Who Will Help?*

Alice and her son were standing in line at Subway.  They were excited to have lunch together and Subway was their favorite place to get a sandwich! But this visit to Subway was different than all the other times because of what they experienced and what Alice taught her son.

It was hard to miss the smell of the man in front of them.  His clothes were dirty, his hair was a mess and he smelled like he had not had a bath in some time.  When it came his turn to order, it was obvious that his speech was very limited.  "Brown" and "white" were the only words needed to convey the type of meat and bread he wanted.  The server was able to determine that "Yellow" meant that he wanted American cheese and that "No black" meant no olives. 

It was obvious that he was excited to get his sandwich.  He clapped his hands as the worker wrapped it up and placed it on the counter.   But from where Alice and her son stood, they could see his face turn from excitement to desperation when the worker told him how much the sandwich would cost. 

He stepped back from the counter and said to everyone in the store, "No money, who will help?" All the patrons in the restaurant looked away except Alice.  She stepped up and asked the man, "Did you want chips with your sandwich?"  His face lit up and he clapped his hands with excitement.  "Barbeque" he said over and over again. 

Alice sent her son to get the chips and place them on the counter next to his sandwich.  She stepped up to the cash register and quietly said, "I'll take care of that."  "No" said the manager, "Because you were willing to help, I will take care of it."  A look of gratitude was exchanged between them as they both realized, they had just done a good thing. 



*Based on a true story.