Pass It On

[scuzzy]

With the misty rain, Bryan almost didn't see the old lady stranded on the side of the road.  But even in the dim light of the evening, he could see that she needed help.  So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out of his car.  His old, rusty Pontiac was still sputtering as he approached her.  Although Bryan had a 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.  Bryan could see that she was frightened standing out there in the wet cold, and he knew how she felt.  She had the kind of chill that only fear could put in a person.  So, gently he told her, "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.  The light rain didn?t help matters any.  As Bryan tightened up the lug nuts, the old lady rolled down her window and began to talk to him.  She told him her name was Emily, and that she was from St. Louis and just passing through.  She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.  Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk.  She asked how much she owed him.  Emily would have agreed to any amount as she imagined all the awful things that could have happened had Bryan not stopped.  



But 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 gave 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.  So 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.  Bryan then added, "...pass it on, and think of me."



Bryan watched as Emily started her car and drove off.  It had been a cold, depressing day and he was very tired.  But he felt good as he got back in his car and drove home in the evening rain.  Tomorrow would be a new day and he looked forward to going to bed.  He thought of Emily as he drove toward his house, and he said a silent prayer for her.



A few miles down the road Emily saw a small cafe.  She went in to grab a bite to eat, and to 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 the whole day couldn't erase.  Emily noticed that the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, yet she never let the strain and aches change her attitude.  She wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger.  Then she remembered Bryan.



After she finished her meal, and the waitress went to get change for her $100 dollar bill, Emily slipped right out the door.  She was gone by the time the waitress returned.  The waitress was wondering where the old lady could be when she noticed something written on the napkin, under which were four more $100 bills.  There were tears in her eyes when she read what Emily had written.



It said:

"You don't owe me anything, I have been there, too.

Somebody nice helped me out, the way I'm helping you.

If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do:

Pass it on; don?t 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, after she got home from work and climbed into bed, the waitress was thinking about the money and what Emily had written.  How could that old 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."