To be honest, I was a little flustered.
I did not expect to be commended for helping him or anybody else.
When I was young, I was taught to be selfless; sacrificing oneself for another may sound ridiculous to many other people, but that selflessness saved me one too many times as a young child in an unhappy household.
I found myself feeling a bit unsure about how to respond to such genuine appreciation. It was a mix of gratitude and uncertainty about the best way to respond to it.
I realised that sometimes the best response is to not speak at all and continue to let the person express what they want to say and finish speaking.
I also wondered when he learned to speak so eloquently, or if he just always could.