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. The waitress 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 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." 

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."

Author Unknown