Tracey
It was a few days before Cole left on his mission. He wanted to go golfing, so Branson called him to see what he was up to. When Cole said he was heading out to golf, Branson immediately replied, “I’m going with you.”
Later that day, though, he hadn’t made it to the house to ride down with us to Gladstan Golf Course in Elkridge. I called him, and it turned out he had fallen asleep. He said he’d just meet us there instead.
When we got there, he showed up not long after but there wasn’t enough room for both of us to golf. So Branson and I grabbed a golf cart and just drove around the course, following everyone else. Honestly, that ended up being the best part.
As we drove, Branson kept spotting golf balls everywhere. He’d jump off the cart while it was still moving, run over to grab them, then come back and sort them into piles … his “cool ones” and his “practice ones.” It was so fun just sitting there talking with him. He’s incredibly easy to talk to.
At one point, Gage kept asking for golf balls because he kept losing his. Branson just laughed and said, “He’s a horrible golfer… but I guess he just needs to warm up since he hasn’t played in a while.”
He did take a couple swings himself, and Aaron had slipped in one of those prank golf balls that make a super loud noise when you hit them. Branson hits hard, so when he swung, it made the loudest sound. The look on his face was priceless that little smirk he does you could tell he thought it was hilarious.
Afterward, we all went to get dinner. He ordered this huge hamburger and fries, and I was surprised he ate most of it was massive.
That memory means a lot to me. It was special because I got to spend real time with him. Usually, he’s with my son, but this time it was just us and he made it feel like he genuinely enjoyed it too.