In Such Poor Health I Couldn’t Walk When a Man Practically Supported Me to the Toilets.
Back when I was 19 years old, my daily commute meant taking an express bus. It remained jammed and would always be completely full by the time I boarded.
On one specific day, I was feeling quite nauseous as the bus rocked around every turn. I kept telling myself to hold on another few kilometres until the bus reached my stop, at which point I could make a mad dash for the nearest public toilet to throw up.
As we neared the street towards my stop and it dawned on me I was unable to last. All of a sudden, it felt as if a fog descended upon me. My vision turned hazy and muffled; like someone had turned off the audio. My mind raced, “I will lose consciousness”.
Fortunately, I stood close to the driver on the bus, allowing me to take a few steps forward and asked the driver to stop, telling him I was going to vomit. The driver opened the bus doors and I hurriedly stepped on to the pavement.
I was determined to not get sick before multiple lanes of cars, so I gathered myself and endeavored to stumble across to the park on the other side, thinking I could I’d at least be able to discreetly hide behind a bush to be sick. However I likely blacked out. I sensed my limbs, but walking was impossible or see clearly, leading me to start crawling towards the park.
“Are you okay, dear?”
In that instant, someone picked me up. I sensed a strong arm supporting me and a stranger inquired, “Everything alright, love?” I explained to this kind passerby that I required to vomit. So he virtually helped me walk over to a close-by structure and placed me inside the women’s restroom. He inquired whether I required him to remain with me but I declined.
Not long after, I felt better sufficiently to sit on the restroom floor and from the other side of the door I heard him ask, “Are you feeling better, dear? Can I get you something?” I could not to get up at that moment but I was able to express my gratitude and after a few more minutes was able to move my feet. I returned home passing the next few days getting over what turned out to be a severe stomach virus.
I never saw that man’s face – merely his legs along with a sizable metal toolbox he had with him – yet he rescued me, at a moment I was at my most vulnerable.
Many times, life can make you defensive, aggressive and competitive. His was the sort of gesture that undoes that emotional callousness. He demonstrated that humanity’s innate tendency is towards kindness, a quality I adore about humanity.
