How well do you know your friends?

You know how yesterday I said I didn't know where to begin? Well, I've got to begin somewhere so I'll start with THIS GUY. (and more info HERE.)

I know him. At least I thought I did. I knew him well enough to know that he has done jail time for a similiar crime and to have had a fairly regular correspondence while he was in there. He used to work where I am still employed. He was even a guest at our wedding.

Why would I write to a convicted rapist? Because I've known him since we were both 14 years old and I know what kind of life he had as a kid (not pretty) and he had always treated me with almost chivalrous respect. He is amazingly smart and I know how hard he worked to get out of his fathers house, get his GED, get into college and get his life together. I didn't think he would be dumb enough to do what he was charged with and throw all that away.

I honestly believed that something wasn't right the first time he was arrested on these charges and because he was my friend I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I believe in the justice system in this country I also believe that mistakes are made and that maybe, just maybe this was one of those times. Perhaps I was a tad naive, and maybe I still am, but I believe that you stick by your friends and help them out when you can, and at the very least believe them when they say they didn't do it.

Now that his current situation has been made known to me I feel betrayed. But oddly not surprised. I don't know why, but I am not at all surprised. A small, cynical part of me does wonder about his current arrest... perhaps he was just the closest Level 2 sex offender on the island? It's a very small part of me though. VERY small.

I have only seen him once since he got out of jail well over a year ago, spoken to him maybe 2-3 times and I sent him a Christmas card. I don't think I'll be writing to him while he's in jail this time. Here's hoping he's lost my phone number too. Is that terrible of me considering I once thought of him as a friend?



Tomorrow I'll write about something happier or funnier, I promise... like my upcoming hand surgery! Won't THAT be fun?