It was the same story every time. Just four sentences long.

From Heroes for My Son by Brad Meltzer.

So I started thinking about my own life: Where did I learn kindness? Who taught me about the benefits of patience? I didn’t have to look far. Sure, my mom and dad had laid the foundation. But when I thought of my first real hero, the person who came to mind was my grandfather, Ben Rubin.

When I was little, my grandfather knew I loved hearing Batman stories, so he’d always tell me this one story that went like this: “Batman and Robin were in the Bat-mobile. And they were riding along the edge of a curving cliff. And up ahead of them was a white van, which held the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, and Catwoman. And as they drove along this cliff, Batman and Robin caught them.”

That’s when I’d look him right in the eyes and whisper, “Tell it again.”

He’d smile at me and say, “Batman and Robin were in the Bat-mobile. And they were riding along the edge of a curving cliff....”

And when it was done, I’d say, “Tell it again.”

And he would.

It was the same story every time. Just four sentences long. Batman and Robin were in the Batmobile.... But he told me this story over and over simply because he knew I loved hearing it.

That’s a hero to me.