Fenerbahçe beat Mersin, seventy-nine to seventy-one, in the European Super Cup. It’s on the sheet. Emma Meesseman, 14 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists. Julie Allemand on the same sheet. Two Cats in the same team column, nothing for me to correct.
I read it on Sporza, the folder open on the kitchen table. Mersin led 21-19 after the first quarter. Then Fenerbahçe’s defence, 32-38 later on, then up to 21 points ahead in the fourth quarter. Mersin got back to 6. I’m not outraged, I note: a gap closes, and the buzzer still goes in the end.
What made me put the pen down was the next line. First time MVP of the Super Cup. Third Super Cup with Fenerbahçe, seven EuroLeagues, and that box stayed blank. In my hall, a blank box is an unsigned sheet. You look at it, you look for the captain, you wait. She waited three Super Cups. Me, since 2014, I’ve been waiting for a parent to run the shot clock without looking up.
There’s also a column where nothing was written: no medal at the World Cup with the Cats. I’m not filling it in for her. A scoresheet doesn’t get redone.
“One more box, for us, is one more nail on the club bar wall, mind you.”
European Super Cup, MVP, Meesseman. Box ticked, blue pen.
It’s true, we checked: Sporza.
