Ukwakha ubuhlobo emva kwentlekele yomlilo

Amakhaya Oncedo ngoku nguAirbnb.org

Inkqubo ka-Airbnb Yamakhaya Oncedo itshintshile yanguAirbnb.org, umbutho ongenzi nzuzo omtsha kraca oyi-501(c)(3). Enkosi ngokwenza nathi intsapho Yamakhaya Oncedo. Sikuvuyela kakhulu ukuba ube yinxalenye yesi siqalo sitsha.

Ngentsasa yange-8 kaNovemba 2018, uMelissa Johnson owayeneenyanga ezisibhozo ekhulelwe, wayelele ngoxa abantwana bakhe belungiselela ukuya esikolweni. Uyakhumbula umyeni wakhe nentombi yakhe bethetha ngesibhakabhaka—esasingathi siorenji—ibe becinga ukuba mhlawumbi kukho umlilo kwidolophu ekufutshane.

Emva kwesiqingatha seyure, intombi kaMelissa yafowuna. “Yathi isikolo sivaliwe. Ndaphakama, ndaza ndabona isibhakabhaka—ndothuka,” utsho uMelissa “Sasibomvu naorenji ibe sibonakala ngathi yimini yembubhiso. Ndaza emva koko ndabona uthuthu macala onke.”

UMelissa nomyeni wakhe, uTrevor, bahleli eParadise, eCalifornia kangangeminyaka eyi-14—kodwa bafudukela kwikhaya labo kwiveki engaphambi komlilo obizwa ngokuba yiCamp Fire kwelo phondo. Ngaloo ntsasa, “kwabakho into engaphakathi kum endixelela ukuba mandithathe wonke umntu size sihambe, ukuze nje sikhuseleke, ukuze singachatshazelwa nto.”

Ukongezelela kuMelissa, uTrevor, nabantwana babo ababini, “wonke umntu” wayequka utata kaTrevor, izinja ezimbini eziziGreat Danes, inja eyi-toy poodle, ikati nomvundla. Bacudisana kwiimoto ezimbini, waza uMelissa wakhawuleza waya kuthatha abantwana bakhe.

“Abantu babesoyika ibe beqhuba ngokungakhathali. Yayiyinto owawunokulindela ukuyibona kwimuvi. Wawungenakulindela ukuphila kwimeko enjalo uze ubone into eyoyikisa olo hlobo. Nanku umlilo ekunene, ekhohlo ngaphambi kwakho, nasemva kwakho. Ngamanye amaxesha kwakungathi ndiyongena emlilweni njengokuba ndiqhuba—ibe ndandingazi nokuba ndiyikhetha kakuhle na indlela emandihambe ngayo. Ndandilila ngalo lonke elo xesha.”

Ekugqibeleni le ntsapho yafika eChico, eCalifornia, apho yayinokuhlala khona nosisi kaMelissa, kodwa yayiyiflethi enegumbi lokulala elinye ekwakuhlala kuyo iintsapho ezine. UMelissa uthi: “Sasingabantu abayi-15, nezilwanyana eziyi-18 okanye eziyi-19. Umama wayelala kwiDurango yakhe, kodwa sasisebaninzi kuloo flethi—mhlawumbi emalunga nee-square feet eziyi-500? Ndandiziva ndingakhululekanga kakhulu, ingakumbi njengokuba ndikhululwe. Ngoko ndandiyazi ukuba kwakufuneka size nelinye icebo.”

Kwiintsuku ezimbalwa emva kokuba uqalile umlilo obizwa ngokuba yiCamp Fire, uCinde Dolphin wayehleli ecaweni, emamele umfundisi wakhe ethetha ngokuzinikela ngokupheleleyo. UCinde ongusomashishini waseSacramento, eCalifornia, uthi: “Wayethetha ngokungazibambi nokwenza ubomi bakho buxabiseke ngokuzinikela ngokupheleleyo.”

UCinde obelivolontiya ubomi bakhe bonke, phakathi kwezinye iiprojekthi ebezenza, ebesele esebenzisana namaqela olutsha ecaweni, ecebisa umntwana ofikisayo okwindawo yokugcinwa kwabantwana abangahlali nabazali, esenzela nabantu abangenamakhaya isidlo sakusasa. “Kodwa njengoko ndandisiva la mazwi, ndathi ngaphakathi, ‘Apha nje kufuphi eButte County, kukho lo mlilo woyikekayo, ibe andizinikelanga ngokupheleleyo,' yhazi? Ukuthumela iingubo nezikipa yinto entle kakhulu, kodwa ndingasifaka njani isandla kule nkqubo yokubuyisela izinto esiqhelweni?”

Waqhakamshelana nesebe lezomlilo lasekuhlaleni, laza lathi makaye Kumakhaya Oncedo. UCinde wayengazange akhe abuke iindwendwe zakwa-Airbnb ngaphambili, ibe uhlala kwindawo ayiqeshayo eSacramento, indawo enayo nendlu engasemva. Ngemvume ayifumene kubanikazi bendawo, wayicoca loo ndawo waza wayifaka kwiphepha Lamakhaya Oncedo ngexesha lentlekele.

UCinde uthi, “Kungaphelanga neyure,” wafumana umyalezo ovela kuMelissa. “Asoze ndiwulibale umgca wokuqala—owawusithi—‘UThixo akusikelele.’ Emva koko [uMelissa] waqhubeka echaza intsapho yakhe: unyana oneminyaka eyi-11, umyeni, utatazala owayenesiphene. Wathi, ‘Asinamva asinamphambili ngoku. Siyintsapho encinci enezinja ezimbalwa. Siyazi ukuba loo nto isenokuba yingxaki, kodwa ukuba uyayamkela, singakuvuyela ukuhlala kwindawo yakho. Nantsi enye into, sekukufutshane ukuba ndibeleke.’ Yonke nje le nto yavela yathi xhokro entliziyweni—andiqondi ukuba wayenokuba khona nabani na aweyenokuthi hayi kuloo nto.”

UCinde waphendula ngoko nangoko, ibe zathi zingekapheli iiyure eziyi-24, wabe uMelissa nentsapho yakhe befika eSacramento. Njengoko wayeqala ukubuka iindwendwe, uCinde ukhumbula ukuba wayeneemvakalelo ezibethabethanayo. “Ndandinexhala, kuba zange ndanika umntu endingamaziyo indawo yokuhlala. Ngaphambi kokuba ndivule umnyango, ndathethela ngaphakathi ndathi, ‘Ndiyathemba ukuba ndenza into elungileyo. Ndingumfazi ongatshatanga ohlala kule ndlu ibe kungenzeka ukuba le nto ndiyenzayo ayilunganga...’ Kodwa xa ndavula umnyango ndaza ndabona [uMelissa], ndazi ngoko nangoko ukuba ndenza into elungileyo.”

UMelissa naye ukhumbula enexhala. Uthi: “Awazi ukuba yimeko enjani oya kuyo, ibe ngenxa yentlungu nomothuko omkhulu kangaka esisuka kuwo, besinzinyelwa kukujongana nento yonke. Kodwa uCinde noncumo lwakhe lwavela nje lwasinika ithemba lwaza lwasenza saziva sisekhaya. Wawuzibonela nje ukuba wayengumntu onobubele kakhulu.”

UCinde wayelungiselele ukunceda intsapho izive isekhaya, ebeka iitawuli ezicocekileyo, izixhobo zokufudumeza indawo kunye nento yokuphunga yetshokolethi kwindlu engasemva. “Ndivele ndacinga ngento enokufuneka kakhulu xa ufudukela kwindawo entsha ube ucinga ngokuba, ‘Ndiza kuthini ngoku?’”

La mabhinqa mabini ayethumelelana imiyalezo ngokuphindaphindiweyo ngamalungiselelo, ngoko uMelissa wayesazi into anokuyilindela kule ndawo. “UCinde usazisile ukuba siza kuxinana, kodwa yayingamhluphi loo nto, ukuba nathi ayisihluphi. Ibe ngokuqinisekileyo, sinokwenza nantoni na iphumelele. Kwakukho ibhedi eyongezelelekileyo etsalwayo, igumbi lokuhlambela elincinci elihle—lalincinci kodwa lilihle. Lalindenza ndizive ndisekhaya nalapho.”

NgoFacebook, uCinde waxelela abahlobo bakhe ukuba uneendwendwe ezilahlekelwe yiyo yonke into kumlilo obizwa ngokuba yiCamp Fire. Abamelwane bapheka isidlo sangokuhlwa, baze abahlobo bazisa amanapukeni, iimpahla nendawo yokudlala usana olusezayo. UCinde uthi: “Abahlobo bam bavela nje baba ngoomabizwa basabele. Ndicinga ukuba ukuyazi intsapho oyincedayo kwenza ukunceda kuxabiseke ngakumbi—abantu bafuna ukuzibonela ngokwabo ukuba kukho into abayitshintshileyo kubomi bomntu.”

Nangona intsapho kaMelissa yahlala nje iintsuku ezintathu ngaphambi kokuba ifumane iflethi okanye indlu ekwicomplex esisigxina, ixesha elilichithe kwaCinde lenze yakwazi ukuba iphumle ize icebe ukuba iza kuthini. UCinde uthi: “Bendicinga ukuba baza kulila baze bakhathazeke kakhulu. Kodwa xa sithetha inyani, iintliziyo zabo zazigcwaliswe ngumbulelo. Izinto ziza kuphinda zisilungele, ibe siyavuya ngokuba sinendawo apho sinokuqala phantsi khona.’ [Kwaba] lithuba lokuba bacingisise, baqonde ukuba ngokujongana nosuku olunye ngexesha, bangade bakwazi ukudlula kuloo nto.”

Namhlanje, intsapho kaMelissa ihlala kwiflethi eseCarmichael, emalunga nemizuzu eyi-20 ukusuka kuCinde. Usana uAnnette lwazalwa kwiintsuku ezintlanu emva kokufuduka kwabo, ibe uCinde noMelissa badla ngokubhalelana iiSMS, bebaliselana izinto ezintsha bethumelelana neefoto zosana.

Kutshanje, uCinde uqeshe uMelissa ukuba afundise ngeemveliso kwishishini lakhe elincinci, apho angasebenza khona ixesha elithile ngoxa ekhathalela usana. UMelissa uthi uCinde “ngumntu okhethekileyo. Ubutshintshe nyhani ubomi bam. Andisoze ndibulibale ububele bakhe nokusinceda kwakhe. Usaqhubeka esinceda nanini na xa sidinga uncedo lwakhe.”

UMelissa noTrevor basacinga ngendlela nexesha abaza kuphinda bakhe ngalo eParadise, kodwa ukubuyela yinto abaqiniseke ngokuyenza kwixesha elizayo. Uthi uMelissa, “Indlela endilibona ngayo ikhaya ngoku ayifani nendlela ebendilibona ngayo ngaphambi komlilo. Ikhaya, kum, kulapho intsapho yakho ikhoyo. Ikhaya ungalenza naphi na.”

Joyina intsapho ekhulayo enceda abanye ngamaxesha obunzima.

Inkcazelo ekweli nqaku isenokuba itshintshile emva kokuba lipapashiwe.