I Was So Ill Walking Was Impossible When a Man Essentially Lifted Me to the Toilets.

During my 19 years old, my regular journey to work was on an packed public transport. The vehicle was always crowded and was consistently standing room only by the time I got on.

During a certain commute, I started experiencing terribly ill when the coach rocked around every turn. I kept telling myself to endure just a little longer so the bus could reached where I needed to get off, at which point I could make a mad dash for the nearest washroom to vomit.

We were coming down the road leading to the destination as I realised I was unable to last. All of a sudden, it was like a curtain fell over me. The world became white and really quiet; similar to when one turned off the audio. I thought, “I am about to pass out”.

Thankfully, I was positioned near the front on the bus, so I took a few steps to ask the driver and asked the driver to pull over, explaining to him I was going to be sick. He opened the bus doors and I weakly exited on to the pavement.

I was determined to not get sick in view of multiple lanes of cars, so I gathered myself and started trying to walk toward the green space across the road, where I thought I’d at least be able to discreetly hide behind a bush to throw up. But then I apparently fainted. I sensed my limbs, but I couldn’t walk or see properly, leading me to start crawling towards the park.

“You right, love?”

At that moment, someone picked me up. I sensed someone holding me and a man’s voice asked, “Are you okay, dear?” I told this unknown man that I required to be sick. So he virtually carried me over to an adjacent building and placed me into the female bathroom. He inquired if I wanted him to wait for me but I refused.

Not long after, I felt better to the point of sitting on the toilet when from beyond the stall I heard his voice asking, “Are you OK, love? Is there anything you require?” I could not to stand up just then but I did succeed to say thank you and following a brief period recovered the use of my limbs. I made my way home passing the next few days recovering from what was later diagnosed as a severe stomach virus.

I never glimpsed that man’s face – merely his legs and a large container for tools he had with him – but he helped me, when I was at my most vulnerable.

Often this world has a way of making you self-protective, pushy, and rivalrous. His act was the type of kindness that reverses that emotional callousness. He was proof that our default setting is to be kind, a quality I adore about humanity.