When Daniel hosted the community cleanup that Saturday, Lara could feel invisible fumes curling from her ears as she watched reporters clamour for her husband's attention. One of them handed him a microphone and signalled to a cameraman to focus in on his handsome face.
Daniel's social media following had grown from ten thousand to 2.2 million in the past three months due to his community work. Whenever he was out helping people, one of his friends was always close by to capture the moment on camera. His page had photos of him pushing a stranger's stalled car, serving food at the homeless shelter, carrying bags for an elderly woman across a busy street and oftentimes, holding children's hands to cross the busy road.
Lara's heart grew heavy whenever she read comments on the photos like, “what a selfless man”, “your wife is lucky”, “I wish my man was like you”.
They had no idea, she thought, staring at the leaking kitchen tap that she'd begged Daniel to fix months ago. Her eyes darted to the broken washing machine he promised to “look at” two weeks ago but had not done so, and other chores he could have helped with but did not.
“What inspires you to serve others?” The interviewer's voice pulled Lara back to the clean up scene.
Daniel smiled modestly, his shoulders held high. “Real love is shown through action. I show my community, family and friends that I care.”
Lara gasped softly, her son gazing up at her with a pacifier in his mouth. She picked him up and held him against her chest. The applause had barely faded when she pushed through the small crowd to appear at the edge.
The smile on Daniel's face vanished, replaced by a frown and uncertainty. She walked up to him, and took the microphone from the interviewer who looked dumbfounded.
“I’m Lara, his wife,” she began and continued before anyone could say anything. “I’ve spent years investing my time, my trust and love in this marriage. Everyone else enjoys the returns while I pay the costs. You're generous to strangers but uncaring to your family. That's not value for money.”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd as Lara walked away with her son. Daniel wanted the applause and fame, but instead sacrificed his home for them.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "not value for money".
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