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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 Anderson."

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. The lady asked how much she

owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already

imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not

stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. 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

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 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 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, she paid with a hundred dollar bill.

The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but

the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time

the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be.

Then she noticed something written on the napkin. There were tears in

her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "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: Do

not let this chain of love end with you."

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

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 Anderson."

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