Well an old friend, someone I went to high school with. We used to hang out daily with another person during and after high school. About 3 years after graduation, he went into the Army and I moved away, so we lost touch.
This weekend I re-made contact with the third person in our little trio, who told me all about it. Seems like he got in a fight over a girl and knifed both the person he was fighting with and a couple of his friends. Two dead, one seriously wounded, and a loooong set of consecutive sentences.
Now I’m debating whether to look him up or just leave the whole thing alone. Geez the things that happen when you move away for a few years.
Where did you leave it when you and he drifted apart? If it was just a “natural drift” with no animosity, and you have good memories of being friendly with him, I tend to agree with Bosda - it is pretty much a given that your (former?) friend would appreciate the contact (big assumption on my part - I have never been up the river, but it seems reasonable). Why not reach out with a letter checking in and expressing sadness at his situation and see if you get a response, and see how you feel about it.
Ending up a key point of communication with someone in his situation could be a good thing, y’know?
You may have to tell him that you don’t have any help to offer him. But your friendship will mean the world to him.
I remember sitting in jail one time, for only a 24 hour stretch. One friend (ONE) came by and told the jailer to tell me hello, and gave the jailer money so I could get some cigs.
Now, he didn’t need to do that, and it WAS only a small time in there, but just that fact that he thought of me, (we were just casual friends even!) meant so much at that time and even unto today.