Woman Pays For Next Customer, Gets Unexpected Payback After Going Home

Hardee’s in Tennessee where incident began. Angel Brooks (inset)

While ordering her breakfast in the drive-thru at a Tennessee Hardee’s, Angel Brooks chose to pay for the person’s meal in line behind her. When the customer behind her learned what she had done, he followed her to her house with a payback for her good deed she wasn’t expecting.

Having felt blessed in her life for what other people had done for her, Angel told the drive-thru cashier, “Whoever pulls up behind me, just pay for his breakfast.” The man on the receiving end of her generosity happened to be Cody Yates, who is a Monroe County police officer in the town where Angel and her family live.

Touched by the unexpected kind act on April 26, Yates felt it was important that he thank her for her thoughtfulness, and he turned to social media to track her down so he could do so. “Being in a small town, I started asking around and found out who she was,” Yates said. In his search for her, he made a heartbreaking discovery about this mystery woman.

Yates learned that Angel’s husband Jeff Brooks is fighting terminal pancreatic cancer and that their daughter Meagan has cerebral palsy. Angel is living up to her namesake being the caretaker of these two, while also spreading her love to strangers like Yates in the community. The officer couldn’t believe that someone with as much struggle as her, would think of more ways to help strangers, rather than expecting others to help her.

“It made me realize that about everybody that you come in contact with is worrying about all the small things in life,” Yates said. “That really don’t hold a candle to what some people are dealing with.” With this knowledge, Yates came up with a plan to return the favor to this incredible woman in a very big way, paying her back for her investment in kindness.

According to WLVT, Yates immediately told his fellow officers about Angel and what she had done for him, despite her devastating circumstances. He asked if anyone would be willing to donate to a cash fund he could gift her. Without hesitation, the officers pitched in, and that pot swelled to $520 in just a single hour. Yates even went outside the station to several churches to collect donation, KY3 reported.

Officer Cody Yates with Angel Brooks (left), Jeff Brooks (right)

With the financial gift in hand, the officer went to the Brooks home and surprised Angel and her family with the money, as his and the community’s way of saying thank you. “It’s very overwhelming. I got teary eyed. I’m not going to lie,” Jeff said. Angel was touched that the cop had gone out of his way like this for her and her family, not having expected any positive payback on her investment in a good deed.

Yates didn’t just drop the money and leave, he felt a connection to the Brooks and is even planning to take Jeff fishing soon. It’s incredible what one act of kindness can do and that a woman who has so much personal struggle was the one to start the positive chain reaction.

While most would think of themselves and all that’s on their plate, Angel appreciated the kindness others had shown her family, and she wanted to keep that going for strangers. In the end, good karma came right to her front door because of it.

H/t: Madworldnews