What goes around, comes around

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

Anderson."



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. The lady

asked 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

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 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, she paid with a

hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get

change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady

had 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. 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." under the napkin were

four more $100 bills.



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 Anderson.