Lottie!" A voice called, it was Lionel Pritchard. It was a wonder to Merrill why the assholes survive the aliens when thousands of good people perished. "Refill!"
"I'll be back;" she told Merrill and grabbed the coffeepot. He watched her blow off Lionel as he tried to flirt with her. He really liked her now.
"Order's up, Lottie!" Mr. Keen called, with a mop in his hand.
"Thanks," she answered and grabbed the Styrofoam containers, she turned to Merrill. "Do you want pickles and chips with the sandwiches?"
"Both."
"K," Lottie looked at him closely, "don't I know you from somewhere?"
"Maybe," Merrill said, watching her reach the tongs into the pickle jar.
"No, I've seen you somewhere before. I just can't put my finger on it;" Lottie fixed her blue eyes on his strong features.
"I bet you know him sweetness!" Lionel interrupted, "Our boy Merrill Hess here use to play in the minors, but they kicked him out because he couldn't stop swinging. He holds the strikeout record for the whole damn league!"
"It felt wrong not to swing," Merrill said softly, then he said, "At least I was drafted to play minor league ball."
Lionel made a move towards him and Merrill countered. They obliviously did not want to look like pansies in front of the only women in town who didn't have a double chin.
"Boys, Boys, Boys," Lottie said, placing one of her hands on each of the fuming men's chest. "Let's be grown-ups here. Lionel, I think you better go, you owe me $4.50."
Never taking his eyes off Merrill, he reached into his pocket and fished out a 10-dollar bill.
"Keep the change." He said flatly and with a final smirk at Merrill, walked out of the diner.
"I hate Lionel;" Lottie stated and went back behind the counter. "He comes in here everyday and won't let Mister or Missus Keen wait on him. He gives me the creeps."
"I'm Merrill Hess," he said, taking her out stretched hand.
"I'm Lottie. Lottie Wilkes. I know you from Sports Center! I saw you being interviewed when you were with the Philly Stallions. 3 home run records, right?"
"You follow baseball?" Merrill asked,
"I did," she replied, " I am, and forever will be , a big fan of the Red Soxs."
"Favorite player?"
"Brian Daubach. I always did have a thing for first basemen;" she said and put a couple of Lay's potato chips bags on the counter.
"You know I played first base," Merrill said slyly.
"I know," she grinned mischievously. " 2 ham sandwiches.... 5-dollars." Lottie looked at the menu to see if the math was correct.
Merrill got out his wallet and a picture of Bo and Morgan at Graham's 40th birthday party cluttered to the counter.
"Are they yours?" Lottie asked, picking up the wrinkled photo. "Your not married are you?"
"No, I'm their uncle," Merrill replied, "I live with my brother, Father Graham. I help raise them." He rambled, " In fact," he said, glancing at his watch, "I have to pick them up in about half a hour if you wanna come with me." He finished hopefully.
"Wish I could, but I have to work. Maybe some other time?" Lottie responded, taking the 5-dollar bill in his hand.
"Well, ok then," Merrill exclaimed with delight. "I'll see you around sometime."
"Yeah," she answered wistfully; "I'd like that."
"Bye," he said and left the diner, taking his sandwiches with him.
Merrill had an extra bounce in his step as he bounded down the hill. Maybe the New World wouldn't be so bad after all.
**********************************************************************
That's all for this chapter, folks! Leave me lovely reviews. No flames, please! More of Lottie's history will be revealed next chapter so keep reading!