Week 10 Storytelling: What Goes Around Comes Around

"Why won't the car start?" I asked myself as I was leaving the house to head to my buddy Chase's house. The Thunder game was starting in the next ten minutes and I definitely did not want to deal with my car now.

"I'll just go on and walk. It's a nice day and he doesn't live far," I told myself and started on my way.

I briskly walked passing one house after another until I arrived at an intersection between two larger streets. I was almost to Chase's house by this point and the game was about to start. However, I noticed this older lady who was having difficulty stepping down from the curb to cross the street. I thought to myself, "I might as well help her across the street; I still have time till the game starts." I offered her my arm and she took it gladly.

Street Crossing (Pexels)

"What a nice man you are," she said to me when crossing the street. 

"Not a problem, ma'am. I figured you could cross the street on your own, but I thought you might like the company anyways," I teased. 

"What is your name, sweet young man?" she asked me. 

"My name is Tom. And what is yours?" I asked her. 

"My name is Louisa Potters, but you can call me Louisa," Louisa said.  

"Well, Tom, you look young and full of possibility. How old are you, son?" continued Louisa. 

"I am twenty-two, Louisa. I am a senior here at the University of Oklahoma. You may not answer, but may I ask how old you are? I'd say you are twenty-four tops!" I joked. 

"I'm too old for you, that's for sure!" laughed Louisa as we made it across the street safely on the other side. 

"Where are you headed, Louisa?" I asked still laughing over her last comment.

"Well.....I....uh.....over there I think. I am meeting my son for lunch somewhere around here," Louisa stood puzzled. 

The game started in five minutes and I could probably make it to Chase's house in time if I left now, but part of me knew that I needed to make sure Louisa got to where she was meant to go. 

"Do you know the name of the restaurant that you are looking for?" I asked Louisa. 

"I knew it five minutes ago, but couldn't tell it to you now. I just can't remember. I know that if I am on this block, though, that it's probably one of these restaurants," giggled Louisa. 

"How about I help you find it so I'll know that you there safe and sound?" I assured her. 

"I know you probably have something better to do than helping this old lady," Louisa teased. 

"Maybe I just want to have a pretty lady on my arm for a little while longer," I said while giving her a wink. 

We spent the next twenty or so minutes walking from restaurant to restaurant asking for her son David. The entire time she asked me about my family, my studies, and where I was heading after graduation. I told her that I had not found a job quite yet and that I was searching for a great opportunity that I could excel in as a businessman. She told me of her past and said that she looked forward to the future as well. We walked up to the last restaurant on the block and walked inside. A man jumped up from his seat and gave Louisa a great big hug. We had found the right restaurant and I introduced myself to her son, David. 

"Tom, thank you so much for helping me find my son. I am most grateful and even happier for a new friendship," said Louisa.

"You are most welcome, Louisa. I'm lucky to have met you!" I responded.

I started to turn away when I heard her yell after me.

"Tom! Would you mind giving me your contact information?" she said with a glimmer in her eye.

"Are you going to take me out on a date?" I joked as I wrote down on a piece of paper that the waitress had brought over. 

"Oh, you're too young for me!" Louisa joked as we made our final goodbyes.

I left the restaurant and finally headed to my buddy's house. I arrived in the middle of the first half and had a great rest of the night. A week or so later I received a call from David Potters, Louisa's son. At first he thanked me for helping his mother and joked about how friendly she can be with everyone she meets.  

"I met you at the restaurant and you seemed pretty personable and you went out of your way and helped my mother when you most likely had other things to do. I would like you to come in for an interview with my business company," said David. 

A couple of months later and I had finished school, graduated, and officially started my first job at David's business company. It turned out that Louisa's son was a very successful businessman who had an incredible company where any of my classmates would have loved to land as a job. Louisa dropped by one day to give me a "Happy First Day of Work" gift. This was the first time I had seen her since that afternoon I helped her cross the street. 

"Oh, it is great to see you, Louisa!" I said as I gave her a big hug.

"Us friends have to stick together, you know. You helped me so I thought I'd help you," said Louisa with a twinkle in her eye. 

From that moment, I realized that it wasn't just David meeting me for the first time and seeing my potential. Louisa had made it her goal to give back to the person who helped her. From this moment in time, we were forever friends. It's the little things in life that can make a difference in the end. 

Louisa (Pixabay)

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Author's Note: For this story I used the story, The Pecan Tree's Best Friend, from the Tejas Legends Unit. In the original story, a family of orioles, a type of bird, saw a hurricane getting closer and closer to them. With not having enough time to escape, they were frightened. The pecan tree told the orioles that they could hide in the holes in his bark to keep them safe during the storm. The orioles ended up surviving the hurricane and were grateful as they continued south after the storm. Later the father oriole noticed that a last minute winter storm was headed towards the pecan tree in the beginning of spring. The bird flew back to the tree to warn him not to bud quite yet so that he would be able to produce pecans later. He was the only tree that listened and ended up being the only tree that season to produce pecans. From that moment on orioles and pecan trees became friends forever, which is why we often see orioles in pecan trees today. In my story I decided to make it about a boy who helped an old lady cross the street and help her find her way. In return the old lady ended up helping that boy in his future by helping him find a job. It is a story about caring for others and having lifelong friends. 

Bibliography: The Pecan Tree's Best Friend. When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends. Retold by Florence Stratton in 1936.