In Such Poor Health I Was Unable to Walk Until a Fellow Passenger Virtually Carried Me to the Toilets.
At the age of nineteenth year, my morning travel involved an crowded coach. The vehicle was always crowded and would always be without any seats once I got on.
During a certain commute, I started experiencing quite nauseous while the vehicle rocked around every turn. I continuously reassured myself to hold on for a few more stops until the bus reached my destination, at which point I could sprint quickly for the nearest public restroom to throw up.
The bus was approaching the road leading to the stop when I realised I wasn’t going to make it. All of a sudden, it was like a fog descended upon me. My vision turned hazy and muffled; similar to when one turned off the audio. I said to myself, “I am about to pass out”.
Fortunately, I stood toward the front inside the vehicle, allowing me to take several steps forward and told the operator to stop, explaining to him I needed to vomit. He opened the entrance and I stumbled out on to the pavement.
I was determined to not get sick in front of six lanes of traffic, so I gathered myself and started trying to stumble toward the green space on the other side, where I thought it would allow me to find some privacy behind a bush to be sick. Yet I apparently fainted. I could feel my physical self, yet walking was impossible or see clearly, so I began crawling towards the park.
“Are you okay, dear?”
At that moment, someone picked me up. I felt a strong arm supporting me and a man’s voice asked, “Are you okay, dear?” I managed to tell the mysterious stranger that I required to vomit. Therefore, he almost supported my weight down into a close-by structure and guided me inside the women’s restroom. He wanted to know if I wanted him to wait for me but I said no.
A few minutes later, I had recovered sufficiently to sit on the restroom floor and from outside the door came his voice asking, “Are you feeling better, dear? Do you need anything?” I was incapable to stand up right away but did manage to express my gratitude and shortly thereafter recovered the use of my limbs. I got myself home and then spent several days recovering from what turned out to be a nasty tummy bug.
I did not see that man’s face – merely his legs and a large steelwork tools container he had with him – yet he rescued me, when I was completely helpless.
Frequently, society tends to make people defensive, aggressive and competitive. His act was the type of kindness that undoes that emotional callousness. He demonstrated that people’s natural inclination is to be kind, a trait I cherish about humanity.
