I Was So Ill I Couldn’t Walk Until a Fellow Passenger Essentially Lifted Me to a Restroom.

At the age of my late teens, my daily commute involved an express bus. It was perpetually crowded and was consistently standing room only by the time I stepped aboard.

On one specific day, I started experiencing terribly ill when the coach lurched around the bends. I kept telling myself to persevere just a little longer so the bus could reached where I needed to get off, so I could then rush hurriedly toward the most convenient washroom to be sick.

The bus was approaching the road leading to the destination as I understood I wasn’t going to make it. In an instant, it seemed a fog descended upon me. The world became blank and silent; like someone had turned off the audio. I said to myself, “I am about to pass out”.

Thankfully, I was positioned close to the driver on the bus, so I took several steps toward the driver and asked the driver to pull over, informing him I needed to vomit. He opened the entrance and I weakly exited onto the sidewalk.

I was resolved to not get sick in front of a busy multi-lane road, so I forced myself up and started trying to stumble toward the green space opposite the street, where I believed I could at least discreetly hide near some foliage to vomit. Yet I must have lost consciousness. I was aware of my limbs, but walking was impossible and my vision was blurry, so I began crawling towards my intended destination.

“Are you okay, dear?”

In that instant, I was lifted up. I felt an arm around my waist and heard a man say, “Are you okay, dear?” I explained to this unknown man that I required to be sick. Therefore, he almost carried me over to a nearby building and put me in the ladies’ toilets. He inquired if I needed him to remain with me but I said no.

Not long after, I had recovered sufficiently to sit on the restroom floor and from the other side of the door I heard him inquire, “Do you need anything, love? Can I get you something?” I could not to stand up right away but I did succeed to say thank you and after a few more minutes regained the function of my feet. I got myself home and then spent several days getting over what was later diagnosed as a horrible case of gastroenteritis.

I did not see the stranger’s face – only his legs along with a sizable steelwork tools container he held – yet he rescued me, when I was in my weakest state.

Often this world can make you self-protective, pushy, and rivalrous. His was the sort of gesture that melts away that emotional callousness. He demonstrated that people’s natural inclination is to be kind, something I love about humanity.