Albert and Mary Bouman live in a small frame house in a working-class neighborhood in Ferguson. They have two cars, a 1998 Pontiac and a 1999 Oldsmobile.

They met at Northeast Missouri State University, which is now Truman State University. They graduated in 1981. His degree was in accounting. Hers was in sociology.

He went to work as a stockbroker. She went to work for the state Division of Probation and Parole. They had three children — two daughters and then a son.

Albert was an alcoholic. About 15 years ago, his life slid off the track. "I hit my rock bottom," he told me. "I haven't had a drink in 14 years."

But his life never got back on track. He has not had a job in years. He seldom goes out of the house. The family has survived on Mary's salary, which is about $47,000.

Still, they sent their children to Catholic grade schools. Then the girls went to Incarnate Word Academy. Then the girls went to college. They had a combination of scholarships and loans. Plus, the Boumans refinanced their house for extra cash.

Their son, Kyle, went to DeSmet Jesuit High School. He was a scholarship student. That is, he was in a work-study program. That knocked off about $4,000 from the roughly $11,000 tuition.

"That is how we give financial aid," said the Rev. Wally Sidney, the president of the school. "If you figured out the hours, we probably pay the kids $35 or $50 an hour."

Kyle was also a baseball player. He was a left-handed pitcher.

His father pushed him. He dreamed of a major league career for his son. "In baseball, it doesn't matter who your father is. If you're that good, you can do it."

Kyle was good. In the summers, he played on a traveling team of all-stars. Parents of teammates helped out financially. Kyle caught the attention of college coaches. He started receiving letters from colleges. Then scholarship offers.

In the fall of 2010, at the start of his senior year, he accepted a scholarship from Wichita State University. A picture of Kyle signing his scholarship offer is one of the photos on the cover of the most recent mailer for DeSmet's Annual Giving campaign.

But even as Kyle accepted the scholarship, there was trouble on another front. Although the Boumans kept up with tuition payments in Kyle's first two years, they had fallen far behind in the third. In fact, they received a letter from DeSmet in June 2010. They had a past due balance of $6,878.

The Boumans met with school officials and worked out a plan for monthly payments of $400. But with an interest rate of 1.5 percent a month, those payments did not wipe out the debt. Besides, the Boumans were overwhelmed with other debt, mostly of the credit card variety.

In September 2010, they filed for bankruptcy. They did not list DeSmet as a creditor. They still intended to pay that debt.

"When we found out they did not include us, we thanked them," said Father Sidney.

But they fell farther behind. When Kyle graduated in the spring, he received a note instead of a diploma. "Due to unmet financial obligations, you are not entitled to a diploma."

The worst was yet to come. DeSmet would not send his final semester transcripts to Wichita State University. Not only did the university need his transcripts, but the NCAA did as well.

The Boumans met with Father Sidney in June. They owed approximately $11,000. Father Sidney said he was willing to accept an immediate payment of $5,000 and three installments of $500 each. The Boumans said they didn't have the money.

Kyle went to Wichita State for the first semester. In October, he received a note from the university. "Our records show that we do not have your official eighth-semester high school transcripts. You will not be able to enroll for spring 2012 classes until your file is complete."

The Boumans sent an email to DeSmet asking the school to send Kyle's transcripts to the university. They received a response the same day. "At this time, DeSmet is unable to release any form of paperwork due to the outstanding delinquent tuition balance of $12,002.48. Please remit payment in full and we will send out the requested paperwork."

I asked Father Sidney if he had any expectations of ever getting that money. He said he did not. He said he felt bad for Kyle, who he said was caught in the middle of an unfortunate situation. He said the school depends on tuition and doesn't have a large endowment. He added that rules are rules, and it's important to apply them evenly. He said one family is still sending $50 every month in an effort to get their son's diploma from 2007.

Kyle's father accepts blame. "It's really my fault," said Albert. "If I had a job, this wouldn't have happened."

There is truth to that. But still, if I were directing the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they set out on their journey tomorrow night to deliver the message of Christmas, it is not the modest house in Ferguson that they would visit.