In Such Poor Health I Couldn’t Walk When a Man Essentially Lifted Me to the Toilets.
Back when I was my late teens, my regular journey to work involved an packed public transport. It remained jammed and would always be without any seats once I boarded.
On one specific day, I was feeling terribly ill as the bus swayed around the bends. I kept telling myself to hold on for a few more stops before the bus reached where I needed to get off, so I could then sprint quickly toward the most convenient washroom to vomit.
The bus was approaching the avenue close to the stop when it dawned on me I wasn’t going to make it. In an instant, it felt as if a veil came over me. The world became blank and silent; like someone had turned off the audio. My mind raced, “I am about to pass out”.
Fortunately, I stood near the front inside the vehicle, allowing me to take a few steps forward and requested that the driver to stop, telling him I needed to be sick. He promptly opened the doors and I hurriedly stepped onto the sidewalk.
I was determined not to vomit in front of six lanes of traffic, so I gathered myself and began attempting to stumble across to the park opposite the street, where I believed I could at least discreetly hide near some foliage to throw up. However I likely blacked out. I could feel my limbs, but I was unable to walk or see clearly, so I started crawling towards the grassy area.
“Are you okay, dear?”
At that moment, someone picked me up. There was someone holding me and a man’s voice asked, “Are you okay, dear?” I told this unknown man that I had to to vomit. Thus, he practically helped me walk down into a close-by structure and placed me in the ladies’ toilets. He inquired if I needed him to stay with me but I declined.
A few minutes later, I regained my composure enough to sit down when from beyond the door came him ask, “Are you OK, love? Is there anything you require?” I was incapable to get up right away but I did succeed to say thank you and following a brief period regained the function of my legs. I returned home and then spent the following days healing from what turned out to be a severe stomach virus.
I never saw his features – just his lower half and a large container for tools he held – but he saved me, when I was at my most vulnerable.
Frequently, society has a way of making you defensive, aggressive and competitive. His was the sort of gesture that reverses that emotional callousness. He demonstrated that our default setting leans toward compassion, a quality I adore about humanity.