Quote from Forum Archives on April 29, 1999, 4:01 pm

Posted by: OKtogo1954 <OKtogo1954@...>

> >>> > >> It was a lonely road. Not very many people had a reason to be on
> it,
> >>> > >> unless they were leaving. Most of his friends had already left.
> They
> >>> > >> had families to feed and dreams to fulfill. But he stayed on.
> After
> >>> > >> all, this was where he buried his mother and father. He was born
> >>> > >> here and he knew the country.
> >>> > >>
> >>> > >> He could go down this road blind, and tell you what was on either
> >>> > >> side,and with his headlights not working, which came in handy. 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, "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 gonna be all right; I
> love
> >>> > >> you, Bryan."
> >>> > >> What goes around comes around..... Kindness is always returned.
> >>> > >>
> >>> > >> Today, I sent you this story, now if you know someone that could
> use
> >>> > >> this as motivation, please pass it on...