Feeling So Sick I Couldn’t Walk As a Stranger Virtually Carried Me to a Bathroom.

Back when I was my late teens, my daily commute was on an express bus. It remained crowded and invariably became standing room only by the time I got on.

On one specific day, I was feeling incredibly sick while the vehicle swayed around every turn. I continuously reassured myself to hold on just a little longer before the bus got to my stop, at which point I could make a mad dash for the nearest washroom to throw up.

As we neared the avenue close to the stop when it dawned on me I wasn’t going to last. All of a sudden, it seemed a fog descended upon me. The world became blank and silent; as if someone turned off the audio. I said to myself, “I’m going to faint”.

Fortunately, I stood close to the driver inside the vehicle, so I managed several steps to ask the driver and told the operator to open the doors, telling him that I was about to get ill. He opened the entrance and I weakly exited out onto the street.

My intention was to avoid being sick before a busy multi-lane road, so I gathered myself and endeavored to make my way to the park opposite the street, where I believed it would allow me to find some privacy near some foliage to throw up. However I apparently fainted. I sensed my limbs, but I couldn’t walk and my vision was blurry, leading me to start dragging myself toward the grassy area.

“Everything alright, love?”

Right then, I was lifted up. I sensed an arm around my waist and a man’s voice asked, “Are you okay, dear?” I told this mysterious stranger that I needed to vomit. Therefore, he almost supported my weight over to an adjacent building and guided me inside the women’s restroom. He inquired if I needed him to stay with me but I said no.

Not long after, I had recovered to the point of sitting down when from beyond the door I heard his voice asking, “Are you feeling better, dear? Can I get you something?” I wasn’t able to stand up right away but I was able to say thank you and following a brief period recovered the use of my legs. I returned home passing the following days getting over what turned out to be a severe stomach virus.

I never saw that man’s face – only his legs and a large steelwork tools container he held – but he helped me, during a time when I was completely helpless.

Many times, life can make you defensive, aggressive and competitive. His was the sort of gesture that reverses that emotional callousness. He demonstrated that our default setting is to be kind, a trait I cherish in other people.