In Such Poor Health I Was Unable to Walk When a Man Essentially Lifted Me to the Toilets.

At the age of my late teens, my daily commute was on an packed public transport. The vehicle was always jammed and invariably became standing room only when I got on.

One particular morning, I began feeling quite nauseous as the bus rocked around the bends. I kept telling myself to endure for a few more stops until the bus reached where I needed to get off, so I could then sprint quickly for the nearest public restroom to vomit.

As we neared the road leading to the stop when I realised I would not be to hold on. Suddenly, it felt as if a fog descended upon me. Everything just went blank and silent; as if someone turned off the audio. I thought, “I’m going to faint”.

Fortunately, I stood toward the front inside the vehicle, so I managed a few steps to ask the driver and asked the driver to open the doors, telling him I needed to get ill. He opened the bus doors and I weakly exited onto the sidewalk.

I was resolved not to vomit before a busy multi-lane road, so I picked myself up and began attempting to stumble to the park on the other side, thinking I could I could at least find some privacy near some foliage to throw up. However I apparently lost consciousness. I sensed my body but I couldn’t walk or see clearly, leading me to start crawling towards the grassy area.

“Everything alright, love?”

At that moment, someone picked me up. I felt someone holding me and a stranger inquired, “You right, love?” I managed to tell the mysterious stranger that I had to to be sick. Thus, he practically supported my weight down into an adjacent building and placed me inside the women’s restroom. He asked me whether I required him to stay with me but I declined.

After a short while, I had recovered to the point of sitting on the toilet when from beyond the stall I heard his voice asking, “Are you OK, love? Can I get you something?” I was incapable to get up right away but did manage to express my gratitude and following a brief period recovered the use of my limbs. I returned home passing the following days getting over what turned out to be a severe stomach virus.

I never glimpsed his features – only his legs and the big metal toolbox he held – yet he rescued me, during a time when I was in my weakest state.

Often this world can make you self-protective, pushy, and rivalrous. His was the sort of gesture that undoes that protective shell. He demonstrated that our default setting is to be kind, a trait I cherish in other people.