THE FIRST DAY

That Thursday afternoon was the first time that Marc Gasol went to Girona on his own. Since the previous Sunday the World Cup Final in Japan had ended with the gold medal for the Spanish team, it seemed that the Universe had gone crazy around them. Now, behind the wheel of a blue Grand Cherokee, as he drove up the freeway, he had - finally - one of the first moments of peace in many days. He was humming a song from Estopa. Music helped him organize his mind and it was exactly what he needed, after the most intense and decisive summer of his life.