The Love We Make has a lovely story about someone she calls. "The Smiler." He is a man with a beautiful smile, who is always eager for a sidewalk conversation and/or a pleasant greeting.
He lives on the block she used to live on and where her children live part-time:
I lived on that block for
5 years, a mere fraction of the time The Smiler has, during that time I
must have walked down it thousands of times, through all four seasons,
carrying bundles, pushing a stroller, rushing off to work or to pick up
the kids.Often I would see him outside his house puttering around, he
would always look up, always with that same friendly smile. He reminded
me of my father in his later years, there was something distinctly
sentimental about his look, something shy but open at the same time,his
energy seemed unrelentingly kind and loving.I never really knew him. I
almost never stopped to talk, except when my kids were dawdling or
learning how to walk, the pace was much too slow to avoid his welcoming
glance and it seemed futile not to strike up a conversation. We mostly
talked about the kids, he knew my ex’s family for many years and would
always ask about them, eager to hear, as though their lives were a
vital part of his.