Feeling So Sick I Was Unable to Walk As a Stranger Practically Supported Me to a Bathroom.

Back when I was my late teens, my regular journey to work meant taking an packed public transport. The vehicle was always crowded and would always be standing room only once I boarded.

During a certain commute, I was feeling terribly ill when the coach lurched around each corner. I kept telling myself to hold on for a few more stops so the bus could got to where I needed to get off, at which point I could sprint quickly to the closest public restroom to vomit.

The bus was approaching the road leading to my stop and I understood I would not be to hold on. All of a sudden, it seemed a curtain fell over me. The world became hazy and muffled; like someone had turned off the audio. My mind raced, “I’m going to faint”.

Thankfully, I was positioned close to the driver of the bus, so I took a couple of steps forward and told the operator to pull over, telling him I needed to get ill. He promptly opened the entrance and I hurriedly stepped out onto the street.

My intention was to avoid being sick before a busy multi-lane road, so I picked myself up and began attempting to stumble toward the green space on the other side, thinking I could I could at least discreetly hide behind a bush to vomit. However I must have lost consciousness. I could feel my body but walking was impossible or see properly, so I began crawling towards my intended destination.

“Are you okay, dear?”

Right then, I was lifted up. I felt an arm around my waist and a man’s voice asked, “Are you okay, dear?” I managed to tell the unknown man that I needed to vomit. Therefore, he almost carried me over to a close-by structure and put me into the female bathroom. He wanted to know whether I required him to wait for me but I said no.

Not long after, I had recovered enough to sit down and from the other side of the stall I heard him inquire, “Are you OK, love? Do you need anything?” I could not to get up right away but did manage to thank him and shortly thereafter was able to move my feet. I made my way home and spent several days getting over what was later diagnosed as a horrible case of gastroenteritis.

I never glimpsed the stranger’s face – just his lower half and the big metal toolbox he was carrying – but he saved me, when I was in my weakest state.

Many times, life can make you self-protective, pushy, and rivalrous. His was the sort of gesture that undoes that protective shell. He served as evidence that our default setting is towards kindness, a trait I cherish in other people.