In Such Poor Health I Was Unable to Walk When a Man Practically Supported Me to the Toilets.
Back when I was my late teens, my regular journey to work meant taking an crowded coach. The vehicle was always jammed and would always be standing room only by the time I got on.
During a certain commute, I started experiencing incredibly sick while the vehicle swayed around the bends. I continuously reassured myself to endure just a little longer before the bus got to my destination, and then I could sprint quickly for the nearest public toilet to throw up.
We were coming down the avenue close to the destination as I understood I would not be to last. In an instant, it was like a veil came over me. The world became hazy and muffled; similar to when one turned off the audio. I said to myself, “I’m going to faint”.
Luckily I was toward the front of the bus, so I took a few steps forward and told the operator to open the doors, informing him that I was about to be sick. He opened the doors and I stumbled out out onto the street.
My intention was not to vomit before six lanes of traffic, so I gathered myself and endeavored to stumble across to the park across the road, where I believed I’d at least be able to find some privacy behind a bush to throw up. But then I likely fainted. I was aware of my limbs, but I was unable to walk or see clearly, so I began dragging myself toward the grassy area.
“Everything alright, love?”
In that instant, I was lifted up. I sensed a strong arm supporting me and a stranger inquired, “Everything alright, love?” I managed to tell the unknown man that I had to to be sick. Therefore, he almost carried me over to an adjacent building and put me inside the women’s restroom. He asked me if I wanted him to stay with me but I declined.
After a short while, I regained my composure sufficiently to sit on the restroom floor when from beyond the door came his voice asking, “Do you need anything, love? Do you need anything?” I could not to get up at that moment but did manage to thank him and shortly thereafter was able to move my feet. I made my way home passing the following days recovering from what was later diagnosed as a horrible case of gastroenteritis.
I never saw his features – merely his legs and the big steelwork tools container he held – but he saved me, at a moment I was at my most vulnerable.
Many times, life can make you guarded, hostile, and combative. His was the sort of gesture that reverses that protective shell. He served as evidence that humanity’s innate tendency leans toward compassion, a quality I adore in other people.