In Such Poor Health I Was Unable to Walk When a Man Essentially Lifted Me to a Bathroom.
At the age of 19 years old, my daily commute meant taking an crowded coach. It was perpetually jammed and would always be standing room only when I boarded.
On one specific day, I was feeling terribly ill as the bus lurched around every turn. I repeatedly told myself to hold on for a few more stops before the bus reached my stop, so I could then make a mad dash for the nearest washroom to throw up.
As we neared the street towards the destination as it dawned on me I wasn’t going to make it. Suddenly, it felt as if a fog descended upon me. My vision turned white and really quiet; like someone had turned off the audio. I said to myself, “I’m going to faint”.
Thankfully, I was positioned close to the driver on the bus, allowing me to take a couple of steps forward and told the operator to pull over, explaining to him I was going to vomit. He promptly opened the bus doors and I weakly exited on to the pavement.
My intention was to avoid being sick before a busy multi-lane road, so I picked myself up and started trying to stumble toward the green space on the other side, thinking I could it would allow me to find some privacy near some foliage to be sick. But then I must have blacked out. I was aware of my body but I couldn’t walk and my vision was blurry, so I began dragging myself toward the park.
“Everything alright, love?”
Right then, someone picked me up. I felt someone holding me and a man’s voice asked, “Are you okay, dear?” I managed to tell the unknown man that I had to to be sick. So he virtually carried me over to a close-by structure and guided me inside the women’s restroom. He wanted to know if I needed him to remain with me but I declined.
A few minutes later, I regained my composure to the point of sitting down and from outside the door I heard him inquire, “Do you need anything, love? Can I get you something?” I wasn’t able to stand up at that moment but I did succeed to say thank you and following a brief period recovered the use of my limbs. I got myself home passing several days getting over what turned out to be a severe stomach virus.
I did not see that man’s face – just his lower half and a large container for tools he had with him – yet he rescued me, when I was completely helpless.
Frequently, society tends to make people self-protective, pushy, and rivalrous. What he did was the kind of action that melts away that hardening of the heart. He served as evidence that humanity’s innate tendency is to be kind, something I love about humanity.
