Flying Lessons & Other Stories

Content Warning: The source material features depictions of parental death and racism. Additionally, this story uses an outdated term for Black people, which is replicated in this guide only in direct quotes of the source material.

The protagonist, an 11-year-old girl nicknamed Treetop, tells this story in a chronologically fragmented style, sharing memories of her best friend Celeste, who has moved away, and of her mother, who died of cancer when Treetop was eight.

The story begins in autumn in Petersborough, New Hampshire. The leaves are changing to red and gold, an image proudly displayed on postcards in the pharmacy on Main Street. Treetop recalls that the leaves are what brought her best friend Celeste to town: Celeste’s mom visited once and fell so in love with the leaves that she decided to move there. Celeste, who is Black, once shared with Treetop, who is white, that her mother was so busy looking at the different colored leaves that she did not notice there were no other Black people in town. Treetop remembers this as she sits in the coffee shop on Main Street, watching people from the city writing on postcards. She often thinks she sees Celeste getting out of a car, but it is not her. Treetop notes that “this town is both completely different—and absolutely the same—without” Celeste (124), indicating just how much Treetop misses her friend.

The narrator’s focus shifts to the previous winter, when she watched a plow move silently through a massive amount of snow. She wondered how it could be so quiet, and when she voiced this, her father was both amused and worried. Then, when Treetop declared that she used to have a mother, her father reminded her that she still had a mother, even though her mother was dead.

This memory leads to another, one specifically about how her mother used to curse when Treetop was little. The little girl thought it felt wrong for ugly words to come from her beautiful mother. Treetop practiced saying these swear words in front of a mirror eight days before her mother died. Like her mom, Treetop prayed that the doctors were wrong, but her father scolded her for saying this. He claimed that only her mother, who was in pain, could pray for such things. Treetop did not share with her father how much she hurt, and that she felt pain everywhere; she knew that he would tell her she had never felt real hurt because she was only eight years old. That winter, Treetop cared for her mother by keeping her cool, reading to her, and brushing her hair. She felt connected to her mother in every way.

Switching to a more recent memory, Treetop recalls when Celeste asked how she got her nickname. The narrator recounted that when she asked her father about the origin of babies, he said that they came from treetops. Celeste was amazed at this because it was not true. Even though Treetop knew it was wrong, the nickname stuck. Celeste claimed her dad would just tell her to look it up, and the two girls spiraled into laughter.

Then Celeste shared more about her parents. Her father had a job in finance, working with other people’s money, and he was tall like his daughter. She revealed that her parents were taking a break from each other after 11 years of marriage. Treetop struggled to understand this because her parents were together for 20 years before her mother died. They had loved each other since middle school.

At the time, Treetop felt it was unfair that her parents did not want a break from each other but got one anyway. She looked away at the ground. Picking up on her sadness, Celeste asked if she missed her mom. When Treetop nodded yes, Celeste confessed that she missed her dad too and New York City, where she moved from. In this moment of connection, they both started laughing again.

Looking back on their friendship, Treetop also remembers conversations she and Celeste shared regarding race and language. The narrator had never met anyone who was not white, and Celeste never lived somewhere where she was the only person of color. When Celeste used the word “Negro” (128), Treetop was shocked because she thought they were not supposed to use that word. Then, Celeste explained that she, as a Black person, could use it, but Treetop, who was white, could not, claiming that this was stated in a language rule book. Incredulous, Treetop questioned whether such a rule book existed. Celeste was adamant that there were all kinds of rule books, even if they were not actually printed. For example, Celeste said, there was one for the state of New Hampshire, limiting residence to only one family of color at a time. When she moved away, another Black family could move in. It was at this point that Treetop began to worry that Celeste would leave town.

This was also when Treetop began losing her other friends because of her connection with Celeste. The narrator remembers all the stereotypes these so-called friends, Lisabeth and Casey, shared about Black people: they steal, they listen only to rap, they are good dancers, and more. When Treetop tried to debunk these with facts, like how Celeste played Beethoven on the piano, no one listened. These interactions hurt Treetop, but she did not understand why.

The stereotypes morphed into accusations when these so-called friends asked if Celeste was dangerous or suggested that she concealed weapons. They also complained about her appearance, saying her hair was weird and that she had big feet. Additionally, they stated that their moms would not let them sit with her at lunch and that Treetop’s mom would be mad if she knew.

While remembering these things, Treetop notes that her mother died long before Celeste arrived. She remembers when her “friends” stood safely behind her, clasping hands with the knowledge that their parents were safe from cancer. In her mind, this contrasted with Celeste, who, when she arrived, simply smiled at Treetop.

This recollection leads Treetop to remember even more happy memories of her time with Celeste, like how Celeste loved when Treetop named all the trees as they walked by them. She was in awe of her friend’s knowledge, while Treetop enjoyed holding Celeste’s hand. She noted that this was the first time she had touched a Black person and remembers her surprise the first time she touched Celeste’s hair. When Treetop reached to feel Celeste’s hair again, her friend caught her hand and told her to stop because she was “not a dog to be petted” (131).

All of this reminds Treetop of how, the following fall, not only did the two girls bury Celeste’s pet rabbit, but they also connected even more. They wore similar clothes and were about the same height. Treetop knew not to touch her friend’s hair but watched other kids cross that line. It was at times like these that the narrator noticed just how sad her friend was.

The next spring, Celeste told Treetop that she really liked her, but that she hated New Hampshire. She had promised her mom that she would try New Hampshire out for a year, but it had been far longer than that. Celeste reminded her that New York City was only a little over four hours away. However, Treetop felt that the distance was more like forever. When they held hands, Celeste said that their fingers, alternating between white and brown, were just as right as the colorful autumn leaves in nature.

The story ends with Treetop sitting with Lisabeth and Casey at the pharmacy on Main Street. The narrator ignores the other girls, thinking of her promise to meet up with Celeste in New York City when they turn 18. When Lisabeth declares that Treetop is not even there with them, the narrator thinks that the girl is right: She is already leaving this place in her mind.