Chapter 20 — Throwing the Ball Through the Rain

The news that the team had reached the semi-finals made the school yard crowded. Some classes asked to borrow the field, but the schedule was full. Tran, the person in charge of records, suggested making the schedule public and opening more morning hours. Nhien was worried that the team would practice too much, so Ms. Hanh reminded that the field does not exist just to serve the tournament. They divide the day: practice session, open field session, maintenance session and rest session.

Mai Chi talked to her mother again. Her mother read the school newspaper, where Mai Chi was called "the girl who defied pressure to pursue her passion". Mai Chi doesn't like that sentence because she doesn't care about anyone, she's just trying to find a way to make arrangements. She wrote a letter to the reporter, suggesting that it be changed to "students make their own study and practice schedules." The reporter agreed.

Bap wanted to make a video introducing the semi-finals, but the whole team agreed not to use upbeat music or the phrase "final battle". An suggested telling about the people who keep the yard: Phong fixes the board, Tran records the schedule, Ms. Hanh checks, and the children sweep the water. Bap said the video would have few views. Nhien said views are not the only goal. Bap sighed, then made a scene with the sound of a broom and a bouncing ball.

Phong discovered a new crack at the border. The technician said it could be temporarily reinforced, but the field needed major repairs after the season. Mr. Vinh proposed a budget plan in which the parking lot still occupies part of the area. An asked if she could keep the entire yard. He said there still needs to be a balance. Ms. Hanh asked the team to come up with a plan to use the yard all year round, not just during the rainy season.

They created a plan: mornings for small classes, afternoons for clubs, open weekends for the community, and safety inspections every quarter. The course includes costs, who is on duty and how to receive feedback. Mai Chi adds free classes on health and sports. Vy wanted a throwing angle for disabled children, Phong recalculated the distance. Bap named the project "Not Empty Yard".

The night before the semi-finals, An replied to her former coach that she wanted to try out after the tournament ended, but did not leave the team midway. The response message had only one word "okay". She sent it to Nhien to see. Nhien said that is an option that has room for both the future and the present.

Tomorrow, they will play against the strongest team in another group. An placed her captain's armband next to her shoes, then went to bed before eleven o'clock according to the new rules. Outside in the yard, the rain hits the corrugated iron roof, in steady, thick rhythms. No one knew how the game would end, but the team learned not to let one score tell the whole story.

The morning before the semi-finals, the team did not practice throwing right away. Ms. Hanh let everyone walk around the yard, pointing out places that could be slippery, escape routes, locations of first aid boxes and gates that need to be locked. Bap asked if they were sightseeing. Ms. Hanh said a good player knows where he is standing before the ball comes.

Mai Chi reread the class schedule and asked her mother to send math documents over the phone. Vy brought two pairs of socks, because last time her feet were blistered. Phong checks the clock battery, speaker wire and scoreboard circuit. Nhien notes questions for the doctor. An realized that no one only talked about tactics, but everything helped the match take place.

The opponent sends a list of players. They have a fast defender who was on the provincial team. An saw that name and her hands went cold. Ms. Hanh asked if she needed to say it. An said she was afraid of being compared. Ms. Hanh said comparison is noise, not data. The data is how the opponent's legs run, how her hands hold the ball and how much space our team can create.

Bap tried interviewing each person with one question to warm up. His question was “If the ball could talk, who would it complain about?” Vy said he complained about the person throwing too hard, Mai Chi said he complained about the person not wiping his hands, Phong said he complained about the pump. Nhien said he complained about the person holding the ball for too long. An said she complained about people not passing.

The air lightens. Ms. Hanh told them to write match goals in two levels: competition goals and protection goals. Playing is about keeping pace, limiting loss of the ball, and communicating clearly. Security is to not let Nhien suffer more pain, not to turn around without consent, not to let the audience enter the dangerous area. An adds a third goal: if she wins, not counting as one person saves the team.

That night, Nhien sent An a message: "Tomorrow, if I point my finger and you don't understand, just ask again after the ball dies. Don't guess for fear of being slow." An replied "yes". She placed her armband next to her shoe, checked the laces twice and slept. Outside in the yard, the rain hits the corrugated iron roof regularly. The match hasn't started yet, but the team already has a way into it.

An arrived at the multi-purpose house early and found the door next to it was stuck. Phong called the technician, Bap put up the wait sign, Tran directed people to another way. No one pries the door open even if someone urges them. Mai Chi warmed up in a small space, Vy kept the ball from rolling into the hallway. Nhien sat in the technical area, giving test signals.

The opponent arrives, bringing with him a fan system and a separate scoreboard. A player asked why the women's team had to score points by hand. An explained that it was a comparison, not that she didn't trust the device. The player nodded and said her team had also been mistakenly recorded. The two sides agreed to have a common checker in each round. Tran recorded the agreement in the book.

Ms. Hanh said before the match that they did not need to win by forgetting themselves. If there is pain, report it; if there is an error, stop; If there is an argument, ask the referee. Bap joked that she had said enough to make a song. Nhien told him not to make music without asking. The whole team laughed and the tension decreased.

An held the ball to warm up and looked at the captain's armband. She does not think she is the one to replace Nhien, nor does she think that Nhien is the one who has lost her position. They are standing at two different points of the same pass. An first tied the bandage to her wrist, a little tight, then loosened it.

Before the whistle, Vy said the first signal in a clear voice. Mai Chi nodded, Phong checked his watch, Bap recorded the time. Nhien raised her hand and circled. An looked at her and nodded back. The multi-purpose house is noisy, rain knocks on the roof, and the scoreboard is bright. The team enters the match with a plan that is soft enough to change and clear enough that no one will be left behind.

The first half happened quickly. The opponents take advantage of height, the women's team takes advantage of passes. An lost the ball once because she looked at the signal for too long, but she reported it as soon as the ball died. Nhien changed the sign, Mai Chi repeated it verbally. No one blames people for not understanding; they fix the signal so the next person doesn't get the same error.

The manual and electronic scorecards match in five minutes. Phong wrote down the time, Bap read it out loud, and Tran signed. An audience member asked why they did so many steps. Ms. Hanh answered because a score needs to be believed by both teams. The person nodded, then sat back.

Vy hit her elbow and had level three pain. She reported it, went out for a drink, and came back after being checked. Another friend replaced her without being called a "reluctant option." An passed to her on the first turn, helping her move instead of standing still out of fear. The ball did not go in, but she was in the game.

The rain outside is heavier, the multi-purpose roof shakes. The referee checked the electricity and allowed the match to continue. Nhien looked at An, held up a circle, then two fingers. An understood that she must slow down and change direction. The team gets through the hardest round by not trying to rush.

At the end of the match, the winning team gets one point. No one calls it a miracle. They compare scores, thank opponents, clear chairs and record incidents. An took off her captain's armband and gave it to Nhien to keep. Nhien said to keep it until the final day, because the giving does not need to wait for a big ceremony.

On the way home, Vy said she was scared when she bumped her elbow, but being allowed to go out made her less scared. My substitute said that for the first time, I was able to enter the field without having to wait for anyone to pity me. Listen, don't try to turn the story into a speech. I just asked which rule you two want to keep. Vy chose to stop, and the other chose to know when she would replace her. Tran wrote those two ideas on the common board.

Monday morning, a parent sent a letter praising the team for winning but not boasting about their achievements. Bap wants to post the whole thing. An reminded everyone to ask if they wanted their name to appear. In the end, the post only had a photo of the scoreboard with the names covered, a description of how they stopped the match in the rain, and a thank you to their opponents. Likes were fewer than expected, but there was a message from the sixth grade: “We understand when to ask for a break.” I think that's enough.

At the end of the week, the council sent notice that the yard had its testing extended. Not a win yet, but they have more time to prove their schedule. Nhien texted a smiley face, then asked if the team could open a walking session for the elderly. An opened the calendar and started looking for an available time slot.

She marked a morning, then asked who would be on duty.

Mai Chi accepted the first session, but reminded her that she was far away. Tran suggests booking a replacement and a backup contact. They tried calling in order, only for the third person to pick up. No one considers a missed call a failure; it just goes to show that a good calendar needs more than a name. An added two columns to the table and sent everyone to preview.