Chapter 10 — Throwing the Ball Through the Rain

The team held its first open day on Sunday. The goal is to give students and residents around the school free use of the field for three hours, while recognizing participation numbers and safety needs. Mai Chi made a registration board, Vy drew an area for children, Bap set up a camera but posted a sign clearly stating that anyone who didn't want to appear could stand outside the frame. An was in charge of a group of new students.

In the morning, only seven people arrived. Bap looked at the empty seats and asked if the speaker should be invited. Nhien said don't give the impression they are selling anything. They open the door, place the ball in the middle of the field and wait. A boy with his grandmother walked in first and asked if he could throw into the low basket. Vy led me to the side board and showed me how to place my feet. After ten minutes, three more juniors appeared.

A group of male students occupied half the field, passing the ball very strongly. Mai Chi reminded them to divide the time, one boy smiled and said that the field was large but the girls' team couldn't use it all. An did not argue. She showed the calendar, pointed to the shared yard section and asked what time frame they wanted to register for. He saw his class's name on the list and finally agreed. Phong set a timer, giving two minutes notice for each turn.

Children make balls roll onto the street. Duy Phong followed, but a motorbike braked suddenly. Ms. Hanh immediately closed the side gate, added a barrier and instructed the person on duty. No one filmed the incident. Bap deleted the automatic camera recording, then reported it to Ms. Hanh. An added rule of not placing cameras near gates. A job that isn't posted still has value because it makes the next day safer.

In the afternoon, the number of participants increased to twenty-nine. Some people just sat and watched, some practiced throwing, some asked if the girls' team could open classes for sixth graders. Nhien writes everything down in the notebook. Mai Chi received a text message from her mother asking if she would skip extra classes. She replied that she had arranged a make-up schedule, then continued to instruct a friend how to hold her wrist.

At the end of the day, Bap showed a compilation with no faces, just the sound of balls, whistles and numbers. Mr. Vinh came to see and asked if the data was verifiable. An gave the registration book, the rules and the list of people on duty. He did not promise to keep the field, but said the team has proven that the field can operate if there is a plan.

Before locking the door, Nhien looked at the basket and said the first match of the tournament would take place in ten days. She doesn't know if her knees can handle it. An asked what if not. Nhien took off her captain's armband and placed it on her palm. "If I can't run, I can still lead the team. But this time, everyone must know how to play without waiting for me."

The second opening day had more people, but also more difficult situations. A group of parents wanted their children to play near the basketball hoop, a group of older students signed up for half the court, and the next class needed a quiet passageway. Tran made the color chart, Mai Chi explained the hours, An stood at the gate asking each person if they wanted to participate or just bring their children. Put the camera at a high angle, outside the moving area.

A boy dropped a ball into the school's plant pot. The tree sitter tried to collect the shadow, but Vy apologized and joined her sister in picking up the leaves. Ms. Hanh said that children must be responsible and not let children solve their own mistakes. The team spends part of the fund to buy new pots, clearly stating the expense. An saw that keeping the yard cannot be separated from keeping other things around the yard.

Phong set up an instruction board for new players, with four lines: warm up, drink water, ask before shooting, return the ball to the right place. Bap wanted to add a humorous sentence, but Tran said readers needed to understand immediately. At the bottom of the board, he still had a small line written: "If you don't know, ask the person wearing the blue belt." The blue wire is the mark of the person on duty that day.

In the afternoon, Ms. Hanh let the team practice tactics while the field was open. Court users are invited to stand on the sidelines, not to be turned into reluctant spectators. A sixth grader asked why Nhien didn't play. Nhien replied that she was recovering and still contributed by calling the signal. You ask if you can do that. Nhien gave me a small board and asked me to try calling the rhythm for the youth team.

When it got dark, An and Bap rounded up the number of participants: thirty-seven, of which eleven people just sat or observed. Bap intends to call everyone "player" for good numbers. Security, request correct recording. Mr. Vinh read the report and said that those who did not play were also proof that the yard had many functions. An underlined that sentence.

Before locking the door, Nhien placed the captain's armband in An's hand. An kept it for a few seconds then gave it back, saying she still needed to study. Studying naturally doesn't mean waiting forever. She tied a bandage to the strap of An's bag, so it wouldn't be in her hand but also wouldn't be put away. An returned home with a green strip of fabric flapping gently at her waist, each step reminding her that the first match was approaching.

On the way home, An stopped by a sports store to look for a wrist band. She chose the cheap one, asked the seller how to wash it, and didn't buy another pair of shoes. The seller asked her where she competed. An spoke at the school yard, then said the yard was being considered for retention. The seller said he once rented the ball to a women's team for free, but he didn't know if they were still playing. An asked if he wanted to leave his contact number for the opening day. He agreed, but did not want to be mentioned by name.

At home, An tried tying the armband in three ways. The first way is too tight, the second way is loose, the third way is just right. Mom looked and said that the cloth also had a way to breathe. An laughed, then asked her mother if she ever thought she would play again. Mom said she thought I would come back when I no longer wanted to please the person who told me to stop.

The next morning, An received the first match schedule from the organizers. Match time may change if it rains. Tran gave her a backup plan, Phong gave her the technician's number, and Bap gave her a list of people who agreed to film. An looked at it and discovered that her name appeared in too many entries. She deleted an entry for "main spokesperson", replacing it with "rotating representative". Sign next door.

The team practices the opening exercise. An holds the ball, Mai Chi runs to cut, Vy blocks, Bap calls time. The first time, An threw too early. The second time, she passed it to Mai Chi. The third time, Vy was hit by a chair so the team stopped. Ms. Hanh asked if we needed to move chairs. They changed positions, tried again and succeeded. A tactical lesson involves more than just arrows; it has the whole room.

At the end of the session, a sixth grader returned ball number four with the valve replaced. You say the ball bounces better. Phong checks and records the status. An asks if you want to name the ball. You think, call it "Little Rain" because it used to leak water like it was raining. Bap wrote his name on the label, but Tran reminded him not to stick it on the playing surface. They write it down, so the ball remains a ball.

An stood at the warehouse door, watching the captain's band lightly tap on the bag handle. She hasn't worn it yet, but hasn't put it away. The first match is coming; The field can be removed, the scoreboard can be wrong, people can tell the wrong story. She can't control it all. She can only ask, look, pass and notify when she needs to stop.

An received a text message from Khanh, an old classmate: "Do you want me to delete photos of the city battle?" She thought and replied that the photo was a part of history, but if you repost it, ask the other people in the photo. Khanh asked if she wanted to be removed from the old group. An said she did not have the right to decide for everyone, she could only say her part. Khanh sent a symbol of agreement.

On the first day of the match, the team will hand out colored cards to the audience: green means panoramic shots, yellow means ask first, red means no filming. Bap test prints, Tran checks the text, Vy tapes the back. Some people ask why it needs to be complicated. Ms. Hanh said viewers can choose not to participate in the images, and that is the simplest way to give everyone peace of mind.

Phong checked the scoreboard clock at six o'clock, but the match started at five o'clock. He changed his plan and came earlier. An asked if he was sleeping. Phong said yes, but he slept near an electrical outlet so he dreamed of running electric wires. Bap said that dream lacked romance. Phong's romantic response doesn't help the scoreboard run properly.

Nhien practices walking across the border without a cane. Ms. Hanh said she did not need to prove it. Nhien said she wanted to know where she could sit to see the whole yard. They choose a low chair with a wide aisle. An wrote down the location on the diagram, so that others wouldn't place blocking objects in front of Nhien.

Mai Chi divides the team into preparation groups: people warming up, people checking the water, people comparing scores, people welcoming the audience. Bap tried to take on all the filming and expenses, but Tran split the two tasks. He complained that he couldn't believe it. Tran replied that the news does not mean to overload a person. Bap thought for a few seconds, then agreed.

Before turning off the lights, An tied the green string of her sixth grade classmate to the bag strap next to the captain's armband. Two different blue colors: one is the leader's mark, the other is the newcomer's reminder. She closed the warehouse door and heard the sound of the lock clicking into place. Tomorrow, she will step onto the field not to erase a loss, but to start a match that everyone can see.