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It was starting to get dark and light snow flurries were
coming down. He'd better get a move on. You know, he almost
didn't see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road.
But even in the dim 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 when he approached her.
Even with the smile on his face, 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 to talk 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 that they needed, and Bryan added "...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 cafe. 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 looking
restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene
was unfamiliar to her. The cash register was like the telephone
of an out of work actor - it didn't ring much. Her waitress
came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair.
She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for
the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed that the
waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never
let the strain and aches change her attitude. 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. She wondered where the lady could be, then she
noticed something written on the napkin under which was
four $100 bills. There were tears in her eyes when she read
what the lady wrote. It said: "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 it? 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 kiss and whispered
soft and low, "Everything's gonna be all right; I love
you, Bryan."
-Unknown Author
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