Chapter 4 — Throwing the Ball Through the Rain

On the first day there were five people, the basketball field became more cramped even though the area remained the same. Ha Vy, a tenth grader, came with a blue scarf and asked to try out for the position of center forward. The girl spoke so fast that Bap had to say "take a breath before signing the contract". Vy smiled and replied that she just wanted to play, no contract needed. Nhien asked me if I knew the team that was about to participate in the tournament. Vy said she knew, and her mother told her the school's girls team had not won anyone in four years.

Mai Chi was about to object, but Nhien put her hand on her shoulder. “The leaderboard is not a curse.”

The practice session started with a passing exercise. Vy passed too hard, the ball hit Bap's shoulder. Bap hugged his shoulders, saying he had just opened his acupuncture points. An laughed, then noticed Vy looking at her waiting for instructions. An showed the foot position and explains how to bring the ball across the chest. Vy did it again, the ball reached the receiver softer.

Phong came to replace the net with a new one. He brought a long ruler to measure the basketball rim, making Bap ask if he had to build a house. Phong said the basketball board also needs to be straight like a promise. An asked if he had ever played. Phong said he used to, but stopped after breaking his finger in a rain. Mai Chi threw the ball at him, forcing him to continue telling the story. Phong only said his finger was fine, but the reason for the break was not yet.

Nhien divided into five-on-five teams with Ms. Hanh and two male upperclassmen invited as opponents. An was forced in Bap of the field, there was no pass. She remembered what Phong said about space, took a step back and then cut inside. Mai Chi saw it and passed the ball close to the floor. An caught it, but instead of throwing it, she turned around and held the ball so Vy could run. Vy scored the first point. The whole team screamed like they had just won the final.

Then, Ms. Hanh made them play the same situation ten times, each time one person had to choose differently. The sixth time An threw early and missed. Ms. Hanh didn't scold her, just asked who she saw. An said she only looked at the basketball rim. "So you're playing alone. Basketball is a sport of people seeing each other."

After practice, Vy asked An if she had really competed in the city. An said yes but did not mention the slip. Vy said she wanted to learn how to not be afraid of failing to throw. An heard that sentence and realized she didn't have an answer, but she could start by letting Vy throw ten more balls. Two people stood at the penalty line, it was raining. Vy's first shot hit the rim, the second ball fell into the net. An clapped just enough to not make me shy.

At the warehouse door, Nhien pulled out a paper box with the old year written on it. Inside is a dark blue armband and a faded match schedule. She didn't open the box, just put it on the cabinet. An asked if it was a souvenir from the old team. Nhien said it could be, or it's just something someone forgot. But her eyes told An that the box had touched a wound.

Vy asked to try being the first shooter. She stood in front of the whole team, her hands shaking so much that the ball hit her feet. Bap clapped his hands too early, making her laugh. Ms. Hanh asked everyone not to correct immediately when Vy was wrong; Let me figure out where the ball goes. Vy looked at the ball's streak, went to pick it up, and then said she needed to stand one step closer. The second time, the ball landed in An's right hand.

Mai Chi practices throwing outside the ring. She has a habit of jumping to the left, causing pain in her heels. Ms. Hanh told her to choose: change the technique slowly for a few weeks or keep the familiar throw to compete immediately. Mai Chi asked if the team could wait. Nhien said the team did not ask for a perfect throw. Mai Chi practiced again, throwing less but no longer wincing.

Bap gave An a piece of paper with a list of questions sent by viewers after the stadium opened. Some people asked if the team accepts new players, some asked why women have to have their own team, some asked if the field is for rent. An wanted to answer each person individually, but Phong suggested making a public question and answer panel. They divide sentences by topic, avoiding letting one person speak for the whole team.

During the break, Phong told that his brother used to play basketball, then left the team because of a hand injury. He said he switched to repairing equipment because he couldn't stand the feeling of being on the outside. An asked him if he felt sorry. Phong said regret and relief at the same time, the two feelings are not the same. An remembers having those two feelings every time she picked up shoes.

Nhien opened the paper box a bit and showed An that there was a faded name on the inside of the captain's armband. That's not Thu Ha's name but another person's name, possibly the replacement captain. Nhien said the old team had many people, but the records only reminded the person who recorded the error. An asked if they could find the remaining names. Ms. Hanh said she could start with a list of borrowed uniforms, but she had to ask permission from a living person.

The practice session ended with a short match. Vy scored the first point, Mai Chi hit it, An passed three times without losing the ball. Nhien did not enter the field but called at the right time. Bap wrote on the board: “Today the team has five players and three keepers.” No one corrected that sentence, because a team is bigger than the number of people who touch the ball.

Vy stayed after practice to practice catching the ball. I have a habit of jerking my hand away when the ball comes quickly, because I used to have a sore finger. An puts the soft ball in her hand, starting from a short distance. Every time I caught it, An didn't clap right away, just asked how my hand was. Vy said it was the first time she saw a teacher ask that question before praising.

Mai Chi shows the whole team the homework assigned by their family: they must keep a time diary every week. She said the recording made her mother realize that she had not neglected her studies. Ma asked to see, but Mai Chi hid it. Of course, personal data is not public property. Bap apologized and asked the team to only record schedules related to the field. An additional rule: don't take screenshots of private calendars without asking.

Phong made a small shelf for wet shoes. He used leftover wood, sanded the edges and recorded the capacity. A student asked if he could take his shoes home. Phong can say it, but he has to mark it so he doesn't make mistakes. An saw that her meticulousness is not flashy, but it is those things that help people not argue.

Nhien received news that the doctor asked her to reduce the time she spent standing. She was upset, lightly kicked the leg of the chair, then apologized to the chair. An asked if there was a need to meet again. Nhien said she needed a session to just sit, not to be a strong person. The whole team agreed, divided the calls and cleared the ball. Nhien sat and listened, nodding occasionally, for the first time not turning the silence into failure.

Bap tried making an introduction without dialogue. He turned the paint line, the shoe shelf, Vy's hand caught the soft ball, Nhien's foot rested on the pillow and Phong tightened the screw. An asked those who appeared if they agreed. Bap said Vy and Phong already, Nhien is thinking. They did not post before getting an answer. Two days later, Nhien agreed but asked to remove the close-up of the knee bandage.

The team watches the video together. It's slow, there's no great throw, but Mai Chi says it's like a real practice session. They secured a copy with a clear name and scope of use. Bap asked what if there were few views. An replied that with less views and less work, they actually do less. He sighed, but kept the song without music.

After the video was posted, one person commented that the image without a face made you more curious. Bap wanted more explanation, Tran reminded him not to answer every curiosity with someone else's right. They responded with information about the opening schedule and how to participate, not looking for people in the frame. The three students had just arrived for the weekend; the other two had only sat and watched. An wrote down the correct number, does not call everyone a player.

Vy asked if she could bring her younger brother. Ms. Hanh said she could if she had someone to supervise. Vy gave her younger brother a soft ball and taught her how to hold it with both hands. She missed it, then ran to pick it up. Mai Chi instructed her not to stand under the board when others throw. An saw that the team is teaching things that three years ago she only learned on her own through pain.

At the end of the day, Bap writes a participation report and deletes the list of names after summarizing. Please check that there is no excess data left. Locked warehouse. An looked at the video again and saw the sound of the ball bouncing like an unanswered question. She didn't know if the yard was kept, but she knew someone had found a way in.

Mai Chi added the next schedule to the board, Vy brought the softball home, and An checked the door one last time. The yard is empty but no longer silent.

On the board there is still a line from Bap: "Remember to bring water." Tran changed it to "Each person brings their own water or reports to the person on duty." An saw that the solution was similar to the team: less orders, more choices.

An took a photo of the board before removing the light. She wants to save even the little things, because a team is not proven by scores alone. Nhien reminded everyone to check their shoelaces, wrists and water bottles. Bap jokes that their process is longer than a test, but still covers every step. When the door closed, An heard the sound of the lock hitting the iron hook and felt lighter: today they took care of a place that didn't belong to anyone.