The pictures of her travels followed her every step and were constantly updated to her friends on the virtual space. Looking at the pictures and the accompanying words, one could tell that she had been to many regions and areas and indirectly infer that this family was well-off. After posting the pictures, she kept her eyes glued to the screen, waiting for a response somewhere. It was not difficult to receive easy compliments from people far away, but people close by, her husband, were distracted. Every time she raised her phone to take a selfie, he immediately moved away; when his wife wanted to be in the photo, he smiled brightly and put his arm around her waist and intervened to advise: Don't post it on Facebook.

At just over fifty and already a grandmother, she was ecstatic, constantly showing off her grandchild on Facebook, as if exposing her happiness to the world; in return she received compliments like flowers for her grandchild. She posted a picture of her grandma hugging and kissing her grandchild, smiling with some self-made poems:

Used to hold a child, now holds a grandchild

A lifetime of "fighting", tired but happy

There was the sound of children crying and laughing in the house.

For long life, good fortune.

Thinking that her long-term diaper battle was “fierce”, many people jumped in to praise her, then encouraged her, “cheers, grandma”; “grandma, keep it up”. In fact, her hard times with her grandchild were only fleeting. From the beginning, she firmly adhered to the principle of “playing with the grandchild, not keeping the grandchild”; the care of the little boy was completely entrusted to the maid, the moment the grandma appeared on camera with the grandchild was only a moment. However, she smugly received comments that were more than compliments and quickly “liked” or words of love in return… The husband looked at his wife’s radiant joy, his voice leisurely, roundabout: “That compliment is for the maid…”. Despite her husband’s hidden criticism, she smiled and accepted the compliment.

The couple had another problem when she did charity work and then promoted it on Facebook. A few bags of old clothes for poor students in flood-affected areas along with boxes of instant noodles, other times books, school bags and raincoats with the names of sponsoring businesses… were enough for her to appear on camera and share with near and far. Photos of her sitting on a boat or wading through mud in the rain, photos of giving gifts to victims or hugging barefoot children in torn clothes, along with heartbreaking words flooded Facebook; in return, she received high-pitched words like “so wonderful”; “appreciate your golden heart”; “love you so much, sister”…

The wife happily read the comment, the husband ignored it. Waiting for her excitement to pass, he spoke softly as if in her ear: "Doing charity is very valuable, but should we advertise it loudly?". Responding to his concern, she quickly said: "Good deeds need to be multiplied, love needs to be spread." He: "That's right. But it's better to let the fragrance flow naturally." She thought for a moment then continued: "The media often praises good deeds. When you say that, aren't you afraid that people who share your good deeds will feel hurt?". He lowered his voice: "I'm not criticizing others in this matter, but you see, there are many people who volunteer quietly; while many people who give like to show off to gain fame for their charity, but in reality... who do they love?". The unexpected question made her confused and silent.

After being away from home, she returned home to the image of her parents. Her two parents were both nearly ninety years old and could not take care of themselves, so the four sisters took turns returning to the countryside to take care of them. The other three were quietly by their parents' side, taking care of meals, bathing, and hygiene, day after day, without anyone knowing, except the neighbors. She was different from them in that she often shared images of herself with her parents, from feeding them porridge to massaging them or supporting their wobbly steps. There were even clips showing the dutiful child patiently coaxing her parents to eat spoonfuls of porridge like a baby, gently stroking their chests to suppress their coughs, and then making jokes to make them happy. She even posted poems expressing her feelings in the twilight of her parents' lives:

Children's hair is gray, parents' hair is grayer

But happy to be close to each other

My heart trembles with pain

Because I feel the day we will be apart is near.

As usual, her post was met with praise and sympathy from friends everywhere. She quickly scrolled through, counted the “likes” and then frantically gestured on the keyboard to reply or heart continuously, while he was indifferent like an outsider. She read aloud the thoughtful comments, as if she wanted to receive more compliments from her husband, but no, when she looked up, he was no longer beside her.

The husband's purchase of a folding hammock and a massage machine as a gift for his father-in-law also became a topic for her to share. He was always instructing the old man on how to use the handheld massage machine and then turned around to assemble the hammock, so his wife didn't notice that he was recording it and posting it online, with the caption: "A precious son-in-law giving it to his father-in-law, isn't it wonderful?" The question was asked in the open, but it seemed to provoke people to chime in. She seemed excited by the words of agreement here and there, immediately turned the screen to her husband, her face beaming, waiting for the joy to multiply.

He stopped, stared at the phone, frowned, and shook his head. His voice suddenly became cold as an order: "Take it down immediately." She was stunned, staring at him without blinking. The request was repeated sharply: "Delete it immediately!" Seeing her smile, her face indifferent, he glared and said loudly: "Do you hear me?". She fumbled to do as he asked.

After assembling the hammock, he dusted off his hands, turned to his wife, and said softly: “I have a little gift for my parents and I show it off, it’s like I want to be praised, not because of the recipient.” She looked down, looking embarrassed.

Nguyen Trong Hoat

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/tac-gia-tac-pham/sau-nhung-se-chia-157639.html