Thursday morning arrived, and Amy woke up early again at seven. This was very unusual during the days when she didn't have to go to school since she would usually wake up around noon.
Amy got out of bed and glanced back at her pillow. She noticed numerous strands of white hair on the pillow and wanted to cry, knowing her hair was thinning out.
After her shower, Amy got dressed in one of the outfits Wilma bought her at Dillard's.
She joined Wilma for some coffee and toasted muffins for breakfast.
"I need to head out to Costco this morning for some groceries and other stuff. You're welcome to tag along," Wilma told Amy while she brought over two cups of coffee.
Amy thought about Wilma's offer for a few seconds. "Sure, why not," she replied while buttered her toasted muffin.
After watching Good Morning America on the TV, Wilma drove Amy over to the Costco located in the Paradise Valley Mall.
Amy was a little nervous about being seen but figured nobody would recognize her.
A little while later, Wilma bought some groceries and placed them in her Escort.
Wilma then talked Amy into walking around the mall for a little exercise.
Amy walked around with Wilma and didn't mind that she was a little slow. She didn't remember because she noticed that she also walked a little slower with more aches and pains. Plus Amy welcomed the occasional short ten minutes rests on a bench.
After ten minutes of walking around the mall, they saw the Desert Video Arcade in the mall.
"I wish they had something like this when I was young," Wilma said while they stood by the entrance of the arcade and listened to the machines that sang out the dings and bells of kids having a ball.
"There's nothing like the present to live like a kid," Amy told Wilma.
Wilma looked at Amy then she looked back at all the video games inside the arcade. "You're right, Wilma replied. She had a gleam in her eyes at the sight of all the lights and sounds of the machines.
Wilma went inside and played a race car video game where Wilma beat Amy.
Wilma jumped on a motorcycle game where she sat on a simulated Harley. Amy got a kick watching Wilma lean from side to side during the turns on the video race track.
Wilma and Amy played a pistol shooting game where Wilma won and was labeled a sharpshooter.
Amy and Wilma walked around the arcade and got a kick watching the kids playing with the video games.
Then over at the rear of the arcade, Amy spotted a Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) machine with some kids circling it. "I haven't done one of those in a couple of years," Amy said.
Wilma saw Amy looking at the DDR machine and saw one of the kids dancing on it. "That's interesting," she replied and looked curious.
Amy walked toward the DDR machine, and Wilma followed.
On the DDR, Jimmy was a typical thirteen-year-old and was doing a far job on the machine.
Up struts Todd, a chubby fourteen-year-old bully with spiky hair who discreetly stuck his foot into the DDR machine and tripped up Jimmy.
Jimmy tumbled off the machine and landed on the floor.
Todd raised his arms in a bully type of victory. "Yeah! I win again!"
Todd grabbed Jimmy by his tee-shirt and pulled Jimmy's face to his fist. "You owe me two dollars or else," he threatened the scared kid.
Jimmy reached in his pants pocket and handed Todd the cash.
Amy looked pissed with the sight of Todd, the bully. She reached in her pants pocket and removed a twenty-dollar bill. "Do you have change for a twenty?" she asked Wilma.
"What are you going to do?"
"Teach this bully a lesson," Amy replied.
Wilma opened up her purse and removed ten $1 bills. "It's on me,' she said while she gave Amy the cash.
Todd watched while Amy walked up to him. "What do you want granny?" he said in an arrogant tone.
"I want to dance against you," Amy replied and looked serious.
"Yeah, right. And what about all those broken bones afterward?" Todd replied in a cocky tone.
The kids around the DDR machine chuckled, and that made Todd feel proud.
"Twenty bucks says I'm a better dancer than you," Amy said while she showed Todd her cash.
"I don't want to take your old lady money away. You might need it for diapers," Todd said with a smart-ass tone.
The kids around Todd chuckled.
"Are you scared of a little old lady?" Amy said and made chicken sounds.
The kids around Todd chucked over Amy's taunting, and he felt the pressure. "It's a deal," he said while he stepped on the DDR, set the machine at the five setting then started it up. He started dancing and was going great for a while. Then he missed a color. He danced some more. He missed another color. He danced some more, and his legs got twisted up, and he fell off the machine.
Todd stood up and felt confident beating Amy would be a walk in the park.
"I'll set mine at six," Amy said while she walked over to the machine.
Todd got a cocky smile on his face. "This will be the easiest twenty bucks I've ever earned."
Amy got on the DDR machine and started dancing. She danced for a few seconds and didn't miss a single light. She looked cool while she danced faster and faster without missing the lights.
The kids stood around in awe at the sight of an old lady doing great on the DDR machine.
Todd got scared on losing his bet, so he got an evil look in his eyes. He discreetly inched closer to the DDR machine.
Wilma sensed Todd would be sneaky, so she walked up, grabbed him by his left ear, and yanked him away.
"What are you doing?" he called out in pain while Wilma had a right grip on his ear.
"Keeping it clean sonny boy," Wilma told him
The kids all laughed at Todd.
Todd got upset with being the object of laughter.
The song on the DDR machine ended and Amy jumped off with her arms up in victory. "You owe me twenty dollars," she said while she strutted up to Todd, who was still under Wilma's grip.
"I don't owe you anything," Todd called out being defiant.
Wilma tugged harder on Todd's ear to let him know that that was the wrong response.
"Okay. Okay," Todd replied and reached in his pocket. He removed twenty, one-dollar bills and handed them to Amy.
Amy walked over to Jimmy. "You deserve this," she told Jimmy while she handed him the cash.
"Thanks," Jimmy said. He gleamed from ear to ear at the sight of all that cash in his hand.
Wilma let go of Todd's ear, and he rubbed it pissed that he lost his money he won from cheating.
All the kids walked away from the DDR machine, leaving Todd behind.
"That's was a blast," Wilma told Amy while they walked out of the arcade.
Wilma and Amy walked around the mall.
When they got close to Dillard's, Amy got a painful look on her face.
"What's the matter, dear?" Wilma asked when she saw Amy in pain.
Amy bent over and placed her hand on her back. "All of a sudden, I'm aching all over," she said in pain.
Wilma saw a bench nearby. "Let's rest for a few minutes."
Wilma walked Amy over to the bench and sat her down.
"Being old sucks!" Amy told Wilma while she rubbed her knees.
"Tell me about it. I remember a time when it seemed like the world revolved around me. I had tons of friends, and we had a blast together. Now most of them have passed away, and I sit at home alone most of the time," Wilma replied and looked sad.
Amy felt sorry for Wilma.
"Don't feel sorry for me, I had a good life. We need to get you back so you can live a long, happy life," Wilma said when she noticed Amy feeling sorry for her.
"Amy? Is that you?" Randall's voice was heard close-by.
Amy and Wilma looked and saw Randall in his Hot Dog On A Stick fast-food restaurant uniform.
"I've been wondering how you're doing," Randall said while he sat down next to Amy.
"Oh, I could be better," Amy replied in a jokingly manner.
"Any word on the doctor if it's reversible?"
"Not yet," Amy replied.
"Well, I've been praying for you every night," Randall, while he held Amy's hand.
Amy smiled thanking Randall then she looked curious. "Where's Laurie? She's not answering my text message or cell phone calls," Amy asked Randall.
"She hasn't?" Randall replied a little shocked with that news.
Amy nodded in agreement. "I'm trying to find out what Paul's doing," Amy said.
"I'll see what I can find out," Randall said while he stood up. "I got to run off to work," he added then kissed Amy on her forehead.
Wilma and Amy watched while Randall rushed off and headed off to work.
"He's cute. Why don't you date him?" Wilma asked Amy while she continued to watch Randall.
Amy looked at Randall. "I like him, but always considered him a geek. I wanted Paul since he's so popular and a hottie," she said.
"And where is this hottie now?" Wilma asked.
"I don't know," Amy replied.
"That's not saying much about him."
Amy knew Wilma had Paul pegged, and she never met him.
"Come on, let's go home. I don't want to miss Oprah," Wilma said and stood up.
Amy stood, and she walked away with Wilma.
They walked a little farther through the mall, and Amy glanced at the Panda Express fast-food restaurant off to her left. "Is that Paul?" she said while she stared at the eating area of the Chinese fast-food restaurant.
Amy rushed over to the Panda Express.
Wilma rushed after Amy.
Amy rushed into the eating area of the Panda Express and saw Paul and Suzie kissing at a table.
Amy was furious while she rushed through the eating area.
"How dare you cheat on me!" she yelled at Paul the second she arrived at his table and stood behind him.
The sound of Amy yelling caused Paul and Suzie's lips to separate. They glanced behind them and saw Amy standing at their table with her hands on her hips.
"Who is this old lady?" Suzie asked Paul.
"I don't know," Paul replied and got a little nervous knowing it was Amy.
"You don't know? How can you say that since we've dated for the past to years," Amy yelled back at Paul.
Everybody in the eating area stared at Paul and Suzie's table.
"Why is some old lady saying you two dated?" Suzie curiously asked Paul.
"Oh, she's nobody," Paul replied and looked away from Amy.
Amy was steamed with his comment. "Nobody? I sure was somebody when we were kissing in your car in the parking lot of this mall last Friday night," Amy yelled at Paul while tears ran down her cheek.
Everybody at the nearby tables started chuckling over Amy's comment.
"You were making out with an old lady?" Suzie asked while she glared at Paul and started to get pissed.
Paul was getting nervous and embarrassed with this sight of an old lady yelling at him. "I wasn't making out with an old lady. I was making out with Amy," Paul replied while he pointed at Amy and then he realized that didn't sound very smart.
"Just because I get white hair, wrinkles and huge butt isn't a reason to dump me for Suzie!" Amy yelled while she scolded him with her index finger.
Paul started to shrink in his seat while he noticed all eyes inside the Panda Express were focused on him.
A chubby middle-aged woman at a nearby table got up with her finished meal tray. She looked furious at Paul while she marched over. "You men are all the same. My husband left me for some slender girl twenty years younger. Creep!" the woman yelled at Paul.
Wilma and Amy watched while the middle-aged woman walked over to one of the trash cans.
"I thought you were in love with me!" Amy yelled out then reached over and grabbed his large drink of Coke. She dumped Paul's drink into his crotch.
Paul jumped up stunned the second he felt the soda soak through his crotch.
"That wet spot on your crotch will give you a taste of getting old," Amy yelled then she turned around and stormed off.
Wilma walked up to Paul and got in his face. "I'm Wilma, and I'm always available if you want some good old fashion loving," she said, then winked at him.
Wilma walked away with a smirk on her face.
Suzie looked pissed at Paul. "How did she know my name?"
"That old lady was Amy," Paul replied.
Suzie didn't believe him and looked disgusted while she jumped up from her seat.
She walked away.
"Suzie, why are you leaving?"
Suzie stopped and turned around. "I'm sorry. But I'm not into weird kinky stuff," she yelled then turned around and rushed away.
"Come back, Suzie!" Paul cried out.
Suzie rushed out of the Panda Express.
Paul looked around and saw everybody in the restaurant still stared at him and his huge wet spot on his crotch.
An old lady three tables over winked at Paul and blew him a kiss.
Paul was embarrassed again, and he rushed out of the Panda Express restaurant.
Randall saw the whole episode from the Hot Dog On A Stick fast food restaurant while he stood by the cash register. He felt so sorry for Amy and was mad with his sister for abandoning her as a friend.
Amy and Wilma walked through the parking lot of the Paradise Valley Mall.
"I should have known this would happen. He ran out on me the second he saw I was turning old. And then I had a dream he was going to marry Suzie Comer," Amy told Wilma while they headed to the Escort.
Wilma felt sorry for Amy but knew this happened so many times once a woman started aging.
It was a quiet drive home, as Amy didn't feel like talking while thoughts of Paul being with Suzie filled her mind.
Amy also kept to herself during the rest of the evening while Amy still thought about Paul and Suzie. Wilma thought it was best to leave Amy alone tonight.
Later that night, Randall stayed up and waited for Laurie to come home from being with Jake and some other kids.
The second Laurie went inside her bedroom, Randall entered. "You should be ashamed of yourself," he said to his sister.
"What's your problem?" Laurie replied, irritated with her brother's attitude.
"Your best friend is going through a rough time, and you abandon her just because she's aging prematurely," he yelled.
"I didn't abandon her. She's staying with her old aunt," Laurie replied and didn't feel guilty.
"She told me that you're ignoring her cell phone calls and text messages," he yelled.
"When did she tell you that?" Laurie replied and felt caught.
"I saw her at the mall earlier today. And also at the mall, she saw Paul and Suzie making out. He dumped her because she's aging," he yelled.
"What can I do?"
"You can show her that you're there for her. That you still care for her even though she might remain looking like an old lady," he yelled.
Laurie remained silent while Randall scolder her with his eyes.
She watched him while he walked out of her room.
Laurie shrugged off Randall's scolding while she got ready for bed.
A little while later, Laurie was under her bed covers. She thumbed through a photo album with pictures of the great times she had with Amy.
She looked at a picture of Amy and Laurie wearing birthday hats at Laurie's eight-year-old birthday party.
She looked at a picture of Amy and Laurie riding their brand new bicycles they got for Christmas when they were ten years old.
She looked at a picture of Amy and Laurie dressed like women during Halloween when they were twelve years old.
She looked at some pictures of Amy and Laurie when they went horseback riding in the area of the Superstition Mountains.
She looked at a picture taken the day Laurie's dad bought her the Corolla when she turned seventeen years old.
Laurie continued to look at all the pictures of the good times she had with Amy.
Back at Wilma's house, her phone rang in the kitchen.
"Hello," Wilma answered the call.
"Hi Aunt Wilma, it's me, Kate. How's Amy doing?" Kate replied from the phone.
"She had a rough time today when she caught her boyfriend with another girl," Wilma said.
"That would be Paul, and I expected him to dump her. I never did care for that kid," Kate replied from the phone.
"Have you heard back from her doctor?" Wilma asked.
"She's still waiting on the test results. Can I talk to Amy?" Kate said.
"She's in bed sound asleep," Wilma replied.
"Wow, she's never gone to bed this early on a night when she doesn't have school," Kate replied from the phone.
"She's been getting a slower and having less energy. She's like me," Wilma replied with a light chuckle.
There were a few seconds of silence from Kate. "Have her call me tomorrow," she said.
"I will and have a good evening," Wilma replied, then disconnected the call.
Back at the Bradley home, Kate snuck back out to the back porch and sat in a lounge chair. Her eyes welled up while she thought about Amy and her condition.
Up in the master bedroom, Rick lay in bed, looking at one of their family albums. He concentrated on all the pictures of Amy during her youth. His eyes welled up with the thought of having a section of nursing home pictures of Amy.
Inside Tim's bedroom, he was having a blast playing with a PlayStation game where he was defeating Aliens trying to destroy Earth.
Back in Wilma's home, she opened the door to Amy's room and saw her sleeping in her bed and snoring up a storm.
Wilma looked determined in getting to the bottom of Amy's condition.
Wilma went into another bedroom she converted into a den. Inside this room was a small computer table with a computer. Wilma turned on the computer and started surfing the Internet for information.
Wilma dug up information on Werner Syndrome from the Internet. She spent the next hour reading about the disorder.
Meanwhile, back in Amy's room, she had another nightmare.
In her nightmare, Amy looked like she was 100 years old and couldn't remember very much of her short life. She sat in a wheelchair inside her small room at a nursing home in Phoenix.
Rick and Kate entered Amy's room.
"Are you ready, Amy?" Kate asked while she walked up to Amy's wheelchair.
Amy looked dazed and confused at Kate and Rick. "Uh?" Amy replied in a soft and hoarse voice.
"Are you ready, Amy?" Rick said, spoke louder.
"Who are you?" Amy asked a little dazed and confused.
"Your mom and dad," Kate replied in a loud voice.
"Where am I going?" Amy replied a little dazed and confused.
"To go see Tim," Kate replied and raised her voice.
"Oh yeah, Tim," Amy replied and looked a little dazed and lost while Kate wheeled her out of her room.
Amy sat in her wheelchair in a graduation ceremony at the Desert High School.
Tim was now seventeen years old and wore his cap and gown while he had his diploma in his hand.
Amy watched while Tim walked over to her.
"Hey sis," Tim said the second he walked up to Amy, Kate, and Rick.
"Who are you?" Amy said while she looked dazed and confused.
"I'm Tim, your younger brother," he replied in a loud voice.
"I have a brother?" Amy replied and looked dazed and confused.