Heroes

This collection of stories is about people who acted heroically not because they wanted to be heroes but because to do otherwise would have been impossible for them. The first story is about a rough and tumble arbitrary-authority-disdaining employee of the American Red Cross who nonetheless is very dedicated to helping the people his organization is called to assist. Because he cared about other people he chose a career that presented more opportunities for heroism than most people care to encounter. Did he do it out of some ingrained sense of obligation to his fellow human or was it just an excess of testosterone that put him in harm’s way; physical emotional or financial; time and time again? You will have to judge that for yourself.The second story narrated by an expatriate eco-tourism guide takes place in Honduras following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Mitch. The narrator relates a story about a man who lost everything but who carries on to save his neighbors. But there are many stories in this tale just as there were in Honduras after that horrific storm. I’ll leave them to you to finish in whatever way makes you happy.In the last story you hear from a professional football player who got into trouble with prescription drugs and lost everything. Then he found it again thanks to a motor home dealership owner who takes in strays perhaps to assuage his guilt about the life he once led. The football-star-turned-salesman is just a regular guy who some of you may recognize. He has the same hopes fears desires and problems as the rest of us. While his original intention was to get the girl his reaction to the danger he faced sprang from a much deeper sense of right and wrong.