I Was So Ill I Was Unable to Walk Until a Fellow Passenger Virtually Carried Me to a Restroom.

Back when I was 19 years old, my daily commute involved an express bus. The vehicle was always jammed and invariably became standing room only when I stepped aboard.

One particular morning, I was feeling terribly ill when the coach rocked around the bends. I kept telling myself to hold on just a little longer so the bus could arrived at my destination, so I could then make a mad dash toward the most convenient washroom to vomit.

We were coming down the road leading to the stop when it dawned on me I was unable to last. All of a sudden, it seemed a fog descended upon me. The world became white and really quiet; similar to when one turned off the audio. My mind raced, “I am about to pass out”.

Fortunately, I stood toward the front on the bus, so I took several steps forward and requested that the driver to stop, telling him that I was about to get ill. He opened the entrance and I weakly exited onto the sidewalk.

I was resolved not to vomit before six lanes of traffic, so I gathered myself and began attempting to make my way to the park opposite the street, thinking I could it would allow me to discreetly hide among some shrubs to throw up. Yet I apparently blacked out. I could feel my physical self, yet walking was impossible or see properly, so I started inching my way to the grassy area.

“You right, love?”

Right then, I got scooped up. There was a strong arm supporting me and a stranger inquired, “Are you okay, dear?” I told this unknown man that I had to to get to a bathroom. So he virtually helped me walk over to a close-by structure and guided me in the ladies’ toilets. He wanted to know if I needed him to remain with me but I said no.

Not long after, I felt better enough to sit down and from outside the door I heard him ask, “Do you need anything, love? Do you need anything?” I could not to rise at that moment but I did succeed to thank him and shortly thereafter recovered the use of my feet. I got myself home and spent the next few days recovering from what was later diagnosed as a nasty tummy bug.

I never saw that man’s face – merely his legs and a large metal toolbox he held – but he saved me, when I was at my most vulnerable.

Frequently, society tends to make people self-protective, pushy, and rivalrous. His was the sort of gesture that reverses that emotional callousness. He was proof that people’s natural inclination is towards kindness, a trait I cherish about my fellow humans.