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: Of a Public Defender's Life

I Have Friend...

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I have a friend I went to high school with. I was able to track him down through his brother and he sent me the following email:

Dear Sancho:
How the hell are you?! I got your message from my brother. Thanks for writing. I am in Iowa, unfortunately, and facing some problems here, but such is life.
Unfortunately, I cannot say that I am well, at least, not as well as you. I have developed severe psychiatric problems ever since my marriage and divorce, and have been in and out of mental hospitals ever since. Lovely, eh?
Well, it is interesting that you work for the Public Defender. I hope all goes well there. I actually have a Public Defender right now for a legal matter I am facing, but I should come out of it all right, so, there you are.
I have to run at the moment, but let people know that I am indeed alive. Write back, and
take care.
You Old Best Friend

I already responded to him but this letter just broke my heart. I was feeling positive about how things were going and then I get this email from one of my best friends in high school. We stopped regularly emailing each other several years ago for a zillion reasons but reading this was still hard.

I kind of feel like an asshole for not being there for him or his family (who were alway really good to me). The asshole in me just cannot go away I guess.

Full post as published by Of a Public Defender's Life on August 16, 2007 (boomark / email).