A baby boy is born in a very rich family.
At his christening, the family shows the baby a set of catalogues, so that he can point to his own present.
The catalogues include everything from beautiful baby clothes, to all kinds of children’s games, perfect nannies and baby sisters, a new bedroom, and any other luxury children’s item you could think of.
Amazingly, the child points to a red ball. The parents, amazed, try to take the catalogues from their baby, but the boy begins to cry loudly. There was nothing the parents could do, he wanted the ball.
At his first birthday, the baby’s entire extended family gathered together. Grandpas and grandmas, cousins, and strange old Uncle Joe all ask him what he’d like for his birthday.
He refuses tricycles, he refuses bicycles, he refuses games and toy trains. The only thing he squeaks out are the words "Reh baww". Again, there is nothing the parents can do. He is happy only when he receives a shiny new red ball.
The time of his fifth birthday arrives. It’s the same old story.. He doesn't want anything special. No signed baseballs, no stylish clothes, no bikes and no trikes. The only thing he asks for is a red ball.
His tenth birthday arrives. The boy is starting to grow up, and his parents pray that he wants something else besides a new red ball, but nothing has changed. A new bike, a small house just for him in the backyard, his own television, video games: he refuses everything. All he wants is a red ball.
At 15 years old, he’s offered a motorbike, a cars, a girl, and just about anything else a 15 year old could want, and yet once again, all he wants is a new red ball.
At 18, he finishes high school. His parents offer him new cars, an SUV, a whole house, a private island, a mansions even, and yet he only wants the red ball.
At 22 the boy gets his degree. All sorts of graduation presents are offered to him: a night with a supermodel, a house in the alps, a villa in the tropics, a Ferrari, a Rolls Royce, a letter of recommendation to a prestigious company, yet from parents and friends all he asks for is a red ball.
The years go on, and he finds a job at a well known company. He soon makes partner, and his parents decide to buy him a present to celebrate. They offer him everything, once again. More cars, more houses, paid vacations even! Yet once again, everything is refused. Only the red ball is accepted.
In the meantime, he gets married: obviously, the only wedding present he will accept is a new red ball.
The years pass: he reaches 40 years old, then 50, then 60, and so on.
He’s 90 years now: he’s in his beautiful house bought with his own money, all his relatives are gathered ‘round: uncles and cousins, brothers and nephews, sons, daughters grandsons, and friends. He is terminally ill and is very close to the end of his life.
Everybody is mourning the soon-to-be loss.
The room is completely filled with red balls, received over the years on every occasion one could imagine.
Eventually, one of his youngest grandsons asks, “Grandad, may I ask you a question?”
The old man replies, “Anything, my boy.”
“Why, for every occasion and every celebration, did you always ask only for a red ball?”
Hearing these words, all the family gathers. The silence is deafening. Everybody watches the old man and waits for his answer. Finally, a reason for the man’s obsession with red balls.
The man opens his mouth. Each word painstakingly forced out as he lays their dying:
The man says “The...Red...Ball...Is...”
And then he dies.