In Such Poor Health I Was Unable to Walk When a Man Virtually Carried Me to the Toilets.

At the age of nineteenth year, my daily commute meant taking an crowded coach. The vehicle was always jammed and invariably became standing room only when I got on.

On one specific day, I was feeling quite nauseous when the coach lurched around every turn. I repeatedly told myself to hold on for a few more stops so the bus could got to where I needed to get off, and then I could make a mad dash for the nearest public restroom to be sick.

As we neared the street towards the destination as I understood I would not be to make it. In an instant, it felt as if a fog descended upon me. My vision turned hazy and muffled; similar to when one turned off the audio. My mind raced, “I’m going to faint”.

Luckily I was close to the driver of the bus, allowing me to take several steps to ask the driver and told the operator to stop, explaining to him I needed to be sick. The driver opened the entrance and I stumbled out out onto the street.

I was resolved not to vomit in front of six lanes of traffic, so I picked myself up and started trying to make my way to the park across the road, where I believed it would allow me to secretly conceal myself behind a bush to be sick. Yet I apparently lost consciousness. I was aware of my physical self, yet I was unable to walk and my vision was blurry, leading me to start crawling towards my intended destination.

“Are you okay, dear?”

At that moment, someone picked me up. I sensed a strong arm supporting me and a man’s voice asked, “You right, love?” I explained to this mysterious stranger that I had to to be sick. Therefore, he almost supported my weight down into a close-by structure and guided me inside the women’s restroom. He asked me if I needed him to stay with me but I said no.

After a short while, I regained my composure to the point of sitting on the toilet and from the other side of the door came his voice asking, “Do you need anything, love? Is there anything you require?” I wasn’t able to rise just then but I was able to say thank you and after a few more minutes was able to move my feet. I got myself home and then spent the next few days recovering from what was later diagnosed as a nasty tummy bug.

I did not see the stranger’s face – merely his legs and the big container for tools he had with him – but he saved me, when I was in my weakest state.

Often this world has a way of making you self-protective, pushy, and rivalrous. His was the sort of gesture that reverses that hardening of the heart. He demonstrated that humanity’s innate tendency is towards kindness, something I love about humanity.