February 1978

college at Mary Hardin Baylor
 

"Mrs. Ballantyne, please tell me more about your break of a lifetime."

"I thought college was out of the question.  I was resigned to finding whatever work I could after high school, but I had nursed a secret desire to go to college.  Besides tennis, I had nothing else to do but study.  I made straight A's, but what difference did that make?  I was a girl.  I had been raised in a family that did not value education for girls.  In the eyes of Uncle Gus, girls don't need to go to college.  They learn how to put on makeup, look pretty, get married and get pregnant.  That was the expectation.  Besides, what difference did it make if I wanted to go to college.  There was no money in our home.  Money was very tight during the Depression." 

"So where does Sam Maceo come in?  You were living in San Antonio, right?"

"Yes, I was living in San Antonio and I had not thought about Mr. Maceo in years.  It started with George.  I had given up on college dreams.  Seriously, I had no idea where the money would come from, so I ordered myself to quit thinking about it because it made me so depressed.  Then one day my brother George sent me some money he had saved up.  He included a note that told me to use it for college.  Thanks to George, I was able to attend Mary Hardin-Baylor, a women's school in Belton, Texas."

"But that doesn't make any sense.  I thought you said George was poor just like you."

"I see you have been paying attention.  Yes, George was very poor, so I asked myself the same question.  It's a long story.  Do you really want to know how I got the money??"

My eyes widened at the strange look on her face.  I nodded and said yes.  When I saw Mrs. Ballantyne frown, I had a hunch this was going to be a doozy.  Turned out I was right.

"It is one thing to say a gangster paid for college, that is shocking enough.  However I don't share the details very often.  Back when you and my children went to St. John's, this was a story I did not dare tell anyone.  However, we've gone this far so I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you the full story.

To be honest, when I saw the money order that came with George's letter, I was very skeptical.  I was almost certain there was something George was not telling me.  I knew for a fact that George could barely pay his own way to A&M.  For that matter, the previous year, George had almost gotten himself thrown out of Texas A&M because he could not pay his tuition.  So where did this money come from?  Unfortunately George refused to tell me for the longest time.  He was so secretive I thought he had robbed a bank.  I was worried about George, but maybe the less I knew, the better.  I was enjoying my newfound freedom too much to lose this college opportunity by being nosy." 

"Did you ever find out what George was hiding from you?"

"Yes, but it took a while.  George knew how much I wanted to go to college.  I made very good grades, but it all seemed futile.  My aunt and uncle had children of their own to worry about and my father barely knew I was alive.  My college chances looked bleak.  So just as I was about to finish high school, out of nowhere George sent me his letter with money enclosed.  I knew from the start something was fishy, but George was at A&M 200 miles away, so it was easy for him to evade my questions.  When I finally learned the truth, I was stunned.  Sam Maceo was paying my way!  I couldn't believe it.  I had not seen Mr. Maceo in over two years.  He not only remembered me, he wanted to help." 

"Why do you suppose Mr. Maceo did that?" I asked.  "I mean, paying your way to college was quite a gesture."

Mrs. Ballantyne smiled.  "That is a very good question.  I have George to thank.  He was the one who paved the way."

"What did George do to help you get a scholarship from a mob boss?"

"The Sam Maceo I knew was not what most people think.  Everyone has seen The Godfather, but that was not Sam Maceo.  I suppose he had a dark side, but I certainly never saw it.  There was no violence in Galveston.  He made sure of that.  And yes, he broke laws, but his activities were victimless crimes.  In the meantime, his nightclubs were bringing in tons of tourists who filled up the hotels and keep the restaurants hopping. 

Sam Maceo would have been elected Mayor if that was something he cared about.  He was the most civic-minded person I ever met.  In particular he had a soft spot for the immigrant families on the Island.  He was an immigrant from Sicily who knew how tough it was to get established in the U.S.   Mr. Maceo took a special interest in me thanks to my brother George.  He had helped George out of a really tough spot a couple years earlier." 

"You said earlier that Sam Maceo knew you from the restaurant, but George was not part of that.  How did he know George?"

"You're right, Mr. Maceo knew me through my uncle's restaurant.  However I don't recall their paths crossing because George lived on the other end of the island.  If forced to guess, Mr. Maceo might have met George once or twice because he knew my father.  If so, at best George was no more than a pebble on the beach to this busy, important man. 

Meanwhile George was at his wits end.  It was his Junior year in college and he was in danger of getting kicked out of school because he could not pay his monthly tuition.  Back in those days, Texas A&M didn't cut anyone a bit of slack.  You paid your monthly tuition on time or you left school.  Maybe they had a two-week grace period, I'm not sure.  But whatever the deadline was, George was so broke he was certain he would have to drop out of school.  This drove him crazy because his education meant the world to him.  George was desperate to continue, but time was running out.

Throughout college George had worked all sorts of part-time jobs, but for some reason the day came when all his sources of money dried up at once.  George was frantic.  He had no one to help him.  His friends at A&M were just as broke as he was, his father had never offered a dime, no rich uncle, nothing.  But George was and still is the most determined man I have ever met.  His entire existence was wrapped around getting his education.  George despised our father, but he had exhausted all other options.  That left George with no choice but swallow his pride.  George wired our father to see if he could help.  When my father got the wire, as usual he was broke.  No surprise there.  I suppose the poker cards had not been breaking his way or he dropped his last dime on a dame.  But Mike knew George would not have asked unless he was desperate.  Before he replied to George with the bad news, Mike decided to go see if his boss could help."

"Where did your father get the nerve to approach the Godfather?"

Mrs. Ballantyne laughed.

"You know what, that's a good question.  But that's exactly what my father did.  Mike went up to Sam Maceo and said, "Mr. Maceo, my son George is the top student in his engineering class at A&M.  He studies really hard!  But he has run out of money and the school is going to kick him out if he can't pay.  Do you think you can help?"

Without a word, Sam Maceo reached in his pocket, pulled out a billfold and handed my father a hundred dollar bill.  Mike's eyes grew wide.  That was a lot of money in those days, a lot of money, maybe the equivalent of five times that amount today.  Typical of my father, he knew George only needed $39.  So my deadbeat father went to a bank and split the money in half.  He wired a $50 money order to George and kept the other $50 for booze, babes and bets.

Meanwhile George had no idea what was going on.  He was shocked that his father had come through.  What a break!  But here's the odd thing.  Mike had not told George where the money came from.  Unbelievable.  Mike steals half the money and pretends to be the hero.  That's my father for you.  What a champ!"

"So what happened after that?"

"Many years later George found out that Sam Maceo went behind my father's back.  Mr. Maceo was a very intelligent man.  He found it very unlikely that a loser like my father had a son who was the top student at A&M.  This was so difficult to believe that he had to be curious to know if my father had been telling the truth or just trying to hustle up some gambling money.  So I am certain Mr. Maceo made inquiries.  Not only was my father telling the truth, he learned that George was barely scraping by.  Mr. Maceo was so impressed, he made sure George got a big surprise.  Mr. Maceo sent word to George that he wanted to pay the remaining tuition for George to graduate.  George was overwhelmed.  He had no idea what was going on, but that offer had come at the perfect time.  George vowed never to forget what Mr. Maceo had done for him."

"So George received the same gift as you, but his came first."

"Yes.  And I think Mr. Maceo was so impressed with George that he decided to take a gamble on me as well."

"Mrs. Ballantyne, I'm confused about something.  How did George find out your father split the money in half?"

"George is the kind of guy who refuses to leave a rock unturned.  After Sam Maceo contacted him, he could not rest until he understood why a man who barely knew him had been so kind.  At some point, George confronted his father and got the story about the money order.  However, there was a twist neither George nor his father knew about.  A few years after George graduated from A&M, he met someone who knew the inside scoop.  George discovered Mr. Maceo had personally checked on him with Texas A&M.  Apparently Maceo did not believe a word my father had told him.  Top student in his class?  Ridiculous.  The thought of some immigrant kid from Galveston standing at the top of his class was unheard of, much less a kid with a father like ours. 

Let's face it, my father didn't have much credibility, so Mr. Maceo had every right to be suspicious.  Very few children of the immigrants here in Galveston were good students.  Therefore, if it was true, that accomplishment would put George heads and shoulders above the rest.  When Mr. Maceo found out that George was indeed at the top of his class, he wanted to help.  Like I said, Mr. Maceo was an immigrant just like my father, so he knew first-hand how tough it was to make it here in America.  Mr. Maceo knew my father was a dubious character, so this told him George had to be special to overcome the death of his mother and his father's abandonment.  After pegging George as an ambitious kid who was determined to rise beyond his circumstances, from this point on Mr. Maceo not only followed George's progress, he sent regular money wires to pay the tuition."

"Did George ever meet Sam Maceo in person or talk to him?"

"That's a good question, but I don't know the exact answer.  I don't think they had ever spoken prior to Mr. Maceo's decision to hand my father $100.  However, after that, yes, I imagine they spoke in person, but if so I don't know the details.  Mind you, the entire story was unbeknownst to me at the time.  For much of my first year of college I had no idea Mr. Maceo was helping George or me.  So here is what I think happened.  Mr. Maceo was so impressed with George that one day he remembered me from our days chatting at the Snug Harbor restaurant.  Since I lived in San Antonio, at some point Mr. Maceo asked my father how I was doing.  Mike replied that I had the harebrained idea to go to college, but there wasn't any money.  Typical of my father, he quickly added that it didn't matter. 

"Don't worry about Maria, she don't need no college.  She can get a job as a clerk, type a little, answer the phone.  Or better yet, she's pretty.  She can get married and have babies."

I was a girl, so what difference did it make if I wanted to go to college?  That's my father for you.  What a prince.  But Mr. Maceo saw things differently.  Without telling my father, he contacted George.  When George told him I made straight A's in high school and was dying to go to college, Mr. Maceo told George he would like to pay my way to college.  And that's the story. That is how I went to college!  Sam Maceo was a better father to me than my own father."

"But wasn't it risky taking money from a mobster?  Don't they always expect something in return?"

Seeing the curious expression on my face, Mrs. Ballantyne shrugged her shoulders. 

"Well, to begin with, since I did not know where the money was coming from, I accepted it guilt-free.  If there were any strings attached, no one ever told me.  When George sent the money, I was overjoyed, but I was also suspicious.  I wrote George and demanded to know where he got the money.  He fibbed and explained he had saved up the money from his summer job.  Furthermore, now that he had an extra job at school, George promised to keep sending money.  He added how pleased he was to finally be in a position to help.  I took his word for it and enrolled in college.  However, I still had my doubts.  Finally I couldn't take it anymore.  I had to know what was going on.  The next time I saw George in person, it was Thanksgiving.  I pulled him aside and asked him to explain a little more about that extra job he had mentioned.  When George got one of those deer in the headlights expressions, I saw right through him.

"Okay, George," I demanded, "it's time to fess up.  Did you rob a bank?"

"No, no, Maria, it's not like that.  There's nothing for you to worry about."

"Bullshit!  You tell me the truth right now or I'm going to drop out of college and get pregnant with the first boy I meet!"

George didn't know whether I was bluffing or not, but he saw how mad I was and caved in on the spot.  He admitted that Sam Maceo was paying my way.  I was so shocked you could have knocked me over with a feather.  George said that Mr. Maceo had been so impressed by his performance at Texas A&M, he decided to help out his shy sister as well.  Mr. Maceo had promised George he would pay my way to Mary Hardin-Baylor for all four years."

Mrs. Ballantyne paused to sip her coffee, then continued. 

"I didn't know what to think.  It was strange to find my education bankrolled by the Godfather, but then I realized I didn't care.  The Sam Maceo I knew was a man I respected.  He was not violent.  He was polite to everyone, very outgoing.  He cared about little people like me and George.  He never insulted people, but they got his message anyway.  In the eyes of many, Sam Maceo was seen more as a benefactor than evil presence.  He came all the way from Sicily without any money or education, yet here he was the most important man in the city.  I admired him for that. 

People called him 'Mr. Galveston' and I can see why.  He was more businessman than mobster.  Let me give you an example.  After the great storm, they built a seawall and placed the fabulous Galvez Hotel right on the beach.  They hoped tourism would revive the economy, but it didn't work.  The hotel stayed largely empty.  Mr. Maceo saw an opening and built a popular casino called the Balinese Room right across the street from the Hotel Galvez.  Pure magic.  Now people flocked from all over Texas to the island to see a show, gamble, have a drink.  Then he started bringing in headliners like Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra.  Now people from all over the country were headed to Galveston.  The next thing you know, the hotel was booked solid.  Sam Maceo put the economy of Galveston on his back on and personally restored the prosperity. 

The only problem was that his business was illegal due to Prohibition.  But most people on the island thought Prohibition was sheer idiocy.  There were a lot of people who liked to drink bootleg liquor and a lot of people who liked to gamble.  As for prostitution, who was I to judge?  Yes, Mr. Maceo was a gangster, but in my eyes he was also a good man.

I was young at the time and didn't really understand why Mr. Maceo was helping me.  Later on, George and I talked about it.  George believed Mr. Maceo understood the importance of education as a way to give the children of immigrants equal footing here in America.  He knew how tough it was to be an immigrant and he helped everyone he could if he believed they were trying hard. 

What mattered to Sam Maceo was that George and I were good kids.  He also knew how poorly my father had treated us.  To him, that wasn't right.  In his book, we both deserved better.  Even though we had gotten some rotten breaks, Mr. Maceo was impressed that George and I continued to work hard in school without any encouragement.  I believe our situation must have reminded him of himself when he landed in America.  That is why Mr. Maceo felt a kinship with both of us.  He was Italian, we were Greek, but it didn't matter to him.  He wanted to help the children of immigrants on the island to succeed.  "Galveston needs to nurture its native sons."  He felt a responsibility to lift us up.  That is the way I remember Sam Maceo."

Mrs. Ballantyne pointed to the family pictures on tables and the living room wall.

"These pictures tell the story.  These pictures show what Sam Maceo did for me.  I spent my entire childhood dreaming that I would someday have a family like this.  You have no idea the pain I felt when my family disintegrated around me after my mother died.  My father was a confused man.  He had no business walking away from his duty to me. 

After the way he treated me, I was bound and determined that when I grew up, I would do so much better with my own children.  It is a parent's responsibility to make sure her children are elevated to better, more beneficial positions in life.  I have done that.  I have my home, my marvelous husband and seven college-educated children.  Not just that, they are the best children any mother could ever hope for.  I could not possibly be more proud of then.  Who would ever believe a story like mine?"

Then she smiled at me. 

"So now you know the secret of my success.  I don't tell my gangster story to very many people.  Most people would not understand why I took money from a mobster.  They would look down their noses.  I know a lot of people like that.  But now you know how I escaped my trap and found a way to become my own person.  I could not believe how lucky I was.  Who would have imagined that a man who barely knew me would pay for me to go to college?"

Mrs. Ballantyne had been speaking now for close to four hours.  At the conclusion of the Sam Maceo story, I expected to ask questions regarding her surprise appearance at my grocery store ten years earlier as well as today's visit to the dance studio.  Just when I worked up the courage to speak, Dr. Ballantyne made his second appearance.  Something was wrong.  Dr. Ballantyne had a huge frown on his face and he seemed upset.  He was so oblivious to my presence I had to assume he was used to seeing strangers in his house.  Or maybe he was just very preoccupied.  As Mrs. Ballantyne rose to see what was bothering him, she had a worried look on her face.

I watched quietly as Dr. Ballantyne and his wife talked over by the kitchen.  To my surprise, Mrs. Ballantyne turned to glance at me, then pointed me out.  Now for the first time, Dr. Ballantyne seemed to notice me as well.  What was this all about?  Something odd was going on.

Mrs. Ballantyne turned to me and said, "Rick, could I ask you a big favor?"

"Sure.  What do you need?"

"There is a cold front coming into town this evening.  Temperatures are expected to hit the low 20s.  Jay is worried the freeze could easily destroy our tropical plant collection.  He has been up on the roof all day trying to cover our open-air atrium with plastic for protection, but he is getting nowhere because it is a two-man job and the wind is driving him crazy.  Now he is running out of time.  He is really worried he can't get the job done in time to save his plants.  Do you by chance have an hour to spare?"

I smiled.  "Of course.  I'm not busy.  I would be glad to help."

So up on the roof I went.  Brrr!!  I had forgotten how cold it was.  Not only was it ridiculously cold, the brisk wind was brutal.  Looking below, I saw Dr. Ballantyne's jungle of warm-weather tropical plants.  He had every reason to worry.  Without cover, they were vulnerable to the coming threat. The moment the freeze arrived, his plants would have no chance without protection.

Dr. Ballantyne was not satisfied with just one layer.  He did not feel the individual rolls of plastic were thick enough to guarantee sufficient protection, so we repeated the process three times for added protection. 

I smiled when I recalled Mrs. Ballantyne had asked for one hour.  This was hard work, so I had a hunch we would still be up here when it got dark.  Brr!  The wind was killing me.  I wondered if there was time to finish.  Dr. Ballantyne was fortunate I just happened to be there.  Unless, of course, my being there at the right time was a Supernatural event.  That curious thought occupied my mind as I pitched in. 

Our final step was to place a sturdy 20-foot wood beam across the roof at the open end and a 15-foot beam on the ground.  This was the easy part.  From there I got up on a ladder while Dr. Ballantyne handed me plastic rolls pre-cut to the correct length.  I nailed the plastic from the roof wood beam, then Dr. Ballantyne nailed the bottom to the wood beam on the ground.  It took a while, but we finished enclosing the area with a temporary fourth wall.  The open side of the house facing the swimming pool was completely enclosed. 

Dr. Ballantyne and I spoke little during the project.  Unlike his gregarious wife, Dr. Ballantyne was a man of few words.  He was a reserved, formal man who carried himself with great dignity.  Dr. Ballantyne was also quite the workhorse.  Unwilling to take any chance of losing his valuable plants, he refused to take a break until the job was done.  As the afternoon became evening and the evening became night, I was amused by the transformation in his features.  Slowly but surely, Dr. Ballantyne's deep frown was replaced by a greatly-relieved smile.  

As darkness rolled in, the temperature began dropping rapidly just as predicted.  It was freezing out there!  Having spent the afternoon appreciating the beauty of his tropical plants, I now understood why his collection was a source of so much pride.  It would be such a shame to lose his rain forest.  Dr. Ballantyne was wise to cover the open area or he would have lost every one of those plants.

All told, we were on the roof for three hours.  It was a good idea to avoid breaks because we finished not one minute too soon.  I watched as Dr. Ballantyne used an extension cord to place a space heater in the midst of his temporary greenhouse.  He glanced at me and smiled, "The heater is an extra precaution.  I want to thank you for your help, Rick.  I could not have done this by myself."

As Mrs. Ballantyne handed us both some much-welcome hot chocolate, I was pleased with my good deed.  I was the little Dutch boy who came along at an opportune moment to plug the dike.  While I had been up on the roof, I thought it was strange that out of seven grown children, not one of them had been anywhere in sight today to pitch in.  Nor did anyone drop by with the job in progress.  No doubt if they knew, they would have come running.  But still, no one had dropped by or checked in all day long.  What were the odds of that happening?  Not that I minded; this had been a fascinating visit.  Not only did I learn fascinating details about Mrs. Ballantyne's life, I fulfilled a long-held wish to become a Ballantyne for a day.  It was an honor I appreciated.

I did some serious thinking during my three hours on the roof.  There was a story I had been dying to tell Mrs. Ballantyne, but never got the chance.  Eight years ago there had been a bizarre incident during college.  I had met a pretty teenage girl named Vickie at the Baltimore Quaker Meeting.  When Vickie learned I was going to a séance, she claimed she had psychic powers and begged me to take her along.  I did not believe a word she said.  There was something desperate about this girl.  I assumed she was so determined to find some way to be with me that she would say anything to escape her miserable home for one night.  Despite my misgivings, her plea was so poignant I gave in and agreed to take her with me.

Something very strange happened at the séance that night, but I don't want to spoil a great story.  Suffice it to say we will get to it in due time. 

Afterwards in the car, Vickie told me about her mother's frightening battle with cancer, adding the end was near.  Vickie was an only child and terrified to be an orphan.  She had a distant uncle she had never met because he lived in a remote corner of Canada.  Her mother had written the man, but so far he had not responded.  Well aware that the Grim Reaper was sharpening his scythe at this very minute, Vickie did not know who would take care of her when her mother was gone.  Scared, vulnerable, Vickie broke down and cried like a baby.  

To my great shame, as I listened to Vickie pour out her heart, I wanted to run for the hills.  Intimidated by the strange incident at the séance as well as the imminent passing of Vickie's mother, Death was in the air and I was scared out of my wits.  I wanted nothing to do with Vickie's intense desperation when suddenly an image of Mrs. Ballantyne crossed my mind. 

Mrs. Ballantyne could easily have left me at any stage during our long parking lot conversation.  Instead she had made sure to stay until her job was complete.  With that fact burning a hole in my conscience, I overcame my fears and chose to stay by Vickie's side.  I knew I could never pay Mrs. Ballantyne back for what she had done for me, but I could definitely 'Pay it Forward'.  When we cannot repay a great favor to the person who helped us, do a similar favor for someone else who needs help.  That is what I decided to do. 

I freely admit I wasn't nearly as effective with Vickie as Mrs. Ballantyne had once been with me.  But, hey, cut me some slack.  Not only was I an only child, I grew up a loner with no close friends.  Here at age 20, I had never consoled a single person in my life.  Fortunately I had Mrs. Ballantyne to use as my role model, so I tried hard to comfort the girl.  First I told Vickie how I too had grown up alone, then added how difficult my childhood had been.  Then I concluded by saying, "Vickie, I have told you my story for a reason.  I can see things are really tough for you right now.  But if I can do it, then so can you."  

Those of course were the exact same words Mrs. Ballantyne had used with me.  When it came to caretaking my troubled friend, I was a rookie who was in no mood to be original.  Fortunately my 'Mrs. Ballantyne' impersonation performed a small miracle.  Vickie's tears stopped and her courage to face an unknown future returned.  However, Vickie lost her courage when we reached her mother's house.  As her forlorn, wraith-like mother stared down from her second story window, I shuddered the same way Vickie did.  It was far too easy to envision the Reaper standing next to the woman.  Vickie did not want to get out of the car and I did not blame her.  Vickie trembled violently as she clutched my arm like it was her last hope against a terrible fate.   

"Rick, I am so scared to be alone with my mother.  Please don't go.  Please come in with me.  Help me face this."

I shook my head.  I am sorry to say, but I was so lonely that I could easily see falling for this helpless girl.  Maybe if there had been a greater age difference, I would been able to assume some sort of older brother role.  However, as things stood, it was far too awkward given that Vickie had selected me as the boyfriend to rescue her.  Vickie was 15, I was 20.  Given my strong attraction, I did not trust myself to handle this correctly.  The smart thing to do was leave despite my yearning to comfort her.

"Listen, Vickie, you do not need to worry.  If your uncle does not agree to help, I guarantee someone from the Quaker Meeting will step in.  You have too much going for you.  Be brave.  I am certain things will work out." 

Vickie swallowed hard and nodded reluctantly.  "You're right, I can make it through this.  There are people at the Meeting who have already hinted they would step in if my uncle refused to help." 

As Vickie forced herself to get out of the car, I felt sheepish for copying Mrs. Ballantyne.  However, at the same time, I had definitely helped Vickie get past the worst part of her panic.  As I drove away, I was proud of myself for paying the kindness of Mrs. Ballantyne forward to this lonely, frightened girl. 

While I worked on the roof with Dr. Ballantyne, I thought long and hard about Vickie and how much her plight reminded me of my own.  It was the exact reversal of the parking lot roles.  Mrs. Ballantyne and I were Doubles, one young, one old, brought together seemingly by Fate.  In the case of Mrs. Ballantyne, I believe she took a special interest in me specifically because my struggles reminded her so much of her own problems as a child.  Recalling how people had helped her at the right time when she was young, Mrs. Ballantyne was moved to take care of me.  In other words, Mrs. Ballantyne had 'paid it forward'.  In my case, Vickie, a girl 5 years younger, had serious difficulties that reminded me strongly of my own problems as a teenager.  A strange coincidence indeed.  Of course I wanted to help Vickie.  How could I not?  My heart ached for her so much that I was determined to do the best I could despite my fears.  The key word was 'Empathy', a gift Mrs. Ballantyne possessed in abundance, a gift I hoped to acquire. 

Eight years ago I had paid forward Mrs. Ballantyne's immense kindness to Vickie.  Today it was just as satisfying to 'Repay a favor' by helping her husband save his beloved tropical plants.  I could not help but wonder if today's latest coincidental meeting was Karma in action.  Ten years ago Mrs. Ballantyne had appeared out of nowhere at a time when I greatly needed her help.  Now ten years later, I had 'accidentally' appeared at the exact moment her husband greatly needed my help.  Helping with the roof been 'A Simple Act of Kindness' of my own, the chance to do a small favor for another person that carried great importance for him. 

Thanks to the story of how Sam Maceo helped Mrs. Ballantyne and her brother, the memory of how she helped me, the memory of how I helped Vickie plus the chance to help Dr. Ballantyne, over the next few days I thought long and hard about the power of kindness.  There was something I found very curious.  Sam  Maceo had performed a 'A Simple Act of Kindness' for young Maria who in turn rescued me with 'A Simple Act of Kindness' of her own.  Then I turned around and performed a similar service for Vickie.  Suddenly I did not want to stop with Vickie.  I wanted to help others too.  This experience made me wonder what happens to people who are blessed to receive a gift of great kindness.  Based on what I learned, I believe it instills a powerful desire to extend a similar service to others. 

RICK ARCHER - MARIA BALLANTYNE TIME LINE
 

Sixth Meeting

Serious

Coincidence
Pay it Forward

Fifth Meeting

Suspicious

Cosmic Blindness
Fourth Meeting

Third Meeting

TWENTY-SEVEN YEAR GAP BETWEEN 1978 AND 2005

Serious

Coincidence
Pay it Forward

Serious

Coincidence
Second Meeting

TEN YEAR GAP BETWEEN 1968 AND 1978

Serious

ST. JOHN'S

Serious

Ultra Serious

Utra Serious