In Such Poor Health I Was Unable to Walk As a Stranger Practically Supported Me to the Toilets.

During my my late teens, my morning travel involved an crowded coach. It was perpetually jammed and would always be without any seats by the time I got on.

On one specific day, I was feeling incredibly sick when the coach lurched around each corner. I repeatedly told myself to hold on just a little longer before the bus got to my stop, so I could then rush hurriedly for the nearest washroom to vomit.

As we neared the street towards my stop and it dawned on me I would not be to hold on. All of a sudden, it felt as if a veil came over me. The world became blank and silent; similar to when one turned off the audio. My mind raced, “I’m going to faint”.

Fortunately, I stood close to the driver on the bus, so I managed a couple of steps forward and told the operator to open the doors, explaining to him that I was about to vomit. He promptly opened the bus doors and I hurriedly stepped on to the pavement.

I was resolved to avoid being sick in view of a busy multi-lane road, so I picked myself up and began attempting to make my way across to the park opposite the street, where I thought I’d at least be able to find some privacy near some foliage to be sick. Yet I likely blacked out. I sensed my limbs, but I was unable to walk and my vision was blurry, leading me to start crawling towards the grassy area.

“Everything alright, love?”

Right then, I got scooped up. I sensed an arm around my waist and heard a man say, “Everything alright, love?” I managed to tell the kind passerby that I had to to get to a bathroom. So he virtually supported my weight into a close-by structure and placed me inside the women’s restroom. He inquired whether I required him to remain with me but I declined.

Not long after, I regained my composure to the point of sitting on the restroom floor and from outside the stall I heard him ask, “Are you feeling better, dear? Is there anything you require?” I could not to rise right away but I was able to express my gratitude and following a brief period regained the function of my legs. I returned home passing several days getting over what turned out to be a severe stomach virus.

I never saw the stranger’s face – just his lower half and a large steelwork tools container he had with him – but he helped me, when I was in my weakest state.

Frequently, society has a way of making you self-protective, pushy, and rivalrous. His act was the type of kindness that undoes that hardening of the heart. He demonstrated that humanity’s innate tendency is to be kind, a quality I adore about my fellow humans.