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Mystery Santa gives local teacher free gas

Teacher says she'll pay good deed forward
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Posted at 3:06 PM, Dec 14, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-14 19:34:14-05

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As a teacher working two jobs, Blake Hastings often finds herself scrapping to get buy waiting for pay day to come. Which is why earlier this week when she was about to run out of gas in Spring Hill, she knew she couldn’t afford to fill her entire tank.

Blake is a special education teacher, who's passionate and still working on her master’s at MTSU. Her soft smile and long blonde hair seem to mirror her warm personality.

Which is perhaps what drew the attention of a stranger at the Kroger in Spring Hill on Tuesday night. Blake had just left her second job as a nanny and was heading home when her gas light turned on, the tank was empty. So she pulled into the gas station here with only a few dollar for gas. Payday was still a few days away so this would have to do for now.

But as she got out of her car a stranger approached her.

“This kind lady from the pump next to me told me to pull up behind her. At first I questioned her, I said, ‘Are you serious?’ and she was like ‘yes of course, pull behind me!” Blake recalls.

Not wanting to go against the strangers wishes, Blake did as she was told. As it turns out the stranger in front of her had just bought $600 worth of Kroger gift cards. With all of the fuel points she racked up, the woman who Blake had never met before, was only paying .06 cents for a gallon of gas.

And then, she turned to Blake did the unexpected. She filled her tank.

“I have no clue who she was. I don’t think she realized how much it touched me … she was so eager to share her goodness,” Blake says with a smile.

In the haste of this momentary ‘pay it forward’ moment, Blake managed to snap a picture of the stranger who paid for her gas. She posted it to Facebook where it’s gotten hundreds of shares and thousands of likes.

“There wasn’t a single negative comment on that post and that doesn’t ever happen!” she added with a bit of surprise in her voice.

Still unsure of who the woman is, Blake is planning to pay the good deed forward. And hopes it spreads some happiness to others as the holidays approach.

“I just want people to see there are still good people in the world.”