On The Brink

It happened suddenly, or so it would appear. Lily was 65 years old, however, she felt she had lived several lifetimes, in that span of time.

It Happened Slowly

Lily found one or two grey hair when she was just forty-five years old, and she promptly pulled them out. When she gradually got six more grey hairs, she didn't pull them out, she went directly to the drug store to buy some hair dye. This proved more difficult than she had thought it would be. She had to pick out a color, and she wondered, how the ladies who wanted to change their hair color did it. It wasn't worth having a different color, or maybe they left it up to their hairdresser to do, however, that would be embarrassing for just six hairs. That certainly would get me the eye roll, or the nod of disapproval for being vain.

No, I would pick out the dam color myself. Lily, glanced at the boxes in front of her, light brown, dark brown, light golden brown. Lily thought to herself, "Who thought of these colors anyway." She never thought of her hair color, in that detail. She felt a little foolish when she stuck the box up to her hair to check the color, and her hair was too short, and she couldn't see out of the corner of her eye. When a man walked by, and saw her predicament, and looked at her, a little strangely, she quickly threw the box into her cart, and proceeded up to the checkout.

Murder

At 65 years old, Lily's son was murdered. An act of violence. that no one saw coming. Any normal parent, would have left the capture up to law enforcement. however, not Lily. She said, "Not my best friend, not my blood, not MY SON!"

Lily took to the streets, and hung flyers, and worked with the State Police, and the US Marshals and she even had her own murder board inside her house. She had two pages of her social media with 5,000 followers each. She initiated a manhunt, that would span across all 50 states, Canada and Mexico. Lily would leave no stone unturned. She never thought about her age, she could do everything she wanted to do. She didnt give a thought about those grey hairs, in those days. She was doing her detective gig. She was driven and focused to say the least.

Lily and her husband, periodically checked on the flyers, and if they were withered and torn, they would replace them. One time they were offering a $500 reward, and the old flyer came down and the new flyer went up, and when the State Police developed a suspect, they had one professionally made to celebreate the occasion. They finally knew who took Lily's son's life, and that certainly was a cause for celebration.

They continued checking the flyers, and one day they were in a little Ma and Pa Liquor store, and Lily went in like she had done many times in the past two years, since her son was murdered. She had no intention of giving up. However, this day was a little bit different. They had a little piece of plywood to step up on and open the door to the establishment. A man came walking out of the store, and pushed Lily off of the step.

Upon entering the store, Lily tended to the flyer, and the clerk. which Lily had never seen before, told her, the owner has the store under surveillance, and he watches it on his laptop. He asked me who was the older couple who came in all the time, and was looking at the flyer?

Lily suddenly got all excited. "What older couple, do you know who they were? Did they say anything? What were they asking about?" Lily, was sure that they were someone that had a lead.

However, the clerk, suddenly looked puzzled, and turned to Lily and said, "He meant you and your husband, ma'am."

Lily considered that the day, "she suddenly got old."

It might have started a long time ago, and it certainly was a pivotal day, with those three grey hairs, but that day in the Liquor Store, it started for Lily.

It was the day, something was beginning, I think.

It was the day,.........Lily, suddenly got old.