[Harkoliar]

>WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND
> >
> >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 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 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 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 four $100 bills.
> >
> >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".
> >
> >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."
> >
> >There is an old saying "What goes around comes around".
> >
> >Today, I send you this story, and I'm asking you to pass it on...
> >
> >
> >Let this light shine.
> >Don't put it under a basket.
> >Please pass this on to a friend