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Oh, where art thou mystery good Samaritan?
By John Andre
Fri Apr 25, 2008, 01:56 PM EDT
You've heard the stories. A tall, handsome stranger scares off a couple of thugs trying to assault a woman in a parking garage. Or the woman, a seemingly angelic presence in hindsight, picks up the stranded family along a dark highway and drives them to safety. Or the shadowy figure that awakens the elderly couple in the middle of the night as fire begins to engulf their home, but then manage to reach the safety of the sidewalk across the street.
You may have read of similar events in national newspapers, in glossy magazines, in supermarket books and even heard of similar reports on afternoon television talk shows.
I'm not about to tell you I know of it happening right here in North Attleborough.
Yet when the man in the dark pickup truck showed up at Ray Plante's place on Broadway, just as the town was bathed in the soft light of dawn, something unusual was taking place.
Good was getting done.
You see, like many before him have done with a coffee cup, duffel bag, homework folder, or groceries, Plante left his brief case on the trunk lid of his car and drove off for a rendezvous with his daughter and a trip to the airport.
"I never knew it was missing," says Plante.Life went on, although without his case that contained a bunch of important documents that in the wrong hands could have been a costly mistake on Plante's part.
No, the documents were not pertinent to national security. They didn't share the case with stacks of cash or cases of expensive jewelry. They paperwork was all of his mutual fund documentation, all accessible, right there in that case for anyone to claim.
Lucky for a Plante the right person came along and spotted the case in the road, High Street to be exact, around 5:30 a.m.
What's bugging Plante now is that he says he didn't thank the good Samaritan properly when he delivered the briefcase to his door. "After the guy's gone I realize I should have done something more," Plante says. He thinks with all the bad news constantly reported, a lot of the good gets overlooked. "We don't take the time to notice in many cases."
Now Plante wants to thank him properly. Problem is he didn't get a name, nothing.
Plante is on the lookout for this mystery Samaritan. If you're out there, Ray Plante prefers to see you face to face, to thank you.
"I'll know if he comes," he said. "He said he was local."
If you're out there, give me a ring at 508-699-6755 and I'll get in touch with Ray Plante. If you're a friend or family member of this good Samaritan, give him a nudge so he can get his proper thanks.
Email me at news@nafreepress.com
