I Was So Ill I Was Unable to Walk When a Man Practically Supported Me to a Restroom.

Back when I was my late teens, my regular journey to work was on an packed public transport. The vehicle was always jammed and would always be without any seats once I stepped aboard.

On one specific day, I was feeling terribly ill when the coach rocked around each corner. I kept telling myself to persevere another few kilometres before the bus reached where I needed to get off, and then I could rush hurriedly toward the most convenient public restroom to be sick.

As we neared the street towards the destination as I realised I was unable to hold on. Suddenly, it felt as if a veil came over me. The world became blank and silent; as if someone cut the sound. I thought, “I am about to pass out”.

Thankfully, I was positioned close to the driver of the bus, so I took a couple of steps to ask the driver and told the operator to open the doors, informing him that I was about to be sick. He promptly opened the bus doors and I stumbled out out onto the street.

I was resolved to not get sick before six lanes of traffic, so I gathered myself and started trying to make my way to the park opposite the street, thinking I could I’d at least be able to find some privacy near some foliage to throw up. However I must have blacked out. I was aware of my body but I was unable to walk or see clearly, so I began crawling towards the grassy area.

“Everything alright, love?”

In that instant, I was lifted up. There was a strong arm supporting me and a stranger inquired, “You right, love?” I managed to tell the mysterious stranger that I needed to get to a bathroom. Thus, he practically carried me over to a nearby building and guided me into the female bathroom. He wanted to know if I wanted him to remain with me but I declined.

After a short while, I regained my composure to the point of sitting on the toilet and from outside the door came his voice asking, “Are you feeling better, dear? Do you need anything?” I could not to stand up just then but I was able to say thank you and after a few more minutes was able to move my limbs. I got myself home and spent the next few days healing from which was a horrible case of gastroenteritis.

I never glimpsed the stranger’s face – only his legs and the big metal toolbox he held – but he helped me, at a moment I was at my most vulnerable.

Many times, life has a way of making you guarded, hostile, and combative. What he did was the kind of action that melts away that protective shell. He demonstrated that people’s natural inclination is to be kind, a trait I cherish about my fellow humans.