Pay it forward!

I was never much for the movie "Pay it Forward". You know, it was a nice, feel good movie, but I never viewed the whole concept of paying it forward as very practical. With that being said, let me tell you what happened last night.

I went to Penn Station to pick up a couple Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. When it was time to pay I handed the cashier my American Express card and she politely shook her head and said they didn't take AMEX. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem, but Abby happened to have my MasterCard last night. I never carry cash, so you can easily see how this was going to be a problem. I was telling the cashier I would have to leave and come back to pay for the food. Before I could finish my statement, a woman's voice behind me said, "I'll pay for it!". I turned around to see a young woman (not dressed very modestly) reaching into her purse. I told her I appreciated the gesture, but said no thank you. She pressed the issue saying she had a really good night at work (it turns out she is a cocktail waitress at the casino) and wanted to take this opportunity to pay it forward. I once more tried to decline, but she would have none of it. In the end, she paid for my dinner and of course, her own. What should have cost her about $8, cost her $23. I thanked her profusely and explained I had plenty of money, but just had the wrong kind of credit card. She was very nice and seemed genuinely happy to pay for our meal. It was quite a strange experience, but it did restore my faith in humanity. The world is full of selfish, rude, egotistical and sometimes stupid people. But last night showed me there are still good people out there. Even a person who is not necessarily dressed modestly enough to be in public can still be a decent and generous person.

I still don't know if I buy into the whole "Pay it Forward" thing, but I do know I would be more than willing to do the same for someone else if the opportunity presented itself.