Page 8 of Anyone But Her

"From what it said online, the kids who go there have been playing golf their whole lives."

"And you've been playing since you were five."

That's when my parents rented the house next door. While we were moving in, Albert came over to introduce himself. My parents kept yelling at me for getting in their way so Albert offered to babysit. Happy to get rid of me, they took him up on his offer but told him they couldn't pay. He didn't care. He agreed to watch me for free. Most parents would be suspicious of that. A stranger offering to take their kid for the day? But my parents didn't think twice about it.

While hanging out at Albert's house I found a kids' plastic golf set in his garage and asked if I could play with it. He said I could but I didn't know anything about golf so Albert taught me the basics. That's when I first learned how to swing.

The next day I went back to his house and asked if I could play with the golf set again. I loved golf even back then, although I think part of that was because of Albert. He was the first adult I'd ever met that actually paid attention to me. He loved golf and loved teaching me about it, and I loved that he let me come over and gave me chocolate milk and cookies he kept in a jar that looked like a miniature golf bag. And most of all, I liked that he didn't yell at me like my parents did.

So yeah, I guess you could say my golf lessons started when I was five but it's not the same as the type of training other kids had.

"Don't sell yourself short," Albert says. "Those kids may have grown up with coaches and country club courses but that doesn't mean they're any better than you."

"Guess we'll find out." I motion to him. "Why are you all dressed up?"

He looks down at his clothes. "Oh. Yes. I do look rather dapper, today, don't I?" He laughs to himself. "After I drop you off I'm going to meet up with an old friend."

"A golfing friend?"

"A lady friend." He smiles. "We met years ago, back when I managed the course. She used to do catering at the clubhouse."

"Is she married?"

He shakes his head. "She's a widow. Her husband died years ago."

So did Albert's wife. She died when he was fifty, so twenty-five years ago. He rarely talks about her. The few times he's mentioned her he gets sad so I make sure not to ask about her. I don't ask about his kids either. He has a son and a daughter but they never come visit him and they hardly ever call. He says they're just busy but I can tell it hurts him to not see his kids. They live in LA, which isn't that far from San Diego. It's not like they have to take a plane here. They could drive down for the day and drive back. It would mean a lot to their dad if they did.

"So this is a date?" I ask.

"No," he says with a laugh. "We're just having lunch."

"But you got all dressed up."

He rests his hand on my shoulder. "Luke, when you take a lady to lunch you must look your best, even if it's not a date."

"Really?" I scrunch up my nose. "That seems like a lot of work. I don't think I'll be taking any girls to lunch."

He chuckles. "Maybe not now, but you will later. And if you like the girl you'll definitely wear the proper attire so you look your best for her."

He may be right but as of yet, I haven't met any girl I'd want to dress up for or take to lunch. I haven't paid much attention to girls. My focus is on golf, and when I'm not golfing I'm working. I don't have time for girls.

There's only one girl who's ever caught my attention and I never even met her. I only saw her on TV. The girl with the long blond hair and beautiful smile. Her name was Taylor and I never forgot her. To this day, I still think about her and wonder what she looks like. What she's up to. If she has a boyfriend. She's kind of young to have a boyfriend, or maybe she's not. I don't know her age. I just assumed she's younger than me.

"We should get going." Albert takes his keys from the hook on the wall. "Got everything?"

"Yep." I pick up my duffle bag.

"Oh." He pulls something from his pocket. "This is for you." He hands me a keychain. "To remind you of your dream."

The keychain is a metal circle that has the logo for the pro golf association.

"Thanks!" I smile. "I love it!" I grab my keys from my pocket so I can put them on the keychain.

Albert stops me. "Maybe you should keep it hidden. If your father finds it, he'll take it and throw it away."

I nod. "You're right." I look at the keychain and smile. "Thank you, Albert. For everything."

Albert is the only person who believes in me. Who believes in my dream. I love him like a father. He's the only father I know. My real father is nothing more than a man I'm forced to live with. A bully. A thief. The only good thing he's ever done for me is move in next to Albert, and that wasn't intentional. But it changed my life. If I hadn't met Albert, I don't know what my life would've been like all these years.

I drop my duffle bag and give Albert a hug. "Thank you."

He hugs me back, knowing I'm not talking about the keychain. "You're welcome. I love you, kid."

Tears sting my eyes but I blink them away. No one's ever told me they love me. Not my dad. Not my mom. No one.

I'm unable to say it back. It's too hard. Too weird, given the fact I've never said those words before. But I don't need to. Albert knows I love him. He knows how important he is to me.

He saved me. Gave me hope. Direction. A future. And for that, I love him...more than I'll ever love my parents.

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