My sympathetic friend³

An elderly man who is very tall often sees me at my 800-metre mark. He is usually accompanied by his small dog. Whenever this gentleman sees me, he has to greet me. A few days ago, he said with such sympathy, “When are you going to start running again?”

I was walking, but for years and years he has seen me running. He was not joking. He feels genuinely sad that I cannot run. So I gave him a very grateful smile.