"Yeah...that must be hard."

He can imagine it. Having your friend there, only to lose them again and again. Sure, he'd planned on going to school and leaving Alberto again and again, but that was different. For one thing, he fully intended to call and write all the time. For another, Alberto knew how long he'd be gone for and when he'd come back. To be totally cut off and not know if he'd see her again, only to get his hopes up, and then have it ripped away again...