I Was So Ill I Couldn’t Walk When a Man Virtually Carried Me to a Restroom.
Back when I was 19 years old, my morning travel meant taking an packed public transport. It remained jammed and would always be without any seats by the time I stepped aboard.
During a certain commute, I was feeling terribly ill when the coach lurched around every turn. I kept telling myself to endure for a few more stops so the bus could reached where I needed to get off, and then I could rush hurriedly to the closest public toilet to throw up.
We were coming down the street towards the destination as I understood I would not be to last. Suddenly, it felt as if a curtain fell over me. My vision turned blank and silent; similar to when one cut the sound. I said to myself, “I’m going to faint”.
Fortunately, I stood near the front on the bus, allowing me to take a couple of steps toward the driver and told the operator to open the doors, explaining to him I needed to be sick. The driver opened the bus doors and I stumbled out on to the pavement.
I was determined to avoid being sick in view of six lanes of traffic, so I forced myself up and began attempting to make my way toward the green space opposite the street, where I thought I’d at least be able to find some privacy among some shrubs to vomit. However I must have fainted. I sensed my limbs, but I couldn’t walk or see properly, so I started dragging myself toward the grassy area.
“Everything alright, love?”
In that instant, someone picked me up. I felt someone holding me and heard a man say, “You right, love?” I told this unknown man that I required to be sick. So he virtually helped me walk into an adjacent building and guided me into the female bathroom. He wanted to know if I wanted him to remain with me but I said no.
After a short while, I regained my composure sufficiently to sit on the restroom floor and from outside the stall I heard his voice asking, “Are you OK, love? Can I get you something?” I could not to stand up right away but did manage to say thank you and following a brief period recovered the use of my feet. I got myself home passing several days recovering from which was a horrible case of gastroenteritis.
I never saw the stranger’s face – merely his legs and the big container for tools he held – but he saved me, when I was at my most vulnerable.
Many times, life has a way of making you self-protective, pushy, and rivalrous. His was the sort of gesture that reverses that emotional callousness. He served as evidence that people’s natural inclination is towards kindness, a quality I adore about humanity.
