Introduction:
> A man was driving down a road and 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 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
...