Doing good deeds always pays off sooner or later.
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 " ..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 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 4 $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
soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's going be all right; I love you,
Bryan."
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