I had been dating my girlfriend for about seven or eight months, and when I could, I would drop her off at work. Sometimes I would park and walk her to her job. She works in a popular area for tourists, and there are also a lot of homeless people.

One day I walked her to the door of her job. As I walked back, a homeless man in his early 30s ran up to me, waving me down as he did so. My guard automatically went up.

“Excuse me! Is that your girlfriend?”

“Yes,” I answered. “Why?”

“I just want you to know that she is the only person that talks to any of us (the homeless population). She sees us, and makes us feel special. We all talk about it. She’s the only person that makes us not feel invisible.”

I thanked him for letting me know, and he walked off. Two days later I was waiting for her while she was using the public restroom near her work. The bathroom attendant, who sits at a desk and monitors activity since there are so many people coming in and out, called out to me.

“That’s your girlfriend in there?”

I nodded.

“I used to be homeless. She was always kind to me and made me feel like a human being. It helped me believe in myself and get this job.”

I proposed to her less than a week later. To me, someone’s true character is how they treat others who can’t benefit them in any way. Those two interactions solidified what I already knew, that I was with someone very special and kind.