What makes someone worth helping?

I was walking my dog today, and after our usual route, we stopped at the only shop we ever go to. I’m autistic, and he’s a dog; we do things ritualistically, the same way, every day.

As I tied up my little ginger beast, I noticed a man sitting on a fence, staring into nothing. It was clear he’d just been discharged from the hospital nearby. I went in, grabbed what I needed, and when I came back out, he was still there. Still staring. Still sitting in the sun.

So I asked if he was okay. If he wanted me to call someone. If he needed water.

He mumbled something; he was clearly weak. I asked what kind of water he preferred. He said he just wanted to go home.

I told him I’d just had surgery myself, couldn’t drive, and my car was in the shop anyway. Before I launched into more useless info, I asked again: what kind of water?

“Still, please,” he said.

So I went back in, bought the water, and before heading out, I told the cashier, just in case she knew someone going his way. It’s a small town. People know people.

She glanced out the window, saw him, and said, “Oh, that guy…”

So, coming from someone dealing with a second skin cancer, multiple operations, and who’s received little to no empathy (though, to be fair, neither I nor that man asked for any, and I know no one owes us anything),

I’m asking you:

What makes a person worth a bit of your kindness?
Or at the very least,
more than your indifference.