Story

[Guest guest]

He was driving home one evening, on a two-lane country road. Work, in

this small Midwestern community, was almost as slow as his beatup

Pontiac, but he never quit looking. Ever since the factory closed, he

had 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 did not 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 could

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 could not 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 going to be all right;

I love you Joe. "