My World, captions the photo of you holding the twins, the photo I’d begged you (nagged, you said) to pose for. The one that I’d instructed you to smile for. The one that you’d stormed out straight after, and hadn’t come back until the following morning. I add love heart emojis and offer it for the approval of tired eyes and thumbs – scrolling, scrolling – checking in through the day to feel the love coming back to me. #Blessed
Six whole months of loving you, says the post beside the photo of the girls in matching purple tutus, plus a photo of us, arms wrapped around one another, smiling loose, unselfconscious smiles, the kind of smiles I’d forgotten we had. Beautiful family, say the comments. Like, like, like. If anyone notices that the photo of you and me is an old one, filtered to fuck, no one mentions it. #PerfectFamily
The boy done good, underneath the artfully staged photo of the Mulberry bag I bought for myself, from you, for my birthday. We’d agreed it was easier that I just choose something for myself; then I’d be happy, you said. Heart-eyes emojis flood in. Well jel. Lucky girl. I have nowhere to wear it and we can’t afford it. #CoupleGoals
So proud of my beautiful daughter, a post from my mum with a sideways photo of me cuddling the twins after you left us. She’d never say such tender words to me directly, she prefers to love me on Facebook, where everyone is watching. I rotate the photo, filter and share. I love my babies so much, they’re all I need. I hope you see it. #Strong
Emma Robertson is a dance tutor and writer from London, UK with work published in Mslexia, Popshot Quarterly and a number of online literary magazines including Lunate, Funny Pearls and Idle Ink. She was one of the winners of Spread the Word’s ‘City of Stories’ competition and has been longlisted for Wigleaf, Furious Fiction and the Bath Flash Fiction Award. She is currently querying her first full length novel, completed under the guidance of Curtis Brown Creative.
'I Love You (on Facebook)' was first published in Dandelion
Years: Bath Flash Fiction Anthology, Volume 7 in 2022.
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