In Such Poor Health I Couldn’t Walk When a Man Virtually Carried Me to a Bathroom.
At the age of nineteenth year, my morning travel involved an crowded coach. It remained full and was consistently without any seats by the time I got on.
During a certain commute, I was feeling terribly ill while the vehicle swayed around each corner. I continuously reassured myself to hold on for a few more stops so the bus could reached my stop, at which point I could sprint quickly to the closest washroom to vomit.
We were coming down the avenue close to my stop and I realised I wasn’t going to last. In an instant, it felt as if a veil came over me. Everything just went hazy and muffled; as if someone turned off the audio. My mind raced, “I’m going to faint”.
Fortunately, I stood near the front inside the vehicle, allowing me to take a couple of steps to ask the driver and told the operator to stop, explaining to him I was going to get ill. He promptly opened the doors and I stumbled out onto the sidewalk.
My intention was to avoid being sick before multiple lanes of cars, so I forced myself up and began attempting to stumble to the park across the road, where I thought I’d at least be able to discreetly hide among some shrubs to vomit. But then I must have blacked out. I was aware of my physical self, yet walking was impossible or see properly, so I began dragging myself toward the park.
“Are you okay, dear?”
At that moment, I was lifted up. I sensed an arm around my waist and heard a man say, “Are you okay, dear?” I told this unknown man that I required to be sick. So he virtually supported my weight into an adjacent building and placed me in the ladies’ toilets. He inquired if I wanted him to wait for me but I said no.
A few minutes later, I felt better to the point of sitting on the toilet and from the other side of the door came him ask, “Are you OK, love? Is there anything you require?” I was incapable to rise right away but I did succeed to thank him and after a few more minutes was able to move my feet. I returned home passing the following days recovering from what turned out to be a nasty tummy bug.
I never saw the stranger’s face – only his legs along with a sizable container for tools he had with him – but he helped me, when I was in my weakest state.
Many times, life can make you guarded, hostile, and combative. His was the sort of gesture that reverses that emotional callousness. He served as evidence that people’s natural inclination is to be kind, something I love in other people.
