I Was So Ill I Couldn’t Walk When a Man Practically Supported Me to a Bathroom.
At the age of my late teens, my morning travel meant taking an crowded coach. It remained full and invariably became completely full by the time I got on.
One particular morning, I started experiencing terribly ill when the coach rocked around each corner. I repeatedly told myself to persevere for a few more stops before the bus got to where I needed to get off, at which point I could sprint quickly to the closest public toilet to vomit.
The bus was approaching the road leading to my stop and I realised I was unable to make it. In an instant, it felt as if a fog descended upon me. The world became white and really quiet; as if someone turned off the audio. I thought, “I will lose consciousness”.
Thankfully, I was positioned near the front inside the vehicle, so I managed a couple of steps to ask the driver and asked the driver to open the doors, telling him I needed to vomit. He promptly opened the doors and I hurriedly stepped out onto the street.
I was resolved not to vomit in view of six lanes of traffic, so I picked myself up and started trying to walk across to the park on the other side, where I thought I could at least secretly conceal myself near some foliage to throw up. But then I likely blacked out. I was aware of my body but I was unable to walk or see properly, leading me to start inching my way to my intended destination.
“You right, love?”
In that instant, someone picked me up. I felt a strong arm supporting me and a man’s voice asked, “Everything alright, love?” I told this mysterious stranger that I needed to get to a bathroom. So he virtually supported my weight into a nearby building and placed me into the female bathroom. He asked me if I needed him to remain with me but I refused.
Not long after, I had recovered enough to sit on the restroom floor when from beyond the door came him inquire, “Are you feeling better, dear? Can I get you something?” I could not to stand up right away but did manage to thank him and following a brief period recovered the use of my feet. I made my way home and spent several days getting over which was a nasty tummy bug.
I never glimpsed that man’s face – merely his legs along with a sizable steelwork tools container he held – yet he rescued me, during a time when I was completely helpless.
Often this world tends to make people self-protective, pushy, and rivalrous. His was the sort of gesture that melts away that protective shell. He demonstrated that our default setting is towards kindness, a quality I adore in other people.
