I Was So Ill Walking Was Impossible When a Man Essentially Lifted Me to the Toilets.
Back when I was nineteenth year, my daily commute meant taking an express bus. The vehicle was always crowded and was consistently without any seats when I boarded.
During a certain commute, I started experiencing incredibly sick while the vehicle swayed around each corner. I repeatedly told myself to persevere another few kilometres before the bus got to my stop, and then I could rush hurriedly to the closest public restroom to vomit.
As we neared the avenue close to the stop when I understood I was unable to last. Suddenly, it seemed a fog descended upon me. The world became white and really quiet; similar to when one muted everything. I thought, “I will lose consciousness”.
Fortunately, I stood toward the front on the bus, so I took several steps toward the driver and told the operator to stop, explaining to him I needed to vomit. He promptly opened the bus doors and I hurriedly stepped onto the sidewalk.
I was determined to not get sick before six lanes of traffic, so I forced myself up and endeavored to walk toward the green space opposite the street, where I believed I’d at least be able to discreetly hide near some foliage to throw up. But then I must have fainted. I sensed my limbs, but I was unable to walk and my vision was blurry, leading me to start dragging myself toward my intended destination.
“Are you okay, dear?”
In that instant, I was lifted up. There was someone holding me and heard a man say, “Everything alright, love?” I explained to this kind passerby that I had to to be sick. Therefore, he almost supported my weight down into a close-by structure and guided me inside the women’s restroom. He wanted to know whether I required him to remain with me but I refused.
A few minutes later, I regained my composure sufficiently to sit on the toilet and from the other side of the door I heard his voice asking, “Are you feeling better, dear? Do you need anything?” I could not to rise at that moment but I was able to say thank you and following a brief period recovered the use of my legs. I made my way home and then spent the following days recovering from what turned out to be a horrible case of gastroenteritis.
I never saw that man’s face – merely his legs and a large metal toolbox he held – but he helped me, when I was at my most vulnerable.
Often this world tends to make people guarded, hostile, and combative. What he did was the kind of action that undoes that protective shell. He demonstrated that our default setting is to be kind, a quality I adore about humanity.
