He almost didn’t see the old lady stranded on the side of the road. But even in the fading light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering as he approached her.
Even though he was smiling, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so - was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe, he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you.
He said, “I’m here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan.” Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two.
Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began talking to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid.
Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. She asked him how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She had already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped.
Bryan never thought twice about the money. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.
He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed. Bryan added, “And think of me.”
He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.
A few miles down the road, the lady saw a small café. She went in to grab a bite to eat and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The place clearly got little business. The waitress came over to wipe the table and set out clean silverware. She had a sweet smile — even being on her feet all day couldn’t erase its warmth.
The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. It was obvious that she had to work to support her family. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.
After the lady finished her meal, and the waitress went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, the lady slipped right out the door.
She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be; then she noticed something written on the napkin, under which were five more $100 bills.
There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady had written: “You don’t owe me anything, I have been there, too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.”
Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed the help right now?
With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard. She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered, “Everything’s gonna be all right. I love you, Bryan.”
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