Won’t Break Your Back To Offer Some Help

(I’m standing on a shuttle bus waiting to be taken to a plane, and see a guy in his 50s struggle with his bags. He clearly has a broken arm, yet no one offers to help. I’m stuck behind a crowd and can’t get past. We board the plane and land, and get on to another shuttle bus. As we walk off the bus we are met with a massive set of stairs. The guy from before gets off at the same time.)

Me: “Can I help you with that?”

Guy: “Really? Yes, please.”

Me: *struggling to pick up the bag* “Wow, this is heavy!”

Guy: “Yes, thank you. I’ve had to pack everything. My daughter has had her baby and I jumped on the next flight.”

Me: “That’s great. Must be a long trip with your arm broken.”

Guy: “Not just my arm; I broke my back as well. I’m in an upper body cast.”

Me: *reaching the top of the stairs* “Do you need any help from here?”

Guy: “No, thank you again.”

(Just to think 20 – 30 people would rather ignore someone so obviously struggling and with a broken back just to get ahead! The kicker: with everyone rushing off, they still had to get straight into a line to wait for customs checks.)