An Event on a Rainy Night
The elderly lady was growing more concerned as the rain pelted down on the roof of her silent car. Outside her windows, other cars swept by, oblivious to the woman’s distress. Her trip had come to an abrupt end by a flat tire.
For almost an hour now she worried and prayed that someone would stop and help her. No one did.
Finally, headlights from behind pierced the damp night and an old and dented truck pulled up and came to a halt. A man got out and came to her window. At first, she was frightened for he was poorly dressed with paint stains on his overalls. But, as she rolled down the window she noticed that his voice was kind as he asked “May I help you?”
In a few minutes, the man had removed the flat tire and installed the spare. Once again, the woman lowered the window to say thank you and to offer him money for coming to her rescue.
“Oh, no,” the man said, “I was only too happy to help.”
The lady offered her thanks again and asked, “May I at least have your name?”
“Well, it’s a simple name,” he replied. “They call me John Alexander. Be careful now for it’s a very wet night.”
She watched him drive away, the tail lights of the old truck blurring through the rain.
The woman returned to the road. She had only gone a few miles when she realized that she was hungry. Before long she saw ahead a brightly lit roadside restaurant. She pulled in and soon was seated at a table covered with a plastic red and white table cloth.
The waitress smiled as she took her order. The lady couldn’t help but notice that the woman was very young and very pregnant. She gave a little laugh as she served the warm food and the two struck up a conversation. Although tired, the soon to be mother told her how happy she and husband were about the impending arrival of their first child. But, she also expressed concern over whether they would have enough money to pay the medical bills. “We just have to believe that God will make everything right.”
A few minutes later the waitress was shocked when the older lady, preparing to leave, insisted on giving her a 1 hundred dollar bill as a tip. Over and over she cried “Thank you, thank you… ” as her benefactor drove off into the night.
But, a bigger surprise was coming. As the young woman cleared the table she found a white envelope.
Inside were four more 1 hundred dollar bills. She sobbed with relief… but her heart was happy as she finished her shift, and entered their humble dwelling. By then it was late at night and she found her exhausted husband fast asleep. Never the less, she bent down, kissed him on the cheek and then whispered in his ear, “I love you … John Alexander.”