In Such Poor Health I Couldn’t Walk When a Man Virtually Carried Me to a Bathroom.

During my my late teens, my morning travel involved an packed public transport. It remained crowded and invariably became without any seats by the time I got on.

On one specific day, I began feeling incredibly sick as the bus rocked around every turn. I repeatedly told myself to persevere for a few more stops so the bus could arrived at my destination, and then I could make a mad dash toward the most convenient washroom to be sick.

As we neared the road leading to the destination as I understood I would not be to last. In an instant, it felt as if a fog descended upon me. Everything just went white and really quiet; as if someone cut the sound. My mind raced, “I am about to pass out”.

Thankfully, I was positioned near the front of the bus, so I managed several steps toward the driver and asked the driver to open the doors, telling him I needed to get ill. The driver opened the bus doors and I weakly exited on to the pavement.

My intention was not to vomit in front of a busy multi-lane road, so I gathered myself and began attempting to stumble toward the green space on the other side, where I believed I’d at least be able to discreetly hide near some foliage to throw up. However I apparently fainted. I sensed my body but walking was impossible or see properly, so I began crawling towards the park.

“Everything alright, love?”

Right then, someone picked me up. I sensed a strong arm supporting me and heard a man say, “You right, love?” I told this kind passerby that I had to to vomit. Therefore, he almost helped me walk into a close-by structure and put me in the ladies’ toilets. He asked me whether I required him to wait for me but I refused.

A few minutes later, I felt better to the point of sitting on the toilet when from beyond the stall I heard his voice asking, “Do you need anything, love? Do you need anything?” I could not to stand up right away but did manage to express my gratitude and after a few more minutes recovered the use of my limbs. I returned home and spent several days recovering from what was later diagnosed as a nasty tummy bug.

I did not see that man’s face – only his legs along with a sizable metal toolbox he held – but he helped me, during a time when I was at my most vulnerable.

Many times, life has a way of making you guarded, hostile, and combative. What he did was the kind of action that reverses that hardening of the heart. He served as evidence that our default setting is towards kindness, something I love about my fellow humans.