In Such Poor Health Walking Was Impossible When a Man Practically Supported Me to a Restroom.
During my my late teens, my regular journey to work involved an express bus. It remained crowded and was consistently completely full by the time I boarded.
During a certain commute, I began feeling terribly ill when the coach lurched around every turn. I kept telling myself to hold on for a few more stops before the bus reached my stop, at which point I could make a mad dash toward the most convenient washroom to vomit.
We were coming down the road leading to the destination as it dawned on me I wasn’t going to make it. All of a sudden, it seemed a veil came over me. My vision turned blank and silent; similar to when one turned off the audio. My mind raced, “I am about to pass out”.
Fortunately, I stood toward the front inside the vehicle, so I managed a few steps forward and asked the driver to open the doors, telling him that I was about to get ill. He opened the bus doors and I hurriedly stepped on to the pavement.
I was determined not to vomit before a busy multi-lane road, so I picked myself up and endeavored to make my way across to the park on the other side, where I thought I could at least secretly conceal myself near some foliage to be sick. But then I apparently blacked out. I was aware of my physical self, yet I was unable to walk or see properly, leading me to start crawling towards the grassy area.
“Everything alright, love?”
Right then, I got scooped up. I felt an arm around my waist and a stranger inquired, “Are you okay, dear?” I managed to tell the mysterious stranger that I had to to get to a bathroom. So he virtually carried me into a nearby building and put me in the ladies’ toilets. He asked me if I wanted him to stay with me but I said no.
A few minutes later, I regained my composure sufficiently to sit on the toilet and from the other side of the door came him inquire, “Do you need anything, love? Do you need anything?” I wasn’t able to stand up at that moment but did manage to say thank you and following a brief period was able to move my feet. I returned home and spent several days getting over what was later diagnosed as a nasty tummy bug.
I did not see that man’s face – only his legs and the big steelwork tools container he had with him – but he saved me, when I was at my most vulnerable.
Often this world tends to make people defensive, aggressive and competitive. His was the sort of gesture that undoes that hardening of the heart. He was proof that our default setting is towards kindness, a trait I cherish about my fellow humans.
