Every dad wants to be his little girl’s hero. Sally’s dad was no different. Unfortunately, Sally wasn’t proud of her dad. She never wanted him to come to pick her up at school or to her soccer games.
Sally was ashamed of her dad, and he knew it. He embarrassed her, and knowing it broke his heart. She never imagined that one day he’d be everyone’s hero.
Jeff Monahan was a fireman, and he’d once been a very handsome man. There was a photo over the fireplace taken when Sally was eight, before her mom walked out on them.
Jeff and his wife, Alice, had been a handsome couple, and Sally had been very proud of them. But a year after the photo was taken, there was a terrible fire in a local factory.
Jeff and his team had been called in. A man was trapped in the burning building and Jeff had gone in. He got the man out, but he was badly burned.
Beauty fades, but courage and kindness last forever.
His uniform protected his body but not his face. When Jeff came out of that building, he was no longer the most handsome man in town. He’d had skin grafts and plastic surgery, but he was never the same.
Sally’s mom took one look at Jeff and his bandaged face and packed her bags. Jeff didn’t blame her, he blamed himself. Alice had asked him to quit the force, but he’d refused. If he had quit, he wouldn’t have been disfigured.
Jeff had loved his job, and he still did. At least at work, no one looked sideways at his scarred face. He was respected and useful.
Jeff’s accident and Alice leaving had turned Sally’s world upside down. She’d once been so proud when her dad took her to school! But now, she was afraid someone would see him.
“I don’t want you to walk me to the gate,” Sally told Jeff. “You can stand on the corner and watch.”
“But Sally,” Jeff protested. “I want…”
“I don’t care!” she screamed. “I don’t want my friends to see what a MONSTER you are! That’s why mom left! I don’t want to lose my friends too.”
From that day on, Jeff walked Sally to the corner and turned away if other kids walked by. He didn’t want his daughter to be teased and bullied because of him.
Over the next few years, Sally made sure her friends never saw her father. She never brought friends home to visit, and even insisted that he didn’t attend her birthday parties.
Jeff was a good, loving, supportive dad, and Sally’s attitude hurt him. He was heartbroken when the school organized a father and daughter dance, and Sally invited her uncle, Jeff’s brother.
Sally was shocked when Jeff started dating a fellow firefighter. “How can she kiss you?” she asked him. “Like…Yech!”
She made the same comment in front of the girl, who replied: “Your father’s scars became invisible the moment I saw his heart.”
Sally laughed and rolled her eyes, but she was secretly ashamed of herself. Was she like her mom? Were people’s looks more important to her than their hearts?
Then she shrugged. Everyone felt the same way! She was sure that if her friends saw her dad, they’d mock her. No way was she going to let that happen just to spare her dad’s feelings!
But one day, fate took a hand. There was a fire in an apartment building downtown, and Jeff and the other firefighters were called in. The blaze spread quickly, and one resident said someone was still inside on the third floor.
Jeff immediately went in and came out twenty minutes later carrying an unconscious man wrapped in a wet blanket. The man was rushed to the hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.
Thanks to Jeff, no lives were lost. The big surprise came the next day at school. The man Jeff had rescued was Mr. Gardner, the most popular teacher in the school!
All the students were talking about the heroic fireman who had rescued Mr. Gardner and how he already had medals for bravery. “I think we should show him our appreciation!” the class president said.
All of Mr. Gardner’s students decided to go to the brave fireman’s house and give him a standing ovation. Sally was horrified! They were sure to find out Jeff was her father!
Sally pretended to be sick and went home early. She locked herself in her room. Hopefully, no one would see her or realize this was her house!
She was cowering behind her curtains when the kids arrived and rang the doorbell. She heard her dad open the door, and the kids started to sing. No one was yelling in disgust!
Sally crept to the hallway where she could watch. The class president was talking to her father respectfully and looking at his face with admiration.
“Sir,” the class president said. “Would you mind telling me how your face…”
Jeff said, “It’s OK. I was burnt many years ago, getting a man out of another burning building.”
“Sir!” the boy gasped. “Those are the marks of a hero! We’d be so proud if you came to the school and talked to us about your work!”
The other kids were cheering and clapping! Sally couldn’t believe it. Weren’t they shocked by her father’s appearance? Then she remembered what Jeff’s girlfriend had said: “Your father’s scars became invisible the moment I saw his heart.”
Her friends saw her father’s heart and courage when all she’d ever seen were his scars! Sally came out of hiding and took her dad’s hand.