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2024 – Pre WNBA Season
The Podcast
‘We have been wondering this for the last few years. Ladies, what is the situation around Rio Vidal and the Liberty? Who is Rio Vidal, really? She is somehow the face of the biggest Women’s basketball league in the world and we know basically nothing about her!’ Alexia Perdue, host of the WNBAs premier podcast stated.
‘Well, that’s a lie, we know a bit. But what do we really know?’ Charlotte Tyson, her co-host replied. ‘We start there, and we fill in the holes.’
‘College: 5-star recruit to Georgetown University. Played all four years and won 2 national titles. From reports and rumours, which since this was over a decade ago, is all we really have, Vidal was an outlier ever then. Freshman Year she was already a starter, but the team didn’t really bring her into the fold. Rumours say Ali Wu-Gulliver, a Junior when Vidal was there, was the only one who gave her the time of day. Vidal was top of her class in academics and leading the Huskies to NCAA Tournament, but personally, there was nothing that was coming out of college.’
Tyson continued. ‘The first speed bump, and honestly one of the only ones in her college career, comes in her Junior Year where she missed 7 weeks of psychology classes in a row. This is from her academic transcript. The only class she didn’t top was that one. However, she is now a Junior and most of the players on the Huskies except 4 are either Freshman or Sophomores. More of the interviews go to her, and then the leadership, and the team becomes Vidals. And the Huskies thrive. They win the NCAA championship for Vidal’s Junior and Senior seasons and Vidal goes from a guaranteed first round pick to a guaranteed lottery pick to an almost certain top 3 pick in the WNBA draft. The whole sport can see how having the leadership of the team brought the best out of Vidal, but they could also see her personality.’
Perdue nodded and threw her hands up. ‘She has the college career of an all-time great. Leads the Huskies in all time points, assists and steals. Lockdown defender and spectacular shooter. Then, after the draft, she stepped into icon/role model/boss lady stage. Vidal was drafted number 2 by the Phoenix Mercury and in her opening press conference said the below in response to who got her to where she was today. Word-for-word:
‘Well, I haven’t got parents so not them. My teammates made me look good so that helped a lot. Mrs Davis helped me apply to Georgetown, so she gets big props. And my wife. She definitely deserves like 95% of the credit.’
There had been no mention of a girlfriend, no hint of her even seeing someone. I mean, I am sure like 70% of fans assumed she was at least Bi, but to just completely drop ‘oh yeah I have a wife’ and then answered no follow up questions was quiet possibly the greatest thing she could have done.’
‘Not to mention just dropping as well that she was an orphan.’ Charlotte added. ‘Anyway, we got no other information on the wife for almost half the WNBA season. Vidal is bossing it, well on her way to Rookie of the Year. And then – a genuine shock, she was made an All Star. Rookies are NEVER made All Stars. Then on All Star Weekend Vidal walks in, hand-in-hand, with her wife.’
‘Paps go nuts, the other players are asked questions and Vidal is cool as. Yeah, that’s my wife but aren’t we here for basketball? Like what?!’
‘Anyway, we find out over the coming years her wife, Agatha Harkness, is an academic in criminal psychology, published author and also a consultant with various police departments around the country. I looked her up and damn she is fucking talented. Basically, they are a power couple and completely bossing it in their chosen fields. 100% supportive of each other and not needing to be in the face of the everyone with it. It was actually quite refreshing.’
‘Vidal plays for the Mercury for 9 seasons, winning 2 MVPs, 2 Olympic Gold Medals, 3 WNBA Championships and 3 Finals MVPs. She missed 16 games over those 9 seasons. Her wife is in the background, seen on occasion but stays away from the limelight. In fact, Agatha wasn’t seen at any games in the 2017 season. Which we found out about a year later was because she had given birth to their first chil. They were always private but clearly they didn’t want their child in the spotlight. Which again, is completely understandable.’
'4 games from the end of the 2020 season, Rio is unavailable for selection for the Mercury. She doesn’t make an appearance in the playoffs and they get knocked out in the first round. And then, before the 2021 season, with no warning, she leaves the Mercury, retires from Team USA and moves to New York. Some headlines:’
‘Rio Vidal transfers to the Liberty for 2021 season.’
‘Mercury – We wish her the best.’
‘Best point guard in the league hits the big city!’
“Vidal just wants to play ball’ – Coach Calderu shuts down all questions about her star signing.’
‘Vidal retires from Team USA.’
‘Harkness quit her teaching positions and only consults and writes, occasionally giving a guest lecture.’ Alexia pauses for a moment. ‘But this is where Rio Vidal gets a bit more interesting – again.’
‘Her first 9 seasons, she missed 19 games. In the last two and half with the Liberty, she has missed 29. Out of 100 or so matches, she has missed almost a third. Including matches where she had landed in the city with the team and then wasn’t in the arena for tip off. The Liberty have made no comment, and the League has not made any move to sanction the team or Rio herself. Her wife has come to two games in her entire time in NYC. And Vidal has only completed one press conference since she has been here.’
Alexia and Charlotte look at each. ‘What the hell is happening with Rio Vidal? Let us know, cause honestly, we are fucking stumped.’
Hope
Now
Rio sighed as she entered the private room at New York Presbyterian Hospital. ‘Hey Love.’ She said softly.
The older brunette looked up from her book and smiled slightly. ‘You made it.’
‘I was never going to miss this. Where’s Nicky?’
‘Jen took him to CT. He should be back in about 20 minutes.’ Agatha explained. ‘And if all goes well…’
Rio couldn’t help but smile as she sat next to her wife. ‘He’ll officially be able to come home, and stay home. The first step to beating it.’ Rio put her head on Agatha’s shoulder. ‘We moved here for Jen to treat him. She is the best, a miracle worker.’
Agatha kissed her on the top of the head. ‘She is. And our boy is very strong. He was asking for you before he went.’
Rio looked at Agatha and cocked an eyebrow. ‘He knew I was coming after training. I told him when I left last night.’
Agatha nodded. ‘He has a very important question for you. He was so excited; I promised not to ruin it. Billy had to be sworn to secrecy as well.’
‘Where is Billy? Isn’t it a treatment day for him?’ The young boy was Nicky’s best friend on the ward, but he was able to go home every night after treatment. Nicky had been in the hospital for a lot longer than any child should.
‘Wanda came by with Tommy and took them both out to the park.’ Agatha sighed. ‘Billy was so nervous for Nicky; Wanda knew he needed to get out of here for a bit. His treatment is after Nicky comes back from CT. Billy reminded me of you when you get nervous.’
Rio scoffed as she tucked her legs under herself and cuddled into her wife. ‘I don’t get nervous. If I let nerves get the better of me, I wouldn’t have been able to ask you out. The rest is history.’
‘It took you seven weeks to ask me out.’
‘I was testing you.’
‘If I could decipher how many ways you could try and ask me out without saying the words?’
‘No!’
Agatha chuckled. ‘And you were shaking when you asked me to marry you.’
‘Anticipation.’
‘And when I went into labour?’
‘Excitement!’
‘WNBA Draft?’
Rio laughed. ‘That was inevitable. I was always going high.’
‘But to go to Phoenix? Where your new wife was going to be working as a university lecturer the following year. You were nervous of going somewhere else.’
Rio looked at her wife and rolled her eyes. ‘Ok, maybe. But only because I didn’t want to be apart from you.’
‘Me too. If you’d been drafted elsewhere, I would have quit.’ Agatha said fondly. ‘You know, I was nervous our first date. Terrified really.’
Rio frowned. ‘You were the picture of calm and controlled. You rocked those purple pants with confidence.’
Agatha nodded. ‘On the outside. On the inside, I couldn’t imagine what this gorgeous, talented, funny, snarky and cheeky athlete saw in me, a nerdy academic.’
‘You were a fucking hot academic and you know it.’ Rio interrupted.
Agatha kissed her temple. ‘I’d barely been in town six weeks, and you’d found me and worn me down. I was terrified how fast I was falling.’ She shrugged. ‘I could feel like that every day for the rest of my life, and all those days combined wouldn’t come close to how scared I was when Nicky was diagnosed.’
Rio closed her eyes and nuzzled her head into her wife’s shoulder. ‘That day was the worst day of my life. But today, today we start again. And Nicholas Vidal will be back home. That I know for certain.’
Convincing Her
JUNIOR YEAR – GEORGETOWN
‘VIDAL!’
Rio groaned internally and turned to see her academic advisor glaring at her from across the court. ‘Sup Angie.’
‘Don’t ‘sup’ me Vidal.’ She bit out as she strode through the gym. ‘Your psychology teacher advised you have missed the last three lessons. It’s been 3 weeks! What are you doing?’
Rio chuckled. ‘I got the notes and I promise I will be back as soon as I get this girl to go out with me. The only time I know where she is is during that class. She is in the café across from the Criminology building. She won’t even give me her number Angie.’
‘SERIOUSLY?! A GIRL?!’
Rio softened. ‘Not just a girl. The Girl. The Woman. She is tough and snarky and rude and brutal and gorgeous and sweet and everything in between. I just know I have to take that chance. Even if it means missing psychology for a few weeks.’
Rio missed another 4 psychology lessons. Once Agatha learnt she was skipping class to hit on her, she finally let herself accept the invite for dinner she had been wanting to go to since the second time of asking. Rio didn’t have to repeat Psychology, but she didn’t top the class. It helped when the girl she had finally convinced to go out with her tutored in her off time and had a degree in a similar field.
Step 1
Rio had dozed off on her wife’s shoulder and woke up to the door opening.
‘Mami!’
Rio shook herself awake quickly and smiled at her little boy who was beaming at her as the bed was wheeled back in. ‘Nico. How are you baby?’ She looked at the doctor who was helping wheel him back in. ‘How is he Jen?’
Jen smiled. ‘I thought we could book his next treatments to match up with Billy’s? Keep the terrible twosome in check?’
Agatha gripped Rio’s hand tightly. ‘He can come home?’
‘Nicky can go home.’ Jen confirmed. ‘On Monday, he is officially an outpatient. His white blood cell count is stable and staying up, and the Mets have reduced significantly since we started the new treatments.’
The two women were crying, and Nicky knew it was happy tears. ‘Mama, can I ask? Please?’
Agatha nodded. ‘I think so.’
Nicky sat up straight with his beanie on his head and wrapped in his bunny pyjamas. ‘Mami, can I go to one of your games? In real life?’
Rio was wide eyed. ‘YES! Wait, uh, I don’t know. Jen? Can he?’
Jen nodded at two of her eldest friends. ‘Let him settle in at home first, and get through some treatments and settle into the routine, and he’ll be good to go to a game.’
Rio beamed and jumped up, going over to the bed and hugging her boy tight. ‘You can come and watch me play!’ She exclaimed.
Nicky held her tight and stayed quiet, smiling into her chest. He had been too little to go before he had gotten sick, but he watched every game with his Mama from the hospital. He loved watching Mami play, and his dream was to see her in person.
Rio had tears running down into Nicky’s beanie.
Nicky’s dream was Rio’s dream too.
Diagnosis
‘Honey, I can’t come to tonight’s game.’ Agatha’s voice was quiet on the phone. ‘Nicky has been really sick and sleepy the last few days and he hasn’t perked up yet. I don’t want to leave him with a sitter.’
Rio frowned in her locker. ‘Is he alright? Did you call Jen?’ She had been away for a week for basketball and had only just made it back to Phoenix that morning.
‘Jen says if he hasn’t perked up tomorrow to take him to a doctor. I’m sorry baby.’
‘Don’t apologise Sweetheart. Nicky is our priority always.’
‘Say hi to the team for us. We’ll be watching from the couch.’
‘Of course. I love you.'
‘We love you too.’
Rio hung up and the team could tell something was wrong. ‘You okay Rio?’
She turned to see her coach Rebecca Kaplin looking at her, concerned. ‘Agatha said Nicky isn’t feeling well. She can’t come tonight.’
‘Little guy picked up a bug?’
‘She isn’t sure exactly. Said he has been funky for a little while.’ Rio shook herself. ‘I’ll see her tonight. But she says hi.’
Rebecca grabbed her gently by the elbow and pulled her into her office, away from the others. She shut the door. ‘What do you need Rio?’
‘To see my son.’ Rio said honestly. ‘Can I skip out straight at the end of the match?’
Rebecca nodded. ‘If we are ahead, I’ll even pull you out early. We’ve locked up the playoffs and our seeding but without a reason for the league, I can’t pull you out of the game entirely.’
The Next Day
‘We are taking him to the hospital.’ Agatha said down the phone. ‘He’s burning with fever Jen.’
Rio was holding her 3-year old son tightly as he slept restlessly in her arms. She had gotten home from the game and hadn’t slept since. Nicky had latched on and not let go. She could feel his pain.
‘Jen, I don’t think this can wait for you to fly in from New York. Can you meet us at the hospital?’
Agatha nodded and then hung up the phone after saying goodbye. She looked at Rio. ‘We need to go to the ER.’
The trip was quiet. Agatha was driving while Rio sat in the back still holding her sleeping son. They got to the ER and Rio felt everything move it fast forward. Her son being taken out of her arms and into a private room, Nicky crying when they took some blood, watching Agatha crawl onto the bed next to their son who looked so little in the adult size bed. Waiting for hours before Jen finally walked in the door, reading the chart and quickly looking for a doctor.
Rio managed to call her coach and say she wasn’t going to be with the team that day and for the next couple. She needed to be with her family.
It took 4 days for Jen to come back to them with a proper answer as to why their son was feeling so horrible. They couldn’t take him home and neither woman wanted to leave. When Jen sat them down, they could tell the news wasn’t good.
‘Nicky has Leukemia.’ Jen said calmly. ‘We’ve caught it early, but we need to go through some treatment plans with the doctors here.’
‘You’re his doctor. You’re the best oncologist on the East Coast!’ Rio said immediately. ‘He is your godson Jen, you’re his fucking doctor.’
‘I am not a doctor at this hospital.’ Jen said calmly. ‘Unless you moved to New York, I can’t be his primary doctor.’
‘Then we move to New York.’ Agatha said firmly, holding Rio’s hand tight. ‘I don’t trust anyone else with my son Jen. Promise me, we move to New York, and you are his doctor, that he will beat this.’
‘As I said Agatha, we caught it early. He has a very good chance of beating it.’
‘Promise me Jen.’ Agatha said again.
Jen looked at the couple and kept her expression calm. ‘I promise you both I will do everything I can to get Nicholas Vidal through this.’
Hello World, it’s me, Nicky
Nicky had just turned 3 when he was diagnosed. Now he was 6 and he was finally going home for good. He was still sick, still weak but he knew he was going to beat it. He knew his Mums were scared but he wasn’t, not anymore. He just wanted to live his life.
He loved his room in the house in the suburbs. He loved the park down the street. He loved being able to go outside and play with his Mami and Mama whenever he wanted! He got tired and he got grumpy, but he knew, deep down, he knew he’d beat this soon. Nicky couldn’t wait to go and watch his Mami play for the first time. Aunty Jen had said he had to get through 5 weeks of treatments while he was at home and keep getting better before he was allowed to go.
Mami hadn’t missed a game since he had been home, and Nicky had heard his Mama say to Aunt Alice that she was playing better than she had in a while. His Mami was the best, Nicky knew she would be playing well.
Nicky was going to the Arena early with both his Mama and Mami. They were going to show him everything and then he was going to meet some more of his Mami’s friends in person. They all knew about him, and they all protected him. Some had even come to the hospital to see him, or come to see him at home when he was there.
Nicky was dressed in his comfiest chinos, a black hoodie, a Liberty beanie on his head and his Mama’s jersey over the top. It hid all his ports really well and it was comfortable. He loved pyjamas but he had lived in them for a long time.
He hung out in the changerooms and stuck close to his Mami. Mama had gone outside to see some other people with Aunt Alice but Nicky knew that she was fine. Mama was also wearing one of his Mami’s jerseys and he couldn’t help but smile. He was finally there with them both.
His Mami knelt down in front of him. ‘Okay Nico, I need you to do me a favour. You need to stay here while I go out for warmup with the team.’
He frowned. ‘But I want to go and watch you play?’
Rio nodded and smiled, readjusting his beanie to cover his ears. ‘You will. But… Mama and I might be organising a little surprise for you, and I need you to stay here so it doesn’t get ruined.’
‘By myself?’
Rio shook her head. ‘Aunt Jen is here, she is going to come in and stay with you. I will be back before you know it okay? Mama will be back first.’
Nicky huffed. ‘I thought I’d get to see all of it.’
Rio chuckled and kissed his nose. ‘Oh I think you will like this more than you know.’
40 minutes later
The crowd was cheering the teams wildly as the anthem finished. The teams moved to create a tunnel as the two coaches, Rebecca Kaplin and Lilia Calderu, moved together to the middle of the court where a pair of microphones were handed to them.
The crowd wasn’t sure what was happening and quietened down when Calderu put her hand up. ‘Barclays Center, thank you!’ She said loudly into the microphone. Lilia gestured to Rebecca to speak.
‘New York Liberty, almost 3 seasons ago, one of my favourite players came to join your organisation. I am not going to lie and say I was happy she left, but I am very happy that she came here where she has been very well loved and accepted.’
The crowd cheered as Kaplin paused and they all suddenly realised that Rio was no longer on the court.
‘The League, all the teams around the League, are aware that there have been some oddities and discrepancies surrounding the availability of Vidal, but the Liberty and the League have always given Vidal our full support.’ Calderu explained. ‘Today we would like to introduce the 13th member of the New York Liberty.’
‘And Mercury.’ Kaplin chimed in. The pair chuckled and Lilia continued.
‘It’s his first game, so let’s make him feel welcome.’
‘BARCLAYS CENTEER! PLEASE PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR THE FINAL MEMBER OF THE NEW YORK LIBERTY, NICHOLAS VIDAL!’
The crowd watched and cheered as Nicky came out walking between his Mama and Mami, eyes wide and looking up at the stadium. He saw all the players his Mami had played with clapping and cheering for him and he beamed, pulling his hands free and running forward, collecting all the hi-fives he could.
The crowd, the world, took in his appearance and it all made sense. They could see how pale he was, the lack of hair under the beanie, some could even see the ports sticking out of his side through the layers. They could see two mothers who were overly emotional. They could see the truth.
Nicky ran back through the players and jumped on his Mama’s before they could stop him. Rio took him into her arms tightly. ‘Are you happy Nico?’
He nodded and then jumped down, pulling both his Mums by the hand. ‘Come on!’
The family of three walked through the two teams who meant the world to them and saw the support they had from the crowd. They saw how Nicky finally got his wish to watch his Mami in person and finally feel the atmosphere.
He was still sick and he still had a fight on his hands, but he had a life again.
His mothers couldn’t wait until he could live it to the fullest extent.
They had promised him that he would.