I Was So Ill I Was Unable to Walk When a Man Virtually Carried Me to a Bathroom.

At the age of my late teens, my daily commute involved an packed public transport. It remained full and was consistently standing room only by the time I stepped aboard.

On one specific day, I was feeling terribly ill as the bus lurched around every turn. I repeatedly told myself to persevere just a little longer before the bus reached my destination, at which point I could rush hurriedly to the closest washroom to throw up.

We were coming down the avenue close to the destination as I understood I would not be to last. All of a sudden, it was like a curtain fell over me. The world became blank and silent; as if someone cut the sound. I said to myself, “I am about to pass out”.

Thankfully, I was positioned close to the driver on the bus, allowing me to take a few steps forward and told the operator to open the doors, informing him I needed to vomit. He promptly opened the entrance and I weakly exited onto the sidewalk.

I was resolved to not get sick in view of six lanes of traffic, so I picked myself up and began attempting to make my way across to the park opposite the street, where I thought I’d at least be able to find some privacy behind a bush to be sick. However I must have fainted. I was aware of my physical self, yet I was unable to walk or see clearly, so I started inching my way to my intended destination.

“Are you okay, dear?”

In that instant, I got scooped up. I sensed a strong arm supporting me and heard a man say, “You right, love?” I managed to tell the mysterious stranger that I needed to vomit. Thus, he practically carried me into a nearby building and placed me into the female bathroom. He wanted to know if I needed him to stay with me but I refused.

After a short while, I had recovered sufficiently to sit down when from beyond the door I heard him inquire, “Do you need anything, love? Is there anything you require?” I was incapable to rise right away but did manage to say thank you and after a few more minutes regained the function of my limbs. I returned home passing the following days getting over what was later diagnosed as a nasty tummy bug.

I did not see the stranger’s face – just his lower half along with a sizable metal toolbox he held – yet he rescued me, during a time when I was completely helpless.

Frequently, society can make you self-protective, pushy, and rivalrous. His was the sort of gesture that reverses that emotional callousness. He served as evidence that our default setting leans toward compassion, a trait I cherish about my fellow humans.