Work, in this small mid-western community, was almost as slow as
his beat-up Pontiac was. 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 moving on.
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 Joe."
Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was
bad enough. Joe 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. Joe 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. Joe 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 Joe 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 Joe.
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, and 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 alright; I love you, Joe."
-- Author Unknown
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