In a post that's going viral on Reddit, a bearded man with weathered skin smiles for a photo next to a beautiful girl.
Redditor pmrhobo identifies the unlikely pair of friends as his sister and Tony, a homeless veteran who hangs out near her workplace. According to his sister, who typed up the story for pmrhobo to share, the two of them talk and eat lunch together often.
"Tony tells me about his war stories, loved ones, and who should win the Super Bowl," she wrote in the Dec. 5 post. "I tell Tony about my problems, loved ones, and how I don't really care who should win the Super Bowl."
Over the past month, which she described as one of the hardest times of her life, Tony helped her navigate some tough personal issues.
"At times there really seemed as if there wouldn't be solace," she wrote. "Tony was there for me, listened each day as things got worse and surely pushed me to move forward and continue working toward my dreams and ambitions."
One day, Tony's steady support culminated when he made a gesture that took her completely by surprise:
I was walking outside still feeling sorry for myself listening to self-loathing music when I felt a tap on the shoulder. It was Tony. Tony looks at me more seriously than he usually does and says he has something for me. From his army jacket pocket, he pulls out a watch head. Tony takes my hand and gently places the broken antique in my palm.
He says to me, "I don't have much but I wanted you to know that you have done what many others would not simply by being my friend."
As Tony walked away, she started to cry. At that moment, a realization took hold.
"When you reach out and do something kind for someone less fortunate, you get back not only what you gave, but infinitely more," she wrote.
Users who commented on the thread seemed to agree, including one who said he used to be homeless.
"Every single time a 'regular person' treated me like a human being, it was refreshing and heartwarming," wrote Franco_DeMayo. "I'm glad that Tony got the chance to touch your life, as I can confidently say that it probably meant a whole lot to him to be able to give back in some way."
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