SOMETHING’S WRONG
The ringing in her head still hadn’t stopped.
A burnt stench lingered in her nose and mixed with the sour taste of panic. This was the last thing she needed. But, as if things couldn’t get any worse, a vehicle pulled up beside her and rolled down the window. The smile felt all wrong, and her stomach twisted into painful knots.
RUSHED MORNING
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So far it had been a crazy morning rush.
Tina Jacob’s 5-year-old son, Kenneth, was already late for swimming practice and the grocery list was looking longer and more expensive than expected. On top of it all, her 2-year-old, Mary was screaming and crying that her new socks felt “funny.”
NO RESPITE IN SIGHT
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The madness seemed to spill over into the afternoon, and she already felt like curling up into a little ball and sobbing.
The dry cleaners had lost one of the shirts from her order, and her job still hadn’t paid her. The string of bad luck came to a peak when she turned a sharp corner, and a loud bang made her head ring and world spin.
BLOWN TIRE
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When things finally settled, she could smell the distinct scent of burning rubber.
Tina poked her head out the window and let out a long, defeated groan. She had blown a tire. It was like bit of icky confetti had been scattered over the road. But that was just the first problem.
NO MONEY FOR HELP
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Calling for roadside assistance cost money – and her job was being tardy with her salary.
Tina opened the trunk, lifted the liner, and stared at the spare tire with a deep frown. In theory, it should have been easy to fix. But the rust on the bolts said otherwise. Anxiety built up in her chest. Suddenly a loud honk made her jump out of her skin.
UNWANTED HELP
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Someone had pulled in beside her.
Tina stared back at scruffy man behind the wheel. He flashed a toothy grin and offered to help her out. On the outside, she smiled and politely declined – saying she had it under control. However, on the inside, something screamed that someone was off … very off.
FEELING UNEASY
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Maybe it was just a general sense of caution most women developed, but the last thing she wanted was for him to get close.
He pushed again. She smiled and declined again. He drove off, shouting horrible names at her as he left. It wasn’t long after that a large, blue pickup truck parked behind her. Tina pulled out her phone and braced for another encounter.
ANOTHER MAN
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This man got right out of his car. The fear grew in the pit of her stomach and twisted it hard. She got her camera ready and pressed record – you couldn’t be too careful these days.
This next man wasn’t like the first. His smile was warm and seemed genuine. He offered to change the tire. Tina agreed – albeit with great hesitation. It wasn’t long until the bolts were flying off like they were nothing.
DONE IN NO TIME
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“How’d you get them off so easy?” she asked.
The man chuckled and said, “Strong hands come with the job,” he answered. She tried to offer him a bit of money to say thank you. But he declined, wished her a nice day, and then drove away. However, that wouldn’t be the end of their chance meeting.
SAYING THANK YOU
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Part of her still felt bad she wasn’t able to give a better thank you.
So, she uploaded a picture with a simple note saying how much these acts of kindness meant. Her day had been terrible, but he made it a little better. The next day, she saw a note in the comment section that made her fall to the floor.
FAMOUS FACE
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“OMG that’s Luke Bryan!” someone wrote.
You see Bryan is currently one of the biggest country stars today. It was also no coincidence that he had been in the area just when her accident occurred.
LIVING LOCAL
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It turns out that he owned property in the area!
And, from the rest of the comments, it seemed like acts of kindness wasn’t odd behavior for him. He was always taking his time out of his busy life to help others. Tina watched in amazement as the story went viral.
MORE THANK YOUS
Taste of Country
Even the mayor of Columbia Chaz Molder tweeted to Bryan about his generosity.
We are grateful for your act of kindness in our community. To show our appreciation, we would like to honor you by presenting you a key to the city and having you serve as the Grand Marshall of the @ColumbiaTNUSA Christmas Parade alongside Santa. You in?”
RED IN THE CHEEKS
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Part of her felt foolish for not recognizing such a famous person.
However, on the other hand he probably liked to be treated as any other normal person. But, more than anything, she had got her message of gratitude out – and that’s what mattered most. Tina also knew one more thing.
BEING KIND
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She was going to pay it forward.
So often people get wrapped up in the stress of their lives that they forget about others. The next time she saw someone struggling, she was going to reach out and help them.
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