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Edited on Wed Jan-19-05 09:32 AM by Cuban_Liberal
Good Samaritan pays off 'payday loan' for 68 year-old disabled man
Douglas County Republican
January 18, 2005
ARCOLA--- Just hours after Friday's paper hit the newsstands, 68 year-old Billy's phone began ringing. "In the first three hours Friday morning I got 12-15 calls from people offering to pay off my loan", Billy told the paper Monday. "Some people offered to just pay it off and let me pay them back when I could, while some offered to pay it off altogether. I accepted one woman's offer to pay it off and let me pay her back, but when we got to the loan company, someone had already paid it off." That someone was 77 year-old Jane, an Arcola widow who asked that her last name not be used.
"I felt like I could relate to him. I know what it is to worry about whether you are going to have enough money to make it to the end of the month. It was not so much about the loan being paid off, but I kept thinking about the extra $168 he would have every month if he didn't have to make that payment, and what he could do with that money."
So even before the start of business on Monday, Jane was at the loan company doors, ready to pay off Billy's loan. Because the loan company refused to take a check, Jane headed to the bank to get the money, only to find the bank closed because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Not to be deterred, she went to a grocery store owned by a friend and cashed a check for the amount of the loan, now more than $700. She then made her way back to the loan company and paid the balance of Billy's loan in full.
"I think it was just meant to be," Jane said. "Monday was the 17th anniversary of my husband's death. He had a heart attack, totally unexpected, and I read that Billy had undergone several open heart surgeries. I kept thinking of him saying that he would be paying on the loan the rest of his life. I knew Monday morning that this was just something I had to do. I think my husband would have approved."
Billy said that he was stunned when he got to the loan company Monday morning, and they handed him the title to his 1995 Ford van. "They said someone had come in and anonymously paid off my loan," he said.
"All my life, I never knew I had a guardian angel, but now I know that I do. I can't thank her enough. For the first time since I took out that loan, I got a good night's rest. I just wish I knew who she was, so I could thank her personally. I'm a Christian man and I believe my prayers have been answered. I want to thank each and every person who offered to help me when I was in need. This is a wonderful community, and I'm proud to tell people I live here."
I'm with Billy--- this is a wonderful community, and I'm proud to call Arcola 'home'!
:D
Note to Mods: This paper is not available online, and I have permission from the publisher to repost this in its entirety.
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