During my 19 years old, my morning travel meant taking an express bus. It was perpetually crowded and was consistently completely full by the time I got on.
On one specific day, I was feeling incredibly sick while the vehicle swayed around every turn. I continuously reassured myself to endure for a few more stops so the bus could got to my destination, and then I could sprint quickly to the closest public restroom to throw up.
As we neared the road leading to the stop when I realised I would not be to make it. Suddenly, it was like a curtain fell over me. My vision turned hazy and muffled; like someone had cut the sound. I said to myself, “I’m going to faint”.
Fortunately, I stood close to the driver of the bus, so I managed a few steps to ask the driver and told the operator to stop, explaining to him I needed to vomit. He promptly opened the bus doors and I hurriedly stepped onto the sidewalk.
My intention was not to vomit before multiple lanes of cars, so I gathered myself and began attempting to walk to the park opposite the street, thinking I could I could at least find some privacy near some foliage to vomit. But then I must have lost consciousness. I sensed my physical self, yet I couldn’t walk or see properly, so I started crawling towards the park.
“You right, love?”
Right then, I was lifted up. I felt someone holding me and heard a man say, “Are you okay, dear?” I managed to tell the kind passerby that I needed to be sick. Therefore, he almost carried me into a close-by structure and placed me inside the women’s restroom. He inquired whether I required him to wait for me but I declined.
After a short while, I had recovered enough to sit on the toilet and from the other side of the door I heard him ask, “Are you OK, love? Do you need anything?” I could not to stand up at that moment but I was able to thank him and shortly thereafter was able to move my legs. I made my way home and spent the next few days getting over which was a nasty tummy bug.
I never saw the stranger’s face – just his lower half along with a sizable steelwork tools container he had with him – yet he rescued me, when I was in my weakest state.
Many times, life can make you defensive, aggressive and competitive. What he did was the kind of action that melts away that protective shell. He was proof that our default setting is towards kindness, a trait I cherish in other people.
Cybersecurity expert with over a decade in data protection, specializing in secure cloud architectures and privacy compliance.