Like Father, Like Son

It was June 11 and Jerry Tom Craig was sitting in the living room of his family's home watching a minor league baseball game on TV. His beloved Buffalo Blasters were playing their nemesis, the Philadelphia Spoilsports.

Jerry, an avid baseball fan, was trying to relax the day before he was to graduate from high school with honors. He had studied hard to get to where he was and really wanted to be happy for the important day. He was determined to not let the game outcome bother him.

As he watched the action on the TV, he felt a loud commotion in the kitchen. Wondering what was going on he got up to go see. When he arrived in the kitchen there was no one there but the light was on. Puzzled, he turned around to walk back toward the TV when suddenly he felt a squirt of water on the back of his head. Turning around as quickly as he could he came face to face with his father, Ben Craig, holding a water gun in his hand!

"Dad?" Jerry Tom asked in sign language, "What's the big idea squirting me and what are you doing with a water gun?"

"What does it look like I am doing?" Ben signed back to his son. "I have the right to fool around with a water gun, don't I? Especially the day before you graduate." He promptly squirted his son again!

"That does it!" Jerry exclaimed leaving the kitchen, heading for his bedroom to get his own water gun!

Jerry returned to the kitchen to find his father nowhere in sight. Thinking his dad had chickened out, Jerry started walking back toward the living room to resume watching the ball game on TV. As he turned his back on the kitchen, he felt another squirt of water on the back of his head. Jerry turned and fired his own water gun, connecting with his father's chest!

The two men continued firing at each other right there in the middle of the kitchen, reloading their guns from the kitchen sink.

They were so absorbed in the water battle that neither of them noticed Mrs. Craig standing well out of the way of the action with an amused look on her face!

Jerry Tom was the first to notice his mother and said, "Uh-oh!" Mr. Craig, hearing his son's remark looked up and saw his wife laughing in spite of the messy floor and wet men.

"You guys seem to be having a blast in here!" she exclaimed while signing. "We sure are!" both men replied.

"Well, I think I need to spoil your fun and announce it is time for both of you to clean up the mess you have made." said Mrs. Craig. "So grab the mop and some towels and get busy."

The two men obeyed and began cleaning up the watery mess. They finished and went to change into dry clothes. Returning to the living room Jerry Tom looked at the score of the baseball game on TV. He had to do a double take for his favorite team, the Buffalo Blasters were creaming the Philadelphia Spoilsports 15 - 6 and the game was almost over.

"Mom may have spoiled our water battle fun," Jerry told his dad, "but we had a blast time with it just as the Blasters had a blast beating the Spoilsports!"

"Well," said Ben Craig, "Congratulations on your graduation tomorrow, son!"

"Thanks, dad, and Happy Early Father's Day to you!"

Written by: Mr. ILLY, the Deaf-Blind Clown

May 28, 2009