The Eastpointer

The Good Samaritan

By Richard E. Noble

It was dark outside on the old Escape Road in Eastpoint. We have no streetlights and the road was dirt in those days. I loved living on a dirt road. I used to write to my old city slicker friends back in the big city and tell them that I lived on a dirt road and had a telephone pole in my front yard.
I would often take my cats out for a walk at twilight on my personal dirt road. I wouldn't wear any shoes. I could even wear my pajamas - nobody lived around here back then. It was wonderful to feel the warm sand between your toes - real Tom Sawyer-like. But on this particular evening there was a slight hubbub going on outside. There was a pickup truck on the side of the road in front of my neighbor's home. It had got onto the shoulder and it was stuck. I could hear a couple of men mumbling to one another. I figured they were Eastpointers and that they were accustomed to getting stuck and would have themselves freed up in a matter of minutes. But this was not the case. They must have been from Carrabelle or Apalach. It seemed that they were going to be out there forever and I was getting apprehensive about my cat walk. The cats, of course, wouldn't follow me if there were strangers in the neighborhood. So I yelled from my porch to the two men; "You guys got a problem?" One of the men came walking up to the porch and very politely told me that his battery went dead.
Naturally being an Eastpointer, I had all the equipment to jump start anything in the back of my pickup truck. I immediately pulled my truck in front of his and had them jumped in a matter of minutes. They were so happy. They unhooked the cable, hopped into their truck and buzzed off, laughing and waving all the way. I felt good. It always feels good to give a neighbor or even a stranger a helping hand - even if it is just a jump start.
I then took my two little pals, Buddy and Bogie, out for a scamper and a roll in the dirt. We had a good time. They rolled in the dirt, not me.
A day or two later I was talking to my neighbor, Bob. He had lived next door ever since I had moved into the neighborhood. He was a real nice fellow. He was a younger man only married a couple of years.
"You didn't see anything peculiar going on around here recently, did you?" he asked.
I had to think. What did he mean by peculiar?
"Like what?" I asked.
"Oh you know, like maybe some strangers out here messin' around my place?"
"Well ... no. I didn't see anybody messin' around your place. But there were a couple of guys out in front the other night in a pickup truck."
"Oh really? Could you describe it?"
"Well yeah. It was and older model, camouflage green colored, Chevy - with big tires."
"Oh great, I think I know who it was."
"Friends of yours?"
"Well, not really. They robbed my garage. They stole my deluxe pickup tire rims and some other fancy chrome parts that I had."
"No kidding?"
"I'll tell the Sheriff what you told me and maybe they can get my stuff back."
"Oh wow, I certainly hope so."
After we got done talking, I went back into the house.
"What's the matter with you?" my wife asked. "You look like the cat that just swallowed the cannery."
"You know those two guys I jump-started the other night out in front of Bob's place?"
"Yeah."
"They robbed Bob's garage - stole his fancy tire rims and some other stuff."
"Oh my goodness!"
"Yeah, and I helped them do it. I thought that they were rather overly happy as they drove off."
"Did you tell Bob that you helped some kids rob him?"
"No. And I ain't going to. I'm just wondering if I can go to jail for being an accessory."
"Oh, of course not ..." she paused. "Well I don't think so anyway. But if I were you, I wouldn't tell Bob or anybody else.”
"Oh don't worry, I ain't going to."
And don't any of you out there say anything either. This is just between me and you. Mum's the word. If you squeal on me, and I find out about it - you will be in this column next week - and it won't be pretty.

Richard E. Noble is a Freelance Writer and has been a resident of Eastpoint for around thirty years. He has authored two books: "A Summer with Charlie" which is currently listed on Amazon.com and "Hobo-ing America" which should be listed on Amazon in the not too distant future. Most recently he completed his first novel "Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother" which will be published soon.