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The Story:
The sounds of the city streets were the only things keeping him awake. The constant revving of the cars, the yelling vendors, the construction hammers—he needed all of them after his early morning job, a full day of classes, and this job, which wouldn’t be over until nine o’clock. Then, he’d be up at four o’clock to do it all over again. And he still owed thousands to the school, despite his best efforts.
A bus stopped in front of him. Among the people pouring through the funnel of the bus doors, a man with a cane emerged—each step presenting him with a new challenge in life.
“Let’s go, old man,” one bus passenger prodded.
The old man reached the sidewalk and began hobbling away so slowly that a snail stood a fair chance at winning a race against him. Picking up passengers for free would come out of his own paycheck, but the man was obviously in need of assistance. He figured a little more debt didn’t matter at this point anyway.
“Excuse me, sir. Why don’t you take a seat here.”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t. I…”
“Please, sir. It’s on the house.”
He grabbed the old man’s hand to help him get into the buggy. Once they were both settled into their respective seats, he let his legs wind into a familiar cycle.
“What brings you out here this evening?”
“Oh, my boy, I’m just looking for some good.”
“Well, there’s the symphony, and there’s always music to be found in Nashville.”
“No, dear boy. I’m looking for goodness. I can’t find that in a place or a thing. Only a person.”
“I see.”
He stopped at a red light and looked behind him. The old man was leaning forward, his blue eyes demanding attention.
“I think I’ve found the good I was looking for. I’ll get off right here. Thank you, my boy.”
The rest of his shift, he couldn’t get the strange old man out of his head. Something in his gaze was captivating, almost otherworldly.
When he arrived at the station, his manager ran up to him.
“You were tipped pretty well tonight.”
His manager handed him a check from a name he didn’t know, but it was for the exact amount he needed to pay his debts and finish school.
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