Edo’s parents went down to their small lakeside house for the weekend, taking the two younger kids with them. For once, Edó had the apartment in Avas South all to herself. Alone, it felt surprisingly spacious. Not like when five people were living in it. These socialist panel apartments were considered a major achievement at the time, built on a Soviet model, and getting one was a big deal.

 

At the morning practice, Edó asked Erika, known to everyone as Jaszi, one of Miskolc’s favorites, if she wanted to stay over and talk. They were close, and it showed on the court as well. Jaszi was a smart, highly skilled point guard, and her passes played a big part in Edó’s scoring.

 

Jaszi arranged for her son, Robi, who often came with her to practices and games, to stay with his grandmother for the night. They had plenty to talk about. Jaszi’s marriage had its ups and downs, and Edó wanted to talk about the boy from Leninváros with someone older and more experienced.

 

Jaszi arrived around six in the evening, bringing food and a bottle of champagne. They figured one bottle would not hurt their performance in the next day’s practice game. Beyond the personal conversations, Edó wanted advice on the plays they had been learning that week. There were a few elements she did not feel right about, and she knew Jaszi could quickly make things clear. She did not want to figure it out by making mistakes in front of the team.

 

They talked until midnight. The champagne loosened the mood, but they kept it under control. Talking through personal things helped release the tension, and when it came to the game, Jaszi explained everything patiently. They agreed that mistakes the next day would not matter. What mattered was feeling each other’s game and building chemistry. By Sunday, it had to work.

 

During the Saturday practice game, they kept looking for each other. It did not click right away, but by the end, their rhythm came together, and the difficult play started to work.

 

The game against MTK started early Sunday afternoon. Edó was already tired of being alone, so she headed to the arena early. On the way, she stopped at the Mese pastry shop and had a coffee. She did not dare eat ice cream before the game. She smiled, thinking about Mesi and the way she always ate ice cream. Mesi had injured her knee again and would be out for weeks. Edó visited her regularly and planned to go after the game. Maybe she would bring her some ice cream.

 

During warm-up, she and Jaszi went over the play one more time. This time, Edó felt she understood it.

 

When the game started, she took her position. The ball moved around once, then again. On the second cycle, Jaszi looked at her and gave a small nod. Edó cut across, set the screen, and Megyó turned cleanly toward the basket. Jaszi floated the ball high, and Megyó finished it in one motion.

 

The crowd got on its feet. Drums echoed, whistles cut through the noise.

 

Edó felt something fall into place.

 

In that game, playing as a high post center and working well with Megyó, she scored sixteen points.