familiar stranger

i  met this man on the train a while back in nyc. he sat there contently with a shopping cart filled with tree branched. i immediately wanted to know his story, and after a bit of observation and an "i dare you" from my friends i worked up enough courage to approach him. "can i take your picture?"i simultaneously asked while sitting down making myself comfortable he smiled warmly and did not seem to mind. "i used to have a camera like that" he informed me as i took his picture. though im pretty sure he failed to realize it was a lazy digital. i talked to him for a while and he shared stories of his childhood,and about his  dad being a photographer. i also learned that he used to be a mall santa clause, born in ipanema, and from our convo a beautiful person.