U-Tommy Connolly oneminyaka engama-23 ubudala waseAustralia wayenayo yonke into: ukufunda kwiYunivesithi yaseSunshine Coast eQueensland, abahlobo bamadoda abasemngcwenini, umsebenzi onomdla. Kodwa ngaba lo mfana unokuqikelela ukuba isiganeko esinye siza kuguqula ubomi bakhe, nokuba siphezulu, okanye sisuka entloko ukuya enyawo?
UTommy wayengumqeqeshi ophezulu weqela labafundi. Ekunye naye, wathatha inxaxheba ekhuphisanayo ngaphandle kweendonga zeyunivesithi. Kwimeko yobomi bendoda, into ephambili yayiyiphupha lokuthatha inxaxheba kwiingqungquthela zikazwelonke nakwamanye amazwe. Kodwa amaphupha akhe awazange agcwaliseke.
I-Adrenaline yayiyindlela yokuphila. Ngaphandle kwakhe, akakwazanga ukuqhubekela phambili, afinyelele iinjongo ezihleliweyo. UTommy uthanda imidlalo esebenzayo. Kungaba ngukukhwela kwidwala okanye kumanzi amhlophe. Enyanisweni, le midlalo yezemidlalo yayingazange iqikelele ukuba loo nto iyakumlungiselela ukuba adrenaline adventure.
UConnolly waphupha ngeendlela zokufikelela kwiindawo eziphakamileyo zezemidlalo, kodwa naye wavula ibhizinisi lakhe. Kuye, umsebenzi oyintloko wawuhlanganisana ngempumelelo ngoshishino kunye nemidlalo yemidlalo. Kodwa kamva wafunda ukuba unentsapho, okuya kuyidinga ukunyamekelwa. Kulo mfanekiso ungezantsi, ubona uTommy egxotha intombi yakhe u-Olivia Tauro. Yena, njengomlingane wakhe, uthanda nezemidlalo. Ngaphambi kokuba baqale ukutshata, le minyaka emi-8 yayingumhlobo. Enyanisweni, u-Olivia wamothuka xa efunda ukuba uTommy ube nguyise nomkhulu.
Kwaye ngoku lixesha lokufumana yonke into emnandi. Ngoko ke, xa umlingisi wethu oyintloko ebengumntwana kwaye aqhutywe kwindlu yokuhlala kuzo zonke ezine, umzala wakhe uCarne waphendukela kwiminyaka eli-17 ubudala. Ngendlela, babefana kakhulu. Kwadlula iminyaka, kwaye intombazana yathuthela kwenye idolophu. Kwiminyaka eyi-10 aba babini abazange baqhubeke bexubana nomnye, kodwa ngelinye ilanga umnxeba wodade wajika ubomi bakhe.
Kwavela ukuba abazali baseCiarna abakwazi ukunyamekela intombi yakhe, ngoko ke intombazana yaphoqeleka ukuba ihlale kwitalato. Wayevuma ukuba wayehlala esetyenziselwa ulwaphulaphulo oluncinane kunye nokusetyenziswa kakubi kweziyobisi. Ngo-2011, wagxothwa esikolweni, ngoko ke intombazana ayikwazanga ukuziqhayisa nge-erudition kunye nemfundo. Emva kokuba enomntu othandekayo, kodwa wakwazi ukungena entolongweni. Emva kokuphulaphula konke oku, uTommy waqonda ukuba uyayifuna okanye ayikho, kodwa unyanzelekile ukuba ancede udadewabo.
Enyanisweni, akuyiyo yonke into emangalisa ngayo into eyayiyilungiselela loo mntu.
Ngoko ukuba le ntombazana yayingenakuthathwa njengento yokukhutshwa koluntu, umntwana owenqatshelwe ngabazali bakhe, uTommy wenza isigqibo esibalulekileyo kuye-waba ngumgcini wakhe. Kungekudala intombazana yaqalisa kwakhona izifundo zayo. Kodwa emva kwexesha elihle lenzekile ...
Ngolunye usuku, uKearna wavuma kuTommy ukuba wayekulindele umntwana kumfana ofanayo osebenza ngexesha lakhe. Kwaye, ukuba le ntombazana yayiye yabona ukuba yayiza kubanjelwa intsana ngenxa yokungabikho kwephahla phezu kwentloko yakhe, ngoku wayeqinisekile ukuba intsapho kaTommy yayiza kuxhasa ngenkxaso umama ozayo.
Kwaye ngoku uTommy unokuthiwa ngumntwana osemncinci. UKearna wazala umntwana ophilileyo, owambiza uKaydan. Ngelixa intombazana iphakamisa unyana wayo, uTommy wahlonipha izakhono zakhe zezemidlalo kwaye ngelo xesha wafumana umsebenzi kwinkampani ethengisa iimveliso zefama.
Ngaba ucinga ukuba emva kwentombazana enjalo uTommy wamshiya? Hayi, akayena kunye naye olwalamano oluqinileyo, kodwa unceda u-Ciarne aphakamise unyana.
Kakade, uTommy wayengenakuchukumisa lula ekukhuliseni umntwana, ephumelela kwiyunivesiti kwaye ekwakheni umsebenzi. Kodwa ngokukhawuleza ukuba iindaba zokuthi umfana omncinane waba nguyise-ntombi, i-intanethi yonke yajikeleza, amazwi axhaswa ngamawaka wabasebenzisi, achukumiswe ibali lakhe, yawa kwiimyalezo zikaTommy.
Ngoku inkwenkwana enomvu obomvu i-Kaidan yayineminyaka emithathu ubudala. "Umkhulu" wakhe uthi uthanda ukubiza umfundi ukuba "unoyolo ongenakukuthenga kuyo nayiphi na imali." UTommy ufuna ukunyusa umntwana oyinyani kwaye amnike ikusasa elingcono. "Ukuze angayenzi, ngelinye ilanga uya kuba yinkosi yomsebenzi wakhe," uConolly uthi ngokumomotheka.