My Son, the Ball, and the Key

From: 
Story type: Ghost
Location: beverly hills fl
Source: Form Submission
Date submitted: Sat Feb  6 15:53:18 2010

febuary 6, 2010
west coast florida
Title: My son, the ball and the key

Four and a half years ago I moved into my present house. The following spring my son and daughter both teenagers came to visit. They brought a baseball that they had signed by players at the Mets spring training camp. Thier cousin also signed it. No really big names signed so it got left behind when they went home. During the next three years I ocasionally would see it in various places never thinking how it got from place to place within the house, assuming it rolled. My dog would not play with it, he doesnt like baseballs. Even though my kids came to visit multiple times it dissapeared for a year (probably rolled behind something.)

Late summer 2008 my son decided he would like to live with me. My ex and I had reservations about this but if thats what he wanted fine. While walking the dog one day he had a bizzare confrontation with an old man in an old beatup car. The man asked to borrow his cell phone and said "oh you're the new kid who moved down here." My son assuming that he knew me and let him use it. The man was walking away with it and my son protested. The dog usaully fearless backed away from the guy. The man became angry gave the cell phone back, reached into his car and threw an old GM key at him. When my son reported this to me gave a description of the man and the car. I immediately started the hunt for this guy to see what his problem was. I put out a b.o.l.o. with my friends and neighbors. the man and car were never found.

In the next several days my son lost his wallet. we reported it to the sheriff, turned the house upside down, made the necessary calls for his cards etc... The same week after a really heavy thunderstorm I was getting ready to mow the lawn when I noticed the baseball on the picnic table which is not under any shelter. I thought to myself that ball is garbage now after that rain. To my surprise there wasnt even a water mark on it. It was in the same condition as it was the first day it arrived after rolling around the house for three years, except that now it had handrawn key and the intials GM. After seeing that I thought about the key, nowwhere to be found.

The next day the kids went to go swimming over a friends house. I went to the supermarket. I returned first and the house and dog were as i left it, the dog is a really good watchdog. When the kids came back as they entered my son pointed to an electric outlet made to hold a kitchen clock which I do not have. On the screw to hold the clock was the key in a place that I would never put it. I immediately suspected the kids were pulling my chain and grilled and accused them over and over after which I was satisfied that they were innocent. We had people over to watch NASCAR and in front of two witnesses took the key and put it in a deep pocket of my shorts which had change and reciepts in it. Three hours later another friend arrived and i told him about the key and reached into my pocket - no key. I only sat down for a short time in a love seat. All the guests took turns tossing that love seat flipping it over etc..no key.

My ex had second thoughts about my son living with me and wanted me to put the both of them on a train with as much stuff of his in his car as we could fit. I told her to think it over carefully but in the meantime I would work on getting him a picture I.D.so he can ride the train north. I looked on the dmv website and found you need a stamped copy of a birth certificate or a ssi card. I had a unstamped copy of birth certificate and thought I had his orininal ssi card. My son and I have the same name I looked at the ssi card and thought I seen my ssi number, my son did the same as well as my daughter. I put the card on my dresser with the copy of birth cert. The next day thinking that we were screwed, getting ready to go to dmv with a sob story and hoping to get a I.D.card. Picked up copy of birth certificate and leaving ssi card on dresser which I thought was mine, went into kichen seen ssi card on counter picked it up, looked at the name and number it was his number. Ran back to bedroom no ssi card on dresser. wondered where was mine now that it was his. Remembered putting mine in a drawer with my fishing license which is exactly where it was. My son kept looking at each other all the way to dmv expecting a confession and a huge laugh, nothing. Got the I.D. for him and decided something wanted to send him home. Two months later I was laid off for four months. my son enrolled in business school and is doing very well.

Now here comes the really strange part. My sister gave me a really nice cofortable bathrobe that her husband no longer wanted six months ago. My son by chance is visiting me. This morning I went to wash the robe which I have numerous times before .Like usual I checked the pockets and pulled out a GM key. I havent owned a GM in twenty years. I called my sister and begged her to tell me they were missing a GM key no dice.

If anything bad or strange happens to me or my son Im taking that key (which I put where a kitchen clock should be) and hammer it into the damm baseball and throw it into the Gulf of Mexico.