It’s another end of year, another Christmas season and time for stock
taking, time for sharing, and a time to consolidate your doing-good qualities. Here
is Desmond's story…
On his way home that evening, Desmond 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
Jeep 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 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 Desmond Chebifuh."
Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough.
Desmond 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 Douala
and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to
her aid. Desmond just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked 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. Desmond
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 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. It will be great too if you share your story on Living Lectures’ Living Gifts program, and Desmond
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 Christmas 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 tankers. The
whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The 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 Desmond.
After the lady finished her meal, she dropped a pile of new bank notes in
the bill box and slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the
waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be and was more
than surprised to see a pile of bank notes in the bill box. Astonished, she
counted them with shaky hands and it amounted to an equivalence of six hundred dollars.
Then she noticed something written on the napkin. 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. It will equally
be great if you share your story on Living Lectures’ Living Gifts
program”
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
going to be all right. I love you, Desmond Chebifuh."
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