I Was So Ill I Was Unable to Walk As a Stranger Essentially Lifted Me to a Restroom.
At the age of nineteenth year, my daily commute meant taking an crowded coach. It was perpetually jammed and was consistently completely full by the time I boarded.
During a certain commute, I started experiencing terribly ill as the bus swayed around every turn. I kept telling myself to endure another few kilometres before the bus got to my destination, at which point I could make a mad dash for the nearest public toilet to vomit.
As we neared the street towards the destination as I understood I was unable to make it. In an instant, it felt as if a veil came over me. Everything just went white and really quiet; similar to when one cut the sound. My mind raced, “I will lose consciousness”.
Fortunately, I stood near the front of the bus, so I managed a few steps forward and asked the driver to open the doors, telling him I was going to vomit. The driver opened the doors and I stumbled out on to the pavement.
My intention was not to vomit in front of six lanes of traffic, so I forced myself up and started trying to make my way to the park opposite the street, where I thought I could at least secretly conceal myself near some foliage to vomit. But then I apparently lost consciousness. I could feel my limbs, but walking was impossible and my vision was blurry, so I began crawling towards the park.
“Everything alright, love?”
At that moment, someone picked me up. I felt a strong arm supporting me and a stranger inquired, “Everything alright, love?” I managed to tell the unknown man that I needed to get to a bathroom. So he virtually carried me into an adjacent building and guided me inside the women’s restroom. He asked me if I needed him to stay with me but I refused.
After a short while, I regained my composure to the point of sitting down and from outside the stall I heard him ask, “Are you feeling better, dear? Do you need anything?” I could not to rise just then but I was able to express my gratitude and following a brief period was able to move my limbs. I made my way home and then spent several days healing from what was later diagnosed as a severe stomach virus.
I never glimpsed that man’s face – only his legs along with a sizable container for tools he was carrying – yet he rescued me, at a moment I was completely helpless.
Many times, life tends to make people self-protective, pushy, and rivalrous. What he did was the kind of action that melts away that protective shell. He was proof that humanity’s innate tendency is to be kind, a trait I cherish about humanity.
