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 the evening, 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 a napkin.

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: