39 years to pay it forward.
On a Friday night in July of 1973, I had given a friend a lift to San Jose on my 750 Royal Enfield Interceptor. Coming back, I ran out of gas right at the top of the Sunol Grade, and coasted all the way down to Andrade Road where there was a gas station, kind of out in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately by the time I pulled into the station, it was closed for the night. As luck would have it though, an old school bus, converted to a camper by some hippies (yes, they were honest to god hippies - beads, flowers in their hair, the whole nine yards), had stopped there and they had some jerry cans with spare fuel strapped to the back bumper. They cheerfully offered to put some gas in my tank, and saved me from having to leave my bike at the station and hitchhike home. I think about that group of friendly hippies every time I drive past that station, as it's still there.
Flash forward to a late Friday night in July of 2012, and coming home from band practice in San Jose I pulled into the Sunol station to fuel up. Even though the store was closed, they leave the pumps on and you can fill up with a credit card. As I got out of my car to fill up, I was approached by a tall young man who said they were out of gas. My first thought was that he was going to ask for money for gas, but I remembered that the store was closed and the pumps only take credit cards. At this point the young man tells me that he and his friend are from Sweden and have been touring around California in a rental car. They were on their way to the San Francisco Airport to go home, and had ran out of gas. They had a credit card, but in order to use it in the pump you have to give a zip code (true), and as they were from Sweden, they did not have a zip code to enter. So the young man asked if they could give me $20 in cash and let me use my credit card to get them some fuel. I obliged, and as we were putting gas in their car they told me their names and a little of what they had been doing. As we were chatting I thought about the hippies and their gas for my bike, and I mentioned to the two lads from Sweden what a coincidence it was. They even knew what a hippie was. 
Anyway, it took 39 years, but I got the opportunity to pay a kindness forward tonight, and gained a new happy memory of a chance encounter with two stranded tourists, Martin and Richard from Sweden. I hope the rest of their journey home is a safe and pleasant one.
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Glad you got a chance to pay it forward, especially after 39 years!
awesome 
Glad you liked the story. 
You're never done paying it forward. Especially people like you. Those who remember details and the feelings that came with a simple kind gesture. You're a wonderful person, by the way!
You've also given me an idea for my next Lounge post.
Thanks for those nice words and it's true about never stopping paying it forward.
Can't wait to see what you come up with, I'm intrigued.
Thanks for sharing it.
You are just the good kind of person that I would expect to do such a lovely thing...
Good for you, sweetie! 
I try to help where I can and I don't talk about it, but this was just such a coincidental event that I thought it'd be a nice story to share. Glad you liked it.
BTW, how're you feeling? Any better?
Generally, I feel OK. Now and then, I have a little discomfort, some pressure where the offending organ lies...
It's bothering me a little tonight, so I took a naprosyn. I expect it'll be OK after a while.
Thanks...
