You don't owe me anything.

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 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 the napkin under which was 4 $100 bills.
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
me back, here is what you do: Do not let this 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 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."

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