Page 84 of On Merit Alone
“Ira King and Merit Jones! The sports world has been trying to get the two of you in a room together since that infamous moment on game four’s sidelines,” Tonya, the interviewer, started. “Welcome! And thanks so much for doing this with us.”
“Thanks for having us,” I said, giving her an easy smile. Beside me, Mer grimaced what I assumed was supposed to be a smile.
“Okay, so,” Tonya started. “This one will be just like your last round with your teammates. We’ll do quick easy questions just to get to know the person behind the player. We’re especially excited to get to know two of the biggest stars to bless Denver sports with their presence, and in the same era no less!”
“That sounds good to me,” I said leaning back in my seat. Merit didn’t respond, so I nudged her with an elbow.
“Sounds good,” she echoed, barely looking up from her hands.
Weird. She was being noticeably weird, though we all powered past it.
“Okay, so I’ll ask a question and you both can take turns giving an answer. Good? Okay, let’s get started then.”
I couldn’t resist slipping a look at Merit as the interviewer did some kind of nod to the cameras and the rest of the crew, letting them know she was ready. She looked stressed and was barely hiding it. That dreaded feeling I’d had as she walked away in the parking garage that day chose now to resurface. But before I could decipher what any of it meant, we were starting.
“So, we all know that you guys have your rituals on the court, but what are some things that you do off the court that keep you grounded and help in your daily life?”
I gave Merit an opportunity to go first, in case she wanted it, but not long enough that the silence that followed was awkward. Instead of letting it linger, I jumped right in. “Well, this might make me sound lame, but I call my parents almost every morning.”
“Really? I love that! What do you guys talk about?” she asked.
I shrugged. “You know, whatever. Sometimes we just chat, I ask them how they’re doing. I just like to check in, that’s all. When I don’t, it just doesn’t feel right.”
“Aw!” she cooed. Redirecting her attention, she glanced to my side. “And Merit? Please tell me yours is just as cute!”
Merit slowly lifted her head and smiled self-deprecatingly. “Um, well I can’t say I’ve got anything as cute as that. I usually start my mornings with practice, so…”
And that was it. Nothing else to add. Nothing personal about herself. Nothing about her family. Just practice?
“Okay, well we love a dedicated woman! Let’s move on,” Tonya said, rolling right along. “We see on court that both of you have dedicated coping mechanisms during high stress moments. Ira what’s your off court coping must have?”
“That’s easy,” I said. “I like to cook very badly. My parents used to hate it when I was stressed out because I would nearly blow up their kitchen. I still do it, but it’s my own kitchen I’m setting on fire now.”
“Wow. Well I’m sure tons of people would love to try whatever you’re cooking in the King's kitchen.” Predictably, she turned to Merit next. “And Merit, how about you?”
“Um…” Merit visibly winced. “Well, if I’ve got something on my mind, I usually go out and shoot until I feel better.”
“No wonder you have such an accurate shot, Merit! You’re always practicing,” Tonya joked, making no one laugh. “Moving right along. If you could do anything but play basketball, what would be your dream profession?”
“Firefighter!” I answered quickly. When she asked why, I told her about a field trip in middle school to a firehouse where I fell in love with it.
Moving over to Merit was almost like blind hope at this point. We all hoped that she would say something different, but somewhere in the back of our minds, we were beginning to understand that she wouldn’t.
Merit must have too, because she shrugged helplessly. “I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.”
There was an awkward pause as everyone took her in. It was painful. Enough that I leaned over to her, bumping hershoulder playfully, cameras be damned. “If youhadto choose, Six.”
She looked over at me, her eyes doing something different for the first time in a week. Instead of anger, they held pain. She shook her head, her voice going hoarse as she swallowed, “I’ve only ever wanted to play basketball. Thisismy dream.”
“Okay,” Tonya said slowly. “Oh! Who is your go to person in life. Who do you go to for anything, good or bad.”
“My sister,” I answered. “She was my idol growing up. Still is, to this day.”
“And Merit?” Tonya asked more quietly, as if she was wary of the answer.
“You can probably guess by now, huh?” Mer said, her voice so fucking small. It broke my heart. But strong as she was, Merit still faced it. “It’s normally just me… so.”
Just me. She’d said those words before and I never put much stock into them. Now, all of a sudden, I had a bad feeling about this.
