WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND
 What goes around comes around.....
 
The man slowly looked up. This was a woman
 clearly accustomed to the finer
 things of life. Her coat was new. She
 looked like that she had never missed a meal in her life.
 His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him,
 like so many others had done before.

 'Leave me alone,' he growled.
 
 To his amazement, the woman continued
 standing. She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed
 in dazzling rows. 'Are you hungry?' she asked.
 
 'No,' he answered sarcastically.
 'I've just come from dining with the
 president. Now go away.' The
 woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man
 felt a gentle hand under his arm.  
 'What are you doing, lady?' the
 man asked angrily. 'I said to leave me alone.'
 Just then a policeman came up. 'Is
 there any problem, ma'am?' he asked.
 
 'No problem here, officer,' the
 woman answered. 'I'm just trying to get this man to
 his feet. Will you help me?'
 
 The officer scratched his head.
 'That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around
 here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?'
 
 'See that cafeteria over there?'
 she asked. 'I'm going to get him something
 to eat and get him out of the cold for
 awhile.'
 
 'Are you crazy, lady?' the homeless
 man resisted. 'I don't want to go
 in there!' Then he felt strong hands
 grab his other arm and lift him up.
 
 'Let me go, Officer. I didn't do
 anything.'
 
 'This is a good deal for you,
 Jack,' the officer answered. ' Don't blow
 it.'
 
 Finally, and with some difficulty, the
 woman and the police officer got Jack
into the cafeteria and sat him at a table
in a remote corner. It was the
 middle of the morning, so most of the
 breakfast crowd had already left and
 the lunch bunch had not yet arrived. The
 manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table.
 
 'What's going on here,
 officer?' he asked. 'What is all this? Is this
 man
 in trouble?'
 
 'This lady brought this man in here to
 be fed,' the policeman answered.
 
 'Not in here!' the manager replied
 angrily. 'Having a person like that here
 is bad for business.'
 
 Old Jack smiled a toothless grin.
 'See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll
 let me go. I didn't want to come here
 in the first place.'
 
 The woman turned to the cafeteria manager
 and smiled. 'Sir, are you familiar
 with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm
 down the street?'
 
 'Of course I am,' the manager
 answered impatiently. 'They hold their
 weekly meetings in one of my banquet
 rooms.'
 
 'And do you make a goodly amount of
 money providing food at these weekly
 meetings?'
 
 'What business is that of yours?'
 
 ' I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, President
 and CEO of the company.'
 
 'Oh.'
 
 The woman smiled again. 'I thought
 that might make a difference.' She glanced at the cop
 who was busy stifling a giggle. 'Would you like to join
 us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?'
 
 'No thanks, ma'am,' the officer
 replied. 'I'm on duty.'
 
 'Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to
 go?'
 
 'Yes, ma'am. That would be very
 nice.'
 
 The cafeteria manager turned on his heel
 'I'll get your coffee for you right
 away, Officer.'
 
 The officer watched him walk away.
 'You certainly put him in his place,' he
 said.
 
 'That was not my intent. Believe it or
 not, I have a reason for all this.'
 
 She sat down at the table across from her
 amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently.
 'Jack, do you remember me?'
 
 Old Jack searched her face with his old,
 rheumy eyes. 'I think so -- I mean
 you do look familiar.'
 
 'I'm a little older perhaps,'
 she said. 'Maybe I've even filled out more than in
 my younger days when you worked here, and I came through
 that very door, cold and hungry.'
 
 'Ma'am?' the officer said
 questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a
 magnificently turned out woman could ever
 have been hungry.
 
 'I was just out of college,' the
 woman began. 'I had come to the city looking for a
 job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down
 to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my
 apartment. I walked the streets for days.
 
 It was February and I was cold and nearly
 starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance
 that I could get something to eat.'
 
 Jack lit up with a smile. 'Now I
 remember,' he said. 'I was behind the
 serving counter. You came up and asked me
 if you could work for something to
 eat. I said that it was against company
 policy.'
 
 ' I know,' the woman continued.
 'Then you made me the biggest roast beef
 sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a
 cup of coffee, and told me to go
 over to a corner table and enjoy it. I
 was afraid that you would get into
 trouble. Then, when I looked over, I
 saw you put the price of my food in the cash register. I
 knew then that everything would be all right.'
 
 'So you started your own business?'
 Old Jack said.
 
 'I got a job that very afternoon. I
 worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business,
 that, with the help of God, prospered.' She opened
 her purse and pulled out a business card. 'When you
 are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr.
 Lyons. He's the personnel director of my company.
 I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll
 find something for you to do around the office.' She
 smiled. 'I think he might even find the funds to give
 you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and
 get a place to live until you get on your feet. If you
 ever need anything, my door is always opened to you.'
 
 There were tears in the old man's eyes.
 'How can I ever thank you? ' he said.
 
 'Don't thank me, 'the woman
 answered. 'To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus...
 He led me to you.'
 
 Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the
 woman paused at the entrance
 before going their separate ways.
 'Thank you for all your help, Officer,' she said.
 
 'On the contrary, Ms. Eddy,' he
 answered. 'Thank you. I saw a miracle today,
 something that I will never forget. And...And thank you
 for the coffee.'