The Mystery Man

I would like to share a story with you. This story is about a man I have never met. I do not know his name nor what he looks like. Now you may ask yourself, "How can a nameless, faceless man be somebody's hero?" Here is some background information about myself to aid in the quest for knowledge and understanding and why I believe anonymity is a characteristic of a true hero.

My parents were never married and weren't even together when I was born. As a result of this, I have spend most of my life living with my mother. A few years later, my father got married and eventually had a grand total of four other kids. As the years passed we all grew older, and eventually my dad divorced his wife. In the divorce she got their only car, a golden Ford Explorer. Being in need of a car, Dad bought a cheap, green minivan. I believe he got it from a junk yard, but I can't be sure. I have never seen this vehicle, like the hero of this story. During the time in which this story takes place, I was in the state of Missouri with my mother, while my father and other siblings were in Utah.

This story begins on one random summer day, while my dad was driving home with the kids after some activity. While stopped at an exit someone informs my dad that his car is on fire before driving off. My dad quickly pulled to the side and began to take my siblings out of harm's way. First, he got the two oldest away and to safety; they were between six and eight years old at the time, so there wasn't much they could have done to help. Once those two were safe, he went back to pull out one of my twin brothers out of the minivan, car seat and all. Upon returning to pull the last of his four children out of the burning vehicle, my father discovered that a stranger had pulled him out and was heading towards the rest of my family.

Seeing that his children were safe, my father began to try to stop traffic in case the van exploded. Now, I don't remember if it actually did explode or not, but when my dad returned to his children this mystery man had disappeared. He didn't wait for a reward or even so much as a simple thank you. Once everyone was safe, he left, without a word.

This is why I don't who my hero is. I don't know what he looks like because I wasn't there. This man is the basic principle behind all of our comic book superheroes: a person who potentially puts their life on the line for the safety of others, while remaining anonymous. He didn't know if the van would explode while he was pulling my younger brother out of the flaming vehicle, or if he would make it away safely. Luckily for us, he didn't care; he just saw that help was needed, so he helped. Once his job was finished he simply left.

I hope that, in the future, if I ever find myself near a similar situation, I will have the courage to do what this man did. While I may not always keep this story in the front of my mind, it has left a permanent impression on my heart.