In Such Poor Health Walking Was Impossible When a Man Virtually Carried Me to a Restroom.
During my nineteenth year, my daily commute was on an packed public transport. The vehicle was always crowded and invariably became standing room only by the time I boarded.
On one specific day, I began feeling quite nauseous as the bus rocked around the bends. I repeatedly told myself to hold on just a little longer so the bus could got to where I needed to get off, and then I could make a mad dash to the closest public toilet to throw up.
We were coming down the road leading to my stop and it dawned on me I would not be to make it. In an instant, it was like a curtain fell over me. Everything just went blank and silent; as if someone cut the sound. My mind raced, “I’m going to faint”.
Fortunately, I stood toward the front on the bus, allowing me to take a few steps toward the driver and asked the driver to open the doors, telling him I needed to be sick. He opened the entrance and I stumbled out out onto the street.
I was resolved to avoid being sick in view of multiple lanes of cars, so I gathered myself and began attempting to make my way across to the park on the other side, thinking I could I could at least discreetly hide near some foliage to vomit. However I must have fainted. I was aware of my physical self, yet I was unable to walk and my vision was blurry, leading me to start dragging myself toward the park.
“You right, love?”
At that moment, I was lifted up. There was a strong arm supporting me and heard a man say, “Everything alright, love?” I managed to tell the unknown man that I had to to be sick. So he virtually supported my weight into an adjacent building and put me in the ladies’ toilets. He inquired whether I required him to stay with me but I declined.
Not long after, I regained my composure enough to sit down and from outside the door I heard him ask, “Are you OK, love? Can I get you something?” I wasn’t able to rise at that moment but I was able to thank him and after a few more minutes recovered the use of my legs. I got myself home and spent the following days healing from what was later diagnosed as a nasty tummy bug.
I never glimpsed that man’s face – just his lower half 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 guarded, hostile, and combative. What he did was the kind of action that reverses that emotional callousness. He was proof that our default setting leans toward compassion, something I love in other people.
