He was driving home one evening, on a country road. Ever since the Levi’s factory closed, work in this small community had been almost as slow as his battered old car. But he never quit trying. Now as winter raged on, the chill had finally hit home. It made the road ahead even bleaker.

It was starting to get dark, the continuous drizzle of snow flurries making it difficult to see. He almost missed 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 car and got out. The lady smiled nervously, looking visibly worried. No one had stopped in the past hours. Was he going to hurt her? He looked poor and hungry.

Realizing that she was frightened, he said quickly, “I’m here to help you. Why don’t you wait inside the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Joe.”

All she had was a flat tire, but for those who were of the lady’s age, that was bad enough. While he was working to change the tire, she began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only passing through. She thanked him for coming to her aid. Joe just smiled in response.

She asked him how much she owed him and said any amount would be all right. She shuddered to imagine all those awful things that could have happened if Joe had not helped. But Joe never thought twice about the money. It wasn’t a job but helping someone in need, and there were plenty of people who had lent him a helping hand in the past. He told her that if she really wanted to repay him, she could help the next person whom she found in need.

Waving goodbye to Joe, the old lady started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but Joe’s spirit felt uplifted as he headed home, slowly fading into the twilight.

A few miles down the road, the lady saw a small dingy-looking café. She went in to grab a bite and take the chill off before she embarked on the last leg of her trip home.

The waitress came over and brought a clean towel for her to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet the entire day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed that the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant. She wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Joe.

She finished her meal, and quietly slipped out of the door, while the waitress went to get her change from a hundred-dollar bill. When she returned, the lady was no longer in sight, but the waitress noticed something written on a napkin, under which there were four more one-hundred-dollar bills.

Tears filled her eyes as she read it. The lady wrote, “Someone once helped me out in the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, don’t let the chain of love end with you.”

That night, after the waitress returned home, she lay awake in bed thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could she have known that they needed money? With the baby due the next month, it was going to be hard. Her husband, who was sleeping beside her, was worried sick. She gave him a soft kiss and whispered, “Everything will be all right. I love you, Joe.”