The narrator had a close childhood friend named Juan Andres Caicedo who lived next door until Juan's parents got divorced when he was 10 years old and he moved to New York with his mother. They lost touch at that time and have not spoken in many years, though the narrator knows from Juan's aunt that he is now in the US Army. There are many reasons people can lose touch with friends over time, such as moving away, romantic relationships, preferring solitude, taking different paths in life, and priorities changing with age and family obligations.