He’d been a fixture in my day, one of the people I passed walking the 100 yards from the condo to the BTS Skytrain, one of the regulars asking for money.
Over time we made eye contact. We didn’t have a relationship, but we had a consistent interaction, a connection. I knew nothing of his life other than the daily need to ask people for help supporting himself. Our relationship was bounded by that 100 yards of sidewalk.
He hasn’t been there for a couple weeks. I miss his warm acknowledgement each day, but I hope for him that his absence signifies an improvement in his circumstances.