Backyard Addiction
Twenty-years ago, Amina and Karl met and fell in love. They got married, had two beautiful children and created a wonderful life together. They were happy. Then something changed.
Amina discovered she had a rival for Karl’s affections. His passion for this rival has grown and grown until it has become an obsession. At the office, behind his computer monitor, he secretly looks at pictures on his phone. All his time and energy is focused on his new love, the family’s resources are being squandered and Amina sits alone night after night while her husband is out … in the back garden.
In the fourth of Kagiso Media’s podcast series, First Person, presenter Marianne Thamm meets Karl Thornton who knows that his obsession is out of control. He understands that it’s taking a toll on his family life and his relationship with his wife. But still, he can’t think about anything else.
“It's probably my favourite First Person episode so far because of the way Karl is able to articulate, from the depths of his being, how he is torn between his obsession and his wife and family,” says Marianne.
“He agonisingly tries to hold on to the demands of his life while constantly distracted by that square wooden box in the back yard and exactly what is going on inside it.”
First Person producer, Jayne Morgan, says, “Karl’s story is really about a relationship and the kinds of compromises you sometimes have to make – or perhaps refuse to make – when it comes to living with someone through thick and thin. I think that, just as with our previous episodes, people will find something that resonates with their own lives.”
Take a listen to Karl's story below.