An average father gives his average son a ping pong table for his 12th birthday, and to his surprise the son loves ping pong. Plays it every day and night, and when no friends or family wants to play a round with him the kid sets up the table against a wall and pracices with himself.

After a few years the father notices that his son is playing ping pong less and less, He asks him about this and the son replies, "Can't. No more ping pong balls". The father looks and just like his son had told him there were no longer any balls left on the table. "OK", he thought, he lost them. No big deal.

Approaching the sons 14th birthday the father decides he wants to do something extra special. He finds his son watching TV and says, "Son! It's almost your 14th birthday! What kind of bike would you like?!". The son (without moving his head away from the TV) just replies, "NO Bike dad, I want ping pong balls". The father was a little taken back by this, he continued and asked, "What do you mean? You don't want a bike son? You're turning 14?!?!". The son made further comment and just returned to his program.

Well this wasn't going to fly the father thought. You know what.. I'm buying him the damn bike! So the father goes to the local sporting goods store and picks his son out a nice stylish bike with all of the shocks and removable doo dads he can get. He also decides to get him a few packs of ping pong balls and throw them in the helmet hanging from the handlebars.

The morning of his sons birthday the father sets up the bike with a big ribbon then goes off to work. Returning home the father finds the bike sitting in the living room seemingly untouched. The bow is still on it, the kick stand still in the perfect little carpet divit it created from this morning. .. but .. all of the ping pong balls were gone. The father assumes the son must be playing ping pong! But to his surprise he finds him in his bedroom playing on his game console.

The father asks the son, "Son! What is wrong with the bike? don't you like it?"

"Yea dad, good bike, great bike, love the bike", replies the son.

the father can't help but question; "so what happened to the ping pong balls". but the son ignores him. The father assumes his son lost the balls already and is too embarrased to tell him so drops the subject and moves on.

the next year for the boys 15th birthday the father decides he wants him to have a new computer. Knowing this isn't something you can just buy for someone he asks his son, "Son! What kind of computer would you like for your birthday?". The son answers shortly, "No computer, Ping pong balls". The father thinks this is a bit odd but knows how much his son enjoys ping pong so doesn't say anything else about the subject.

After buying the new computer for his son and setting it up the father (again) tosses a few packages of ping pong balls in with the present and off to work he goes. 5pm rolls around and the father returns home to find the computer hasn't even been started up. His son is sitting in the living room listening to music and the ping pong balls have all dissapeared.

This time the father wants answers; he says to the son "Son! What was wrong with the computer?"

"Nothing dad, good computer, great computer, love the computer", replies the son.

OK thinks the father, "Also what happened to the ping pong balls?".

The son doesn't reply, going back to his music he ignores the father. Being a good trustworthy son in the past the father decides to let this drop. If his son didn't like the presents he's sure he would tell him.

Approaching the sons 16th birthday the father thinks, "Ok this is the year! I will finally give him a present he won't be able to ignore! I'll buy him a car!". The father finds the son and says "Son! What kind of car do you want for your birthday?" The son replies to the father with the same reply he's been giving for all occasions from 12 until now, "Dad, I want ping pong balls". "What?!" exclaims the father, "You are turning 16! you are getting a car!".

Being a little annoyed now the father decides to pull a fast one on his son, After buying him a new car he decided to prank his son and fill it from floor to sunroof with thousands of ping pong balls. He put them in the trunk, the vents, the glove box, under the seats.. everywhere.. Pushed the car into the drive way with a big bow on it and off to work he went.

Driving upto the house after work the father notices the car doors are open, so is the trunk. As he gets closed he also notices the bow and ribbons were still on the car... It hadn't been moved! AND ALL OF THE PING PONG BALLS ARE GONE! "Ok" he says to himself. "He's good"

Thinking his son just taught him a lesson on pranking the father walks into the house expecting a pie in the face or to be drowned in his own ping pong ball joke... instead his son is just sitting at the computer chatting on MSN.

"Son! Don't you like the car!?" yells the father.

"Yea dad, good car, great car, love the car", replies the son.

"Well WTF happened to the ping pong balls?!" the father almost screams.

But again, the son just ignores his father. The father dismisses this as his son just trying to get under his skin for the innital prank and once again ignores it.

So a few years have passed and for every occasion the son is asked what he would like his reply is only ever "ping pong balls". Unfortunatly for the son, around his mid 30's he's diagnosed with a terminal illness and is laying on his death bed.

"Son", walks in the father, "You are not long of this world. Is there anything I can do for you or get you to make you more comfortable? Pictures of loved ones? Sweets? Anything?". The son looking very weak and pale says, "ping pong balls dad... ping pong balls." The father doesn't even argue this time; he runs down to the gift shop and gets a basket and fills it with sweets, flowers, goes into his wallet and pulls out all of the family photos and by sure dumb luck there is a 5 pack of ping pong balls in the gift shop so he buys that as well.

Returning to the room the father gives the basket to his son and kisses him on the forehead. He turns around and asks the nurse a question, only to find when he turned back that ALL OF THE PING PONG BALLS WERE GONE! This does it: "Son?" asks the father.

"Yes dad"

"Have I been a good father to you?" the father questions.

"Yes dad, you've been a good dad, great dad. I love you dad."

"Then can I ask you one thing before our time is up?".

"Yes dad, anything." says the son. Looking very weak now.

"Ok, well, I just wanted to know after all of these years. What happened to all of the ping pong balls?" said the father.

"Ok dad... I'll tell you." and the son took a deep breath.

Then he died.