Flying Lessons & Other Stories

The protagonist and narrator, Chris, begins by talking about his dad, Jim Blair. Jim played professional basketball for a few years—one in the US and five in Europe—before an injury forced him to abandon basketball for a career in the tech industry. His dad’s love of the game spread to his son, and he had high hopes that Chris would play, which he did until the accident.

His family was driving on a rainy day, close to his house, when a truck veered across the road, hitting their car and causing it to spin into a light pole. Chris remembers broken glass, flashing lights, screaming, and then darkness. The next thing he recalls is regaining consciousness in the hospital and learning that he would not walk again.

Chris and his mom learned to live with his injury, but his dad struggled. Chris shares that his dad never talked a lot, but after the accident, he spoke less and less. Chris’s mom believes his father feels responsible for the accident.

Not long after his mother shares this, Chris is invited to join a wheelchair basketball team by Mr. Evans, an older man the family knows from church. Mr. Evans is just starting the team and makes sure Chris knows that the players will not be very experienced, but that it will be fun. Chris’s mom is excited about the news, but his dad barely responds, only mumbling inaudibly.

The family goes to see a game between Madison and Rosedale. Chris loves watching kids his age play basketball, and he especially enjoys seeing their chairs with adaptations to move better on the court. Just watching makes him eager to begin practicing with Mr. Evans’s new team. Although his mom sits with him, his dad stations himself near the snack stand, reads a newspaper, and barely watches the game.

On the drive home, Chris’s mom asks if his dad has ever seen wheelchair basketball before. He responds with a grumble and something about an early day tomorrow. Although his mom seems upset by this, Chris does not mind. At home, after getting ready for bed, Chris wonders about his dad’s reaction to the game, but is still excited to play.

At school the next day, there is a message on the bulletin board for Chris about playing a practice game at Madison. When Chris gets home, he learns that Mr. Evans called because Chris’s dad left a message for him. Neither Chris nor his mother knows what it is about, but Chris has a bad feeling and worries while doing his homework.

During dinner, his mom—who works as a wedding planner—talks about an upcoming wedding in which all the bridesmaids have agreed to dye a pink streak in their hair. His dad merely grunts. Then Chris’s mom tells his dad that Mr. Evans called. Chris’s dad says that he’s already spoken with the coach, and that he called him to say that he does not believe the Madison team is as strong as everyone thinks. He plans to talk with Mr. Evans again at practice tomorrow. Both Chris and his mom are surprised, and Chris feels even more nervous than before.

For Chris, the next day flies by. When he arrives at practice, his nerves kick in when he catches sight of his father sitting in the bleachers. Because he is flustered, Chris makes mistakes like missing passes and shooting air balls. At the end of practice, Mr. Evans calls Chris’s dad onto the court. His teammates marvel at how tall Mr. Blair is.

His dad talks to the team about how Madison and Rosedale, the teams they watched the other day, do not run any baseline plays and how they shoot right at the rim. His dad takes a few shots off the backboard, emphasizing that shots like these are more likely to go in. When Mr. Evans reminds him that he played professionally and never took a shot from a wheelchair, Chris’s dad asks for one.

Situated in a wheelchair, Jim Blair looks at his son, and Chris tosses him a ball. When his dad attempts to maneuver the chair, it spins, and Chris kindly encourages him by saying it happens all the time. His dad nods thanks, takes a breath, and banks a shot in off the backboard. He explains the physics behind why using the backboard is more effective, and then the team spreads out to the different baskets and practices the shot.

Chris struggles, so his dad tells him to focus on a spot on the backboard. A few of his teammates are successful, but Chris still misses shots. His dad does not get mad or frustrated; he only encourages his son and tells him it will come with practice. Chris notices that his dad does not mumble once.

Next, the team practices baseline plays, which are much harder for them to master. Mr. Blair encourages the boys, telling them they will have an advantage if they work on this. Even though the boys are good at moving their chairs up and down the court, they collide constantly beneath the basket.

After the team has practiced all week, Chris’s dad visits again and says they have improved from terrible to just pretty bad. He smiles when he says this, and he tells the team that they are ready for Madison.

Madison comes to their gym for the scrimmage. In the first 10 seconds, Madison scores. When Chris looks to the stands and waves, his mom waves back, but his dad just sits quietly next to her.

The game quickly gets away from them, with Madison scoring again and nothing going well. The team turns the ball over a bunch, and Chris gets called for travelling because he fails to dribble before wheeling himself forward twice. In the locker room at halftime, the boys are dejected, and when Chris sees his father, he feels worse.

When Mr. Evans tells Chris’s dad they are overmatched, Mr. Blair disagrees. He says that the team is just nervous and to look at the score. They are only down eight points and catching up is a possibility. Chris is surprised and thinks his dad is kidding but realizes he is not. He also notices that his dad says “we” when referring to the team.

During the second half, the team plays with renewed energy. They try some of the baseline plays, which still do not work well. However, they make more shots than Madison because they use the backboard. Even though they lose the game, the boys feel good about their performance. After lining up to high-five Madison, they go to the locker room and congratulate each other.

After the game, the team votes to join the league next season. It turns out that Chris’s dad inspired them to believe they could play. Now, Mr. Blair only comes to some of the practices, but when he is there, he instructs them on fundamental basketball skills like shooting form. Even though they never talk about basketball outside the gym, Chris enjoys this time with his dad.

Chris’s mom, though, does push her husband to talk more, and even asks him once if he were in a wheelchair, if he could compete with his son. Jim Blair only mumbles in response, but Chris imagines that his dad says he could not play as well as his son.