Page 4 of Anyone But Her

"Luke." Albert hands me the glass of milk. "You won't be cleaning or organizing books."

"Then what will I do?"

"You'll practice, like we always do."

"Practice? At the golf course?"

"Correct. Except this time I want you to take it more seriously than before. Because this time it's your job. I'm paying you to practice. To get better than you've ever been. To get that hole in one."

My eyes widen. "You're going to pay me to play golf?"

"That's correct."

I'm so excited I want to jump up and down but then I pause, glancing around Albert's kitchen with its broken cabinets and chipped tile floor. His walls have cracks and need to be painted and his faucet is leaking. His house is even more run down than mine.

"I can't take it," I say.

"Can't take what?"

"Your money. I can't take it."

"Why is that?"

"Because you need it. You need it more than my parents do. They have jobs. You don't."

"I'm retired. Retired people don't work anymore."

"I know, but you still need money."

"Which I have." He takes me back over to the table to sit down. "Just because I don't spend it doesn't mean I don't have it."

"If you have it then why don't you fix your house?"

"Because I like it the way it is." He chuckles. "Sure it's a little broken down, but so am I. And you don't see me trying to fix these, do you?" He points to the wrinkles on his forehead.

I shake my head. "No."

"Let me tell you something, Luke." He leans closer to me. "Don't ever change something just because you think you're supposed to. Only make changes if you know in your heart that it's right for you. That it's what you want."

I'm not really sure what he means by that but I nod as though I do.

"So it's settled. Tomorrow we'll go to the golf course and you'll begin your job. I'm counting on you to take this seriously, Luke."

I nod several times. "I will. I promise. But it's not really a job. I get to golf!" I say, my excitement returning.

"That's the best kind of job. One that you love. Find that and you've found one of the two biggest secrets to happiness."

"Two? What's the other?"

He smiles. "You're a little too young for the other." He picks up the remote and turns on the small TV in the corner. "Did you see the tournament?"

"Yeah, but not the last shot. My dad came in so I turned the TV off."

"Dennison won." He turns up the volume. A sportscaster is interviewing a man. He didn't play in the tournament but he looks familiar.

"Who's that guy?" I ask.

"Lou Tuckerman. You know who he is. He's won a lot of tournaments."

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