I Was So Ill I Couldn’t Walk Until a Fellow Passenger Practically Supported Me to the Toilets.

During my nineteenth year, my morning travel was on an express bus. The vehicle was always jammed and invariably became completely full by the time I got on.

During a certain commute, I started experiencing quite nauseous as the bus swayed around every turn. I repeatedly told myself to hold on for a few more stops so the bus could arrived at my destination, and then I could sprint quickly to the closest washroom to be sick.

As we neared the avenue close to my stop and it dawned on me I was unable to hold on. In an instant, it felt as if a veil came over me. My vision turned white and really quiet; similar to when one turned off the audio. My mind raced, “I am about to pass out”.

Luckily I was close to the driver of the bus, allowing me to take a few steps forward and asked the driver to pull over, informing him I was going to vomit. The driver opened the entrance and I weakly exited on to the pavement.

My intention was not to vomit in view of multiple lanes of cars, so I picked myself up and endeavored to make my way across to the park opposite the street, thinking I could it would allow me to discreetly hide near some foliage to vomit. But then I likely fainted. I could feel my body but walking was impossible and my vision was blurry, so I started crawling towards the park.

“Everything alright, love?”

Right then, someone picked me up. I sensed someone holding me and a stranger inquired, “Are you okay, dear?” I explained to this unknown man that I required to vomit. Therefore, he almost helped me walk down into an adjacent building and placed me into the female bathroom. He inquired if I needed him to wait for me but I declined.

Not long after, I regained my composure to the point of sitting on the restroom floor and from outside the door I heard him ask, “Are you OK, love? Can I get you something?” I was incapable to stand up just then but did manage to say thank you and shortly thereafter recovered the use of my feet. I made my way home and spent the next few days getting over what turned out to be a horrible case of gastroenteritis.

I never glimpsed the stranger’s face – only his legs and the big container for tools he was carrying – but he helped me, when I was in my weakest state.

Often this world tends to make people guarded, hostile, and combative. What he did was the kind of action that reverses that hardening of the heart. He served as evidence that our default setting is to be kind, a trait I cherish about my fellow humans.