<< >> He was driving home one evening, on a two-lane country road. Work, >> in this small mid-western community, was almost as slow as his >> beat-up Pontiac. But he never quit looking. Ever since the Levis >> factory closed, he'd 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 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 that only fear can put in you. He said, >> "I'm here to help you m'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 couldn't 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 >> alright 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 the lady's 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, 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 gonna be all right. I >> love you, Joe." >> What goes around comes around. >> >> Subject: Re: What Goes Around Comes Around... Path: lobby01.news.aol.com!newstf02.news.aol.com!portc03.blue.aol.com!news-out.internetmci.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!205.252.116.205!howland.erols.net!paladin.american.edu!auvm!AOL.COM!SVenkus Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU Newsgroups: bit.listserv.snurse-l Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit X-M