Friend from way back called asking for help. What would you have done?

[SlitheryDee]

So, today being a day off for me, I went to bed around 4:00 A.M. this morning. At 4:40 my phone rings and it's a dude I was friends with around 10 years ago. I had just enough time to be deeply asleep, so at first I didn't entirely comprehend what he was saying, but the gist of it was that he was in jail somewhere and needed me to "take possession of his finances" in order to get him out. This sounded shady to me, and I think I asked him why he was in there, but I don't remember what he said in reply.

I recall saying that I was asleep now, and he should call someone else for help. He said I was the only one who picked up, so I told him to call back in the morning. He said he couldn't do that, and I told him flatly that the answer was no in that case.

This morning I picked up my phone to call him back and saw that I had a bunch of texts from him. They essentially said "Actually I didn't need your help at all. That was a test, but it's nice to know who you can't depend on".

Ok, so I've heard of pranks like this, but one has never been done to me before. After I got over being pissed off over it, I started wondering how many people would have said they would help him? Remember, I was half asleep, the story was kinda strange, and the situation really wasn't life threatening. What would you have done?

 

[highland145]

dude I was friends with around 10 years ago.

That was a test, but it's nice to know who you can't depend on

eff him. "Friends" like that, I can do without.

 

[FallenHero]

10 years ago? I would have told him to piss off as you did. Friends don't wait 10 years to call each other.

 

[CPA]

didn't sound like a prank to me. Sounded like a douchebag who needed to see who loved him, in his irrational, delusional mind.

 

[SlitheryDee]

10 years ago? I would have told him to piss off as you did. Friends don't wait 10 years to call each other.

I should qualify that with the fact that I still "sort of know" him through facebook and I do still consider him to be a friend, if not a particularly close one. I can't say that he's someone I haven't even thought of in years though. I just haven't spoken to him or seen him in around 10 years.

 

[MontyAC]

Cross him off the friend list.

 

[Tweak155]

10 year gap in communication? See ya! People change a lot in 10 years.

 

[KaOTiK]

10 year gap, depending on how good the friendship was and why we stopped talking/hanging out would determine my answer some. But I would have helped probably anyways. Nothing sucks more then needing help and not being able to get someone to help you.

 

[Platypus]

if we haven't spoken in 10 years, you're not the kind of friend I would help out of trouble with the law.

what a fucking drama queen, you are better off without him in your life.

 

[Fritzo]

What a freak.

 

[SlitheryDee]

10 year gap, depending on how good the friendship was and why we stopped talking/hanging out would determine my answer some. But I would have helped probably anyways. Nothing sucks more then needing help and not being able to get someone to help you.

In our case it was a pretty good friendship, and we only drifted apart due to moving to different parts of the country, so I can't claim to have had some kind of altercation with him. He has a history of getting into bad situations from time to time. I've gone and picked him up from jail before. The last time he had been there for something like a year before being released. Don't get the wrong impression about him though. He's not exactly a deadbeat or anything. In fact, the reason he moved was to go get his PhD in Washington State University, which I think he has finished now.

My main thing is that I'm pretty sure I would have told ANYONE but close family no at that early hour after having had as little sleep as I had. If it's not life threatening, it would have to wait until morning for everyone else.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

What kind of douchebag calls someone at 4:40 am to 'test' them?

 

[Mixolydian]

Call the police. Psycho on the loose.

 

[Schfifty Five]

F that guy. If someone pulled that shiet on me, any semblance of friendship would be gone at that point.

 

[PottedMeat]

What kind of douchebag calls someone at 4:40 am to 'test' them?

post the number to craigslist as a contact for a bunch of cheap valuable stuff

 

[olds]

...I was friends with around 10 years ago..

You are stressing over this? Fuck him.

 

[gorcorps]

Sounds like you should call him up at 4am, then block his number forever

 

[gorcorps]

post the number to craigslist as a contact for a bunch of cheap valuable stuff

lol yes

 

[SunnyD]

Congratulations, you've now been placed on his hit list as the target of his next murder.

 

[CraigRT]

You are stressing over this? Fuck him.

Pretty much what I thought too.
Infact I would probably call him back and make sure he knows you think he is an asshole for pulling a BS stunt like that. What a douche.

 

[jagec]

What kind of douchebag calls someone at 4:40 am to 'test' them?

People who are part of a beer commercial.

 

[zinfamous]

didn't sound like a prank to me. Sounded like a douchebag who needed to see who loved him, in his irrational, delusional mind.

basically.

 

[Krazy4Real]

I would have done the same thing. Screw that.

 

[sourn]

Take control of his fiances sure. I'd tell him to contact his lawyer and have his lawyer contact me. While he sits in jail till it gets sorted out.

If later I found out it was a test, well ya pretty much everybody elses response. I'd laugh and say bye.

 

[KeithTalent]

if we haven't spoken in 10 years, you're not the kind of friend I would help out of trouble with the law.

what a fucking drama queen, you are better off without him in your life.

I'm going to have to go with this. Fortunately I have my phone set to disable all notifications while I sleep, so I never would have heard the call in the first place.

KT