> >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 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 already imagined all
> > the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never
> >thought twice about being paid. 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, 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.
> >
> > The 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
> > t erase. The lady noticed 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 $100 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 four $100 bills.
> >
> > There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "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, "Everything's gonna be all right. I
> > love you, Bryan."
> >
> > There is an old saying "What goes around comes around." Today, I sent you
> >this story, and I'm asking you to pass it on ... Let this light shine.
> >
> > Don't put it under a basket.
> >
> >
> >
Check out the new MSN 9 Dial-up — fast & reliable Internet access with prime features!
No comments:
Post a Comment