Addie on defense
My mother used to describe those who acted irrationally as “not having sense enough to come in out of the rain.” I fell into that category Saturday, dodging puddles, getting out of cars while trying to hoist an umbrella (not a pretty sight), and, once indoors, feeling a need to shake all over like a wet puppy.
The Final Game
But there was a basketball game to take in. The final game of the season. I’m not talking NBA here or even college, this was second-grade girls’ basketball. They don’t even keep score yet. Still, these events attract enthusiastic crowds. As the grandmother of a fledgling player, it was definitely worth donning rain gear and heading for the gym. After all, Addie would be a third generation player of the game. Her aunt Robin was a guard and co-captain of the Rolla High School Girls’ basketball team in the 70s.
It’s just as well that there are no Brownie snapshots of me in junior high, wearing a one-piece blue gym suit with my name stitched over the pocket. It was the era before Title Nine legislation. In those days, girls played half court basketball, I suppose because we were considered too delicate for a full-court engagement.
But somethings never change; bleacher seats are just as hard as they always were.
Robin (#24) playing guard
Robin, co-captain, (right front) of the Rolla High School girls’ basketball team. Bonus points for anyone who can name the team members and coach.
After the Game
Whether kids participate in the sport or follow it from the sidelines, they still look forward to a post-game snack. Addie picked Beyond Sweet in the Loop, where the decadent creations live up to their name. I nibbled around the edges of the Chocoholic shake, that my son, Tom, insisted that I try.
Jean and Addie at Beyond Sweet. Photograph by Tom.
A Chocolate Oreo Shake—more than enough for the three of us.
