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 tearsin 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 gonna be all
right; I love you, Bryan."
