His shoes appeared to have seen their final days as he stood partially in the street due to a lack of sidewalk while pausing to look back. Other pedestrians busy in conversation hurried past as if he was not there.
Sometimes a the gentle hello to a total stranger can change a life.
“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” - Tennessee Williams, American playwright, first made famous at age 33 with "The Glass Menagerie" (1911-1983)