Aesop Revisited - 1.

John Joseph James (JJJ) was travelling uphill in his new status car. It was the car's maiden voyage. He had decided to take a short vacation after long months of reforming the penal establishment of which he was completely responsible.
All of a sudden, the engine came to a grinding halt, after a suspicious noise, that left little doubt that something sinister must have happened.
Knowing next to nothing about car engines, JJJ was at a loss what to do next. Trying restarting was only drying out the batteries. At the time, the sun had already set behind the mountains for at least a couple of hours. Calling for help through the mobile phone would be alarming to his friends and in the best of circumstances would employ hours for any help to reach him.
But a gleaming beam of light a little distance downhill indicated another vehicle coming up his way. Frantically, he waved his hand to draw the driver's attention.
In fact, it took only a few moments for the newcomer to reach JJJ. A strapping young man in his middle thirties alighted from his beaten old vehicle and very politely asked: "Do you need any help, Sir?"
"Yes, please, my car broke down and I have no way of making it moving again!"
Lifting the front hood, it took only a few minutes for the newcomer to discover what was wrong with JJJ's status car,
"It is only an IC component that is burnt out. The fault sent all the electric bits and pieces into haywire. It must be replaced. Luckily I have a new replacement in my tool-box."
JJJ's car was back to normal in no time.
Out of genuine good mannered habits, JJJ offered his saviour payment for his efforts. But to his astonishmnet he refused to take it. But he did not object to giving JJJ his name, surname and other generalities, just in case fate puts them again back on the same pathway.
JJJ noted in his PDA the young man's vehicle number. He meant to compensate somehow his benefactor.
Looking up the young man's details JJJ discovered that the young man's details tallied with those of an inmate in his institution. As far as he could remember he never met the man personally, but was just a number on the register like the rest of the inmates.
After thorough investigation, there was no doubt that his saviour was his prisoner. But the latter never left the precincts of the jail. Records confirmed this.
Further research showed that JJJ was once instrumental in helping the young man through a difficult patch during the first years of his confinemnet.
But a logical explanation is still wanting. Good turns are often shrouded in mystery.

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