In Such Poor Health I Couldn’t Walk Until a Fellow Passenger Virtually Carried Me to a Restroom.

During my nineteenth year, my regular journey to work meant taking an express bus. The vehicle was always full and was consistently standing room only once I got on.

One particular morning, I was feeling terribly ill when the coach lurched around every turn. I repeatedly told myself to persevere just a little longer until the bus got to my destination, so I could then sprint quickly to the closest washroom to throw up.

As we neared the street towards the destination as it dawned on me I was unable to make it. All of a sudden, it was like a veil came over me. My vision turned white and really quiet; like someone had turned off the audio. My mind raced, “I’m going to faint”.

Thankfully, I was positioned near the front of the bus, allowing me to take several steps to ask the driver and asked the driver to open the doors, informing him that I was about to be sick. The driver opened the doors and I weakly exited onto the sidewalk.

My intention was to not get sick in front of multiple lanes of cars, so I gathered myself and endeavored to make my way across to the park on the other side, where I thought it would allow me to find some privacy near some foliage to be sick. However I apparently fainted. I could feel my limbs, but walking was impossible or see clearly, leading me to start crawling towards the grassy area.

“Everything alright, love?”

At that moment, someone picked me up. There was a strong arm supporting me and a stranger inquired, “Are you okay, dear?” I explained to this mysterious stranger that I needed to be sick. Thus, he practically helped me walk into an adjacent building and guided me into the female bathroom. He wanted to know if I wanted him to stay with me but I declined.

Not long after, I had recovered to the point of sitting on the restroom floor when from beyond the door I heard him inquire, “Are you OK, love? Can I get you something?” I was incapable to rise right away but did manage to express my gratitude and after a few more minutes regained the function of my limbs. I returned home passing several days healing from which was a horrible case of gastroenteritis.

I did not see that man’s face – just his lower half along with a sizable container for tools he was carrying – but he helped me, when I was at my most vulnerable.

Frequently, society has a way of making you defensive, aggressive and competitive. His act was the type of kindness that undoes that hardening of the heart. He served as evidence that our default setting is towards kindness, a quality I adore about my fellow humans.