Feeling So Sick I Was Unable to Walk When a Man Essentially Lifted Me to the Toilets.
At the age of 19 years old, my daily commute involved an packed public transport. The vehicle was always full and was consistently standing room only by the time I stepped aboard.
On one specific day, I was feeling incredibly sick as the bus lurched around every turn. I continuously reassured myself to hold on for a few more stops until the bus arrived at where I needed to get off, at which point I could sprint quickly toward the most convenient washroom to be sick.
As we neared the street towards the stop when I understood I was unable to make it. In an instant, it felt as if a veil came over me. My vision turned white and really quiet; as if someone turned off the audio. I said to myself, “I will lose consciousness”.
Thankfully, I was positioned toward the front inside the vehicle, so I took a couple of steps toward the driver and asked the driver to stop, informing him that I was about to get ill. He promptly opened the doors and I stumbled out onto the sidewalk.
I was resolved to avoid being sick in front of a busy multi-lane road, so I forced myself up and endeavored to stumble toward the green space on the other side, where I believed it would allow me to secretly conceal myself behind a bush to be sick. However I must have lost consciousness. I was aware of my physical self, yet I was unable to walk or see properly, so I began inching my way to my intended destination.
“You right, love?”
Right then, someone picked me up. There was a strong arm supporting me and a man’s voice asked, “Are you okay, dear?” I explained to this mysterious stranger that I needed to get to a bathroom. So he virtually helped me walk over to a nearby building and put me in the ladies’ toilets. He wanted to know if I needed him to wait for me but I refused.
Not long after, I had recovered sufficiently to sit down and from outside the door came his voice asking, “Are you OK, love? Is there anything you require?” I was incapable to rise just then but I was able to express my gratitude and after a few more minutes was able to move my legs. I got myself home passing the next few days getting over what was later diagnosed as a severe stomach virus.
I did not see the stranger’s face – only his legs along with a sizable steelwork tools container he was carrying – yet he rescued me, when I was at my most vulnerable.
Many times, life can make you guarded, hostile, and combative. What he did was the kind of action that undoes that protective shell. He demonstrated that people’s natural inclination leans toward compassion, something I love in other people.
