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

During my my late teens, my morning travel meant taking an express bus. It remained crowded and would always be completely full once I boarded.

On one specific day, I started experiencing terribly ill while the vehicle swayed around every turn. I continuously reassured myself to persevere another few kilometres before the bus reached my destination, at which point I could make a mad dash toward the most convenient public toilet to throw up.

The bus was approaching the street towards the destination as it dawned on me I would not be to hold on. All of a sudden, it was like a curtain fell over me. My vision turned blank and silent; similar to when one turned off the audio. I thought, “I am about to pass out”.

Luckily I was toward the front of the bus, so I took several steps toward the driver and told the operator to open the doors, explaining to him I was going to be sick. He promptly opened the entrance and I weakly exited out onto the street.

I was resolved to avoid being sick before multiple lanes of cars, so I picked myself up and started trying to stumble to the park on the other side, thinking I could I’d at least be able to secretly conceal myself behind a bush to vomit. However I likely lost consciousness. I could feel my body but walking was impossible or see properly, so I began dragging myself toward my intended destination.

“Are you okay, dear?”

In that instant, I was lifted up. There was a strong arm supporting me and a man’s voice asked, “Everything alright, love?” I told this kind passerby that I required to be sick. Thus, he practically supported my weight into a nearby building and placed me inside the women’s restroom. He asked me if I needed him to remain with me but I declined.

After a short while, I regained my composure to the point of sitting on the restroom floor when from beyond the door I heard his voice asking, “Are you OK, love? Do you need anything?” I wasn’t able to get up right away but did manage to say thank you and after a few more minutes was able to move my feet. I returned home and spent the next few days recovering from what was later diagnosed as a nasty tummy bug.

I never glimpsed that man’s face – only his legs and a large container for tools he held – but he saved me, during a time when I was in my weakest state.

Frequently, society has a way of making you self-protective, pushy, and rivalrous. His was the sort of gesture that reverses that protective shell. He was proof that our default setting is towards kindness, a quality I adore about humanity.