GOLF WAR

Chapter 2

6am. Getting up early in the morning is never a problem for me, but today I dreaded the sunlight sneaking its way through my bedroom blinds. Getting up this morning is going to be challenge, seeing I have no excitement or motivation to go practice golf. Again. Especially not after the utter chaos of a day I had last week. I'm too shy to even show my face. Everyone might be thinking that I am a losing whore, sleeping around, and losing championships.

Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I had chosen another career path. Who would I be? Happy go-lucky housewife? No, need a husband for that. Maybe an accountant? But that requires me to be in an office the whole day, and working for someone? Never in my life do I want to sit still, look pretty and say yes and amen to someone, especially if my boss is a man. I'm just not cut out for that type of life.

6:10am. My mother calls me every morning.

"Good morning, Oli. How'd you sleep?"

"Good thanks mom." I'm still trying to wipe the sleep out of my eyes.

"Are you up? Ready to go?"

Ugh. Can't I just have a break. I just want to lay in bed. Little bit of crying, little bit of eating junk food. Treating my lose and embarrassment like a heart break.

"Come on, up you get. See you later tonight? I will make your favorite? Oh, and I will bring some wine!"

"Sure, thing mom, see you later."

As I hang up, I drop my phone on the bedside table. Just five more minutes of a quick snooze...

My phone rings again.

"Mom" it displays.

"Yes mom?" my eyes are closed as I talk.

"Get up, Oli."

I quickly sit up. Looking around to see if she can see me from somewhere. I swear, this woman has eyes everywhere.

6:15am. Coffee. I like my coffee sweet, and I always enjoy it with a little bit oatmeal. I know it might sound like a prison breakfast, but it's what I know, what I'm used to, and I enjoy it, so why change that? I sit around the small two-person table, with only one chair, seeing I live alone in Mossel Bay. My mind slipped away again thinking about my career path. Here I am, Olivia Hender, twenty-eight-year-old golfer, no husband or kids, fairly happy, no social life. I have friends but they are all married and I don't want to surround myself with people who keep bringing up the topic of getting married and settling down at my age. I don't have time or money for that. I can't even take care of myself.

6:30am. But that's why I have my mom. She is still around and we call almost every day. She ensures I stay sane and keep going when practice gets tough or if I'm on the verge of giving up. Which I never will. But it is nice and comforting to have a fan.

7:00am. Dressed in my golf attire and ready to go to the golf course. This is my daily routine. This is what my life revolves around and I'm proud. Not changing diapers, getting drunk, you know all that. Just golf. Except this time, I have to walk with shame and embarrassment of losing and getting 'caught.' I really do hope no one will bring up the topic or try to show me some sympathy.

7:30am. Sam Smith is playing in my car on full blast. I pour all of my feelings into his sad album, because it feels like I can relate. As I stop at the red light, still singing proudly lyric for lyric with Sam, I hear a 'beep'.

The car next to me is a family van. Inside I can clearly make out that it's the dad driving, the mother in the passenger seat, wearing glamourous Prada sunglasses, three kids in the back, two of them in elementary school, and the other one a teenager.