Breaking Farmington(closed for Serenity)

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Walt Jennings sat bleary eyed behind the wheel of the U-Haul as he approached Farmington. It was his third move in as many years and, though he liked his work, he was getting tired of small town life. He couldn't complain though. When he took the job he knew what he was getting into. At this point every town started to look the same. The chemical companies were like that. They always picked small towns with lots of land and stagnating economies. To some, the jobs the plants brought were welcomed with open arms but there were always the environmental activists that fought them tooth and nail for every permit they needed. Walt was the guy they brought in to take care of the pesky ones and he found breaking their wills to be the most enjoyable part of the process. Something he was particularly adept at.

Just around noon he pulled up in front of the house that had been rented for him. It wasn't much to look at but in this town, none of the houses were. The old 2 bedroom home sat on a quiet street near the downtown area. He was hoping for something with a larger lot and more privacy but apparently it wasn't in the cards. He was at least pleased that it had a finished basement.

After unhooking his car from the back he unloaded what he could from the U-Haul and brought it inside. The rest would have to wait until this evening when the nosy neighbors, he knew were watching, wouldn't be around.

As evening approached Walt climbed into his car an headed downtown to find somewhere to eat and pick up groceries. Though the town wasn't much, he knew he should at least be able to find some decent food. It was the south after all. One of the few redeeming thing he found about the south other than the women.

Passing the Piggly Wiggly in the center of town he found a little diner that looked like it would work. Walking in he took a seat at the counter and looked over the menu.

 

[Serenity30822]

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Kaitlyn Arnett had lived in the boring town of Farmington her entire boring life. She hated it here. Hated the small town life where everyone knew everyone's business. Hated how stuck she felt, that she had no way out.

The highlight of her days was when she had to work because at least then she had something to break up the monotony of being at home by herself. She'd worked at Del's Diner since she was 16 years old, and was currently the second employee to have surpassed ten years of work there.

Today was just another day. She'd woken up, showered, gotten ready for work, putting on her uniform and the little bit of makeup she wore. She looked at herself in the floor length mirror hanging from her closet door, brushing her long black hair back from her face, and sighed.

"Well. Here we go." She muttered to herself, getting into her car and heading to the diner to start her shift. It was a busy day for the diner, about half the booths staying occupied throughout the shift, and Melinda the other waitress had called out sick, leaving Kaitlyn to handle all the customers alone. She didn't mind, it kept her busy enough that she didn't get bored.

She was behind the counter filling a coffee mug, her back to the door when she heard it open. She rattled off the typical greeting without turning, "Welcome to Del's, have a seat anywhere and I'll be right with you." then delivered the fresh cup to a booth in the far corner, checking on all the guests as she made her way back to the counter.

 

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Walt looked over the menu with nothing really jumping out at him. After driving for 8 hours then unloading his stuff he was ready to eat just about anything. He just didn’t know what.

He glanced up at her as she made her way back behind the counter and towards him. Far from the stereotypical surly, overweight middle aged diner waitress, she was stunning. Her long black hair spilled over her shoulders and framed her beautiful face perfectly.

One of the other things he found he liked about small towns like this was how the women seemed to gravitate towards anyone new in town. The boredom and monotony of small town life just seemed to have that effect on them. There seemed to be two types of small town girls. They either married their high school sweetheart and had kids or they were looking for anything that resembled a way out.

“Look at you, aren’t you a cutie.” He said with a smile deciding to find out which one she was right off the bat. “What do I have to try?” There was always something that places like this were known for so he made a habit of asking before he decided on anything.

 

[Serenity30822]

Moving back behind the counter to set out silverware for the newcomer, she plastered on her usual smile as he spoke. Her smile faltered briefly when she lifted her gaze to meet his, startled by his shockingly green eyes.

She wondered what he was doing in Farmington, he clearly wasn't from here. Setting aside the fact that she knew literally everyone that lived here, he didn't have the look of a local. Big city living was written all over him.

She efficiently avoided addressing his flirtatious opener, reaching out to point at one spot on the menu. "The chicken fried steak is by far the best thing on the menu. But don't get the brown gravy with it, it's chalky." Her smile brightened again as she grabbed a clean glass from behind the counter. "What can I get you to drink?"

 

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“Sounds good.” He said setting the menu down on the counter. She seemed pretty confident in her recommendation so that was good enough for him. “Chicken fried steak the way you like it and a coke then.”

As she jotted it down on her order pad he glanced at her name tag.

“So Kaitlyn, where is Farmington high from here? I have a public hearing to go to there tomorrow night.” He knew very well that he could just as easily google it but he ignored that for a moment.

The public hearing would be his first opportunity to get an idea of who the players were. Who was protesting the plant, who was making decisions, who could be useful to guide things to a favorable outcome.

 

[Serenity30822]

Kaitlyn nodded and put the order ticket in the window so the cook could get started, getting his coke as she answered his question.

"The high school is impossible to miss, you just follow the main road up a ways and it's there on the left." Pointing to indicate which way to follow the road.

She set his coke down in front of him, surveying the room to see if anyone else needed her at that moment, then took a few steps to her right to wash some glasses. She wondered what his public hearing was about, preferring to avoid as much of the town gossip as she could she hadn't heard about it.

"So that's what brings you to Farmington? This hearing?" She doesn't look at him, focusing most of her attention on the dishes while his order is cooked.

 

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He’d gotten the question enough that he now had a ready answer. As a contractor he didn’t have an official title and his role certainly wouldn’t show up on any organization charts within the company if anyone bothered to look.

“I’m here representing the company that’s proposing the new plant here. I’m the community liaison.” He had a feeling her next question might be what that meant so he continued. “I’m here to make sure everyone’s concerns about the project get addressed.”

In the 3 years he’d been in the role he couldn’t remember a single time he’d actually addressed anyone’s concerns. It was far easier and more cost effective to make the people with those concerns stop voicing them in whatever way he saw fit.

“You hadn’t heard about the plant?” He asked surprised that it wasn’t the talk of the town. If it wasn’t that might make his job easier. The less people know about it the fewer problems he might have to deal with.

 

[Serenity30822]

His response made her look over at him. It felt clinical. Rehearsed. But she shrugged it off, guessing he heard the same questions pretty frequently.

"I think I heard someone mention it a while back, maybe. I don't know. I try to avoid the rumor mill." The bell dings, letting them know his food was ready. She grabs his plate from the window, setting it in front of him.

A decent sized chicken fried steak, a small mountain of mashed potatoes, both smothered in white gravy, some green beans in a small bowl, and a dinner roll. "Need anything else?" She asks, noticing another table getting finished up. She moves around the counter to take them their ticket, the place being small enough she'd hear him if he answered.

 

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“I’m good, thanks.” He said as he looked down at his plate. He’d been starving and her recommendation looked like just what he needed.

He dove into his food as she closed out the table behind him. He heard them walk out the door as she thanked them for coming in then started washing glasses again.

He didn’t really get a read on her when he’d flirted with her earlier but he certainly didn’t see a ring. She probably had a boyfriend but that wouldn’t really bother him all that much. He decided to take a shot.

“You probably get this more than you’d like but, if you have a night off, would you be interested in showing me around your lovely town?”

It was a little forward but he wasn’t really the type to start desperately showing up every night hoping she’d notice him. Sometimes the direct approach was best.

 

[Serenity30822]

Her hands stilled in the warm soapy water at his question, her gaze moving over to him, a bit startled by how suddenly he'd asked. She blinked, getting her thoughts together, and smiled.

"There really isn't much to see, but sure. My shift ends at two, if you'd like to go today. Otherwise, I'm off the day after tomorrow." She stepped back from the sink, drying her hands on her apron before walking over to him, scribbling on an order slip before tearing it off and holding it out to him.

The diner had mostly cleared out, regulars ordering the same thing so they always knew what their total was, leaving cash on the table on their way out. There was a young couple off in a corner booth, too wrapped up in each other to even notice their food growing cold on the table.

 

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“Oh, I think there is plenty to see here.” He said letting his eyes drift down her body before taking the paper from her hand.

“I think you want to show me something right now don’t you?” His green eyes burned into hers as he spoke. His voice was firm even though he posed it as a question.

His eyes dropped down her body again and to her skirt behind the counter.

“Show me!” He said more firmly wanting to see whether she’d comply.

 

[Serenity30822]

Once he took the slip with her first name and phone number on it, she dropped her hands to her sides, rolling her eyes with a smile as he looked her up and down.

Her gaze went back to his, a bit wide at his next words. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her skirt when he ordered her to show him, her breath quickening while her heart pounded in her chest.

She couldn't explain it, but she did want to show him. Something about the look in his eyes, the timbre of his voice made her want to do what he said.

She suddenly shook her head, pushing the thought from her mind. Her fingers release her skirt and she crosses her arms over her chest. "T-that's hardly appropriate, mister..." She trailed off, realizing she didn't even know his name. She'd given him her phone number, thought about exposing herself to him, and she didn't even know his name!

Her cheeks heated with a deep blush, feeling a bit odd, the ease with which he'd gotten under her skin unnerving.

 

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He could have sworn he heard her heart racing from across the counter even as his own pulse quickened.

“It isn’t appropriate but that’s why you want to do it isn’t it?” He said in a hushed tone not letting it go yet. He could feel she was right on the edge and just needed a little push.

“And my name is Walt but Sir works as well.”

Her cheeks turning a bright crimson and his gaze returned back to her eyes with more intensity.

“I won’t ask a second time.” He said as his eyes remained fixed on hers.

 

[Serenity30822]

"I-I'm glad you won't ask a second time, mister Walt, I'd hate to have to refuse you twice..." She said, her voice a bit shaky.

Kaitlyn moved back to the sink as she spoke, focusing on getting them finished, as well as getting her mind straight. Something about him made her a little uneasy, but excited at the same time.

"Did you want to go sightseeing today or wait?" She asked with a quick glance in his direction, still blushing but trying to change the subject.

 

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Walt could see that she was unnerved by his request and decided to let go. He didn't actually expect her to comply but was encouraged but just how close she appeared to have come to lifting her skirt.

"Probably should wait." he said after swallowing another bite of his food. "I have some moving left to do tonight and I'm sure you'll be tired from being on your feet all evening." It was true, he did have some moving left to do but he also wanted to give her time to think about whether her denial would change his mind.

Walt finished his meal as she tended to her remaining customers then flicked a few bills on the counter to settle his tab. When she disappeared into the back Walt stepped down from the barstool, slipped the paper with her number on it into his pocket and headed towards the door.

Under the cover of darkness Walt unloaded the final items from the U-Haul and meticulously assembled them in the basement. His work seemed that much more urgent after meeting Kaitlyn at the diner.

The next evening Walt sat inconspicuously in the back of the gym with his notepad as the public hearing commenced. He watched carefully as a seemingly endless string of residents and activists took their turn at the microphone and expressed their views. The few obvious ones from out of town were of particular interest. Walt subtly snapped pictures of them as they passed to include in his report.

From the reaction of the city council members it was obvious which ones were going to be a problem and which ones were content to line their pockets and go along. He noted the problematic ones then slipped quietly out of the gym during their final remarks.

Passing Del's on the way home Walt plucked the slip of paper Kaitlyn had given him the night before from the console of his car and pecked out a text message.

"Still available to show me around tomorrow?"