He was driving home one evening, on a
two-lane country road. Work, in this
small Midwestern community, was almost
as slow as his beat-up Pontiac, but
he never quit looking. Ever since the
factory closed, he'd been unemployed,
and with winter raging on, the chill
had finally hit home.
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 knew the country.
He could go down this road blind, and
tell you what was on either side, and
with his headlights not working, that
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 that 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 Bill."
Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for
an old lady, that was bad enough. Bill
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 her 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. Bill 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.
Bill 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 Bill 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 Bill.
After the lady finished her meal, and
the waitress went to get her change from
a 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 a thing, I've been there too.
Someone once helped me out, the way I'm
helping you. If you really want to pay
me back, here's what you do...Don't let
the 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 she 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 Bill."
