Blind Your Ponies

Grandma Chapman picks up her grandson, Peter Strong, at the bus stop. Peter looks around the small town that is so different than St. Paul, Minnesota. After his parents’ divorce, his mother decided to send him to live with his grandmother for a year, taking him away from his girlfriend Kathy. Grandma Chapman does not have a left hand, but Peter cannot help staring at the ridiculously large hat that she wears. Peter tells her that he feels angry at his mom for shipping him off, but Grandma Chapman says she is happy that he is with her. Grandma Chapman greets the people in the truck that pulls up next to them and introduces Peter to Sally Cutter and her daughter Denise. Denise has cerebral palsy and Peter gets the impression that Sally feels embarrassed by her daughter, although he does not understand why. Grandma Chapman challenges Peter to a game of Horse, and they walk to the basketball court. Grandma Chapman tells Peter that he should join the Broncs basketball team.

Hazel Brown comes into Sam’s office as he prepares lesson plans and tells him that she wants to show him something. Hazel introduces Sam to Peter, who is playing basketball on the court. Sam explains that he does not coach basketball anymore, but he tells Peter that he should join the team. Peter says he does not think he will be in Willow Creek for very long, so it might not be a good idea to join.

After Sam rereads Don Quixote at night to prepare for the school year, he remembers when he was six and his mother paid for him to ride a baby elephant at the carnival. Sam refused to get on the elephant, and his mom got mad at him. Sam did not know how to explain that he was not scared—he only felt bad for the elephant because he saw a sadness in his eyes that matched his own. His mom forced him to get on the elephant as Sam whispered an apology to the animal.

Mervin Painter waits for his wife Claire outside. He thinks about his childhood growing up in Willow Creek with his older brother Carl. When he was 16, Mervin dated Maggie Swanson, and everyone thought they would get married. Carl drank too much, and he left Montana to travel the world. When Carl returned, their father welcomed him back. One day, someone in town told Mervin that he saw Maggie in a car with Carl. Mervin drove to Maggie’s house, but she was not home. He waited for Maggie to get home and when she did, she apologized. She told him that she loved him but that she was going to marry Carl because she was pregnant with his child. Mervin never spoke to Maggie again. A few weeks later, Maggie and Carl were married and they lived with her grandparents in the next town over. They had three sons together, and when her grandparents died, Carl and Maggie inherited the farm. Mervin married Claire the following year, even though he never loved Claire like he loved Maggie. Mervin always wondered if he should have married Maggie and raised the child like his own.

When Mervin’s father died, he left the ranch to Mervin, but he left the John Deere “D” tractor to Carl. Mervin resented this because the tractor had been in their family for generations, and he never believed that Carl deserved that honor. Mervin’s resentment of Carl grew because his sons went to Manhattan Christian, a team that continually beat Willow Creek in basketball. Every year, Carl and Mervin bet five dollars on the game, and Mervin always lost.

While Mervin is reminiscing, Claire comes out of the house and she and Mervin drive to the airport. Claire and Mervin decided to open their home to an exchange student from Norway named Olaf Gustafson. When Olaf gets off the plane, they stare in shock at the six-foot-and-11-inch boy.

Diana Murphy prepares her science classroom as the children arrive on the first day of school. She sees the Norwegian exchange student arrive, and she runs down the hallway to Sam’s classroom. Sam and Diana introduce themselves to Olaf, and Diana tells Olaf that Sam is the basketball coach. Sam corrects her but tells Olaf that he should sign up for the team. Olaf says that he has never played basketball, which disappoints Diana.

The news of Olaf’s height spreads in Willow Creek as the townspeople become hopeful that he could make a change on the basketball team. Diana encourages Olaf to join even if he has never played because it could be a good way for him to get to know the other students. The next day, Sam tells Truly that he wants to continue coaching the basketball team because he enjoys it. The next week, Sam tells Olaf that if he wants to learn basketball, he will teach him personally, and that if he does not like it, then he does not have to join the team.

Sam meets Olaf in the gym, locking the door behind him so that no one disturbs them. Olaf learns quickly, which encourages Sam. Olaf dunks the ball, and Sam believes that the basketball team could have a chance. After a few weeks, Sam approaches Curtis Jenkins, who agrees to join the team again. Sam also talks to Tom Stonebreaker about rejoining the team. Tom says that his dad does not want him to waste his time. Tom’s dad, George, is known for his drunken rage and harsh attitude toward his son. Tom tells Sam that he is tired of losing every year and he does not want to play anymore. Sam asks him to meet him after school in his classroom.

In his classroom, Sam tells Tom that he cannot tell anyone about what he is about to show him. He walks Tom down to the gym and locks the door behind them. Olaf comes out of the locker room and Sam explains how he has been teaching Olaf, but that they must keep it a secret because he still needs some help. Olaf dunks the ball; Tom smiles and agrees to join the team and keep Olaf’s secret.

Diana can sense the pessimism of the Willow Creek townspeople every day. Many people, like herself, move to Willow Creek to escape their past. Diana wonders if Sam is one of these people too. As Diana drives to the Blue Willow, a local restaurant, for dinner, she sees a rabbit dart in front of the car. She has a flash of panic as she reminds herself to hit the brakes and not swerve. Diana sees the rabbit get across safely and her heart slows. At the Blue Willow, the owners, Axel and Vera, greet her. Diana calms herself by staring out the window at the tandem bicycle that sits on the front porch. Diana knows the town story surrounding the bike. A couple came into town and stopped at the Blue Willow, leaving their bike outside. The couple got into a fight and the man left the restaurant, with the woman leaving separately. They both forgot about the bike. Twenty-five years later, the townspeople have kept the bike, hoping that someday the couple would return for it. As Diana eats her dinner, Sam comes inside for water during his nightly run. Sam thanks Diana for encouraging him to coach again.