InstaLife

Winner of Writer’s Digest “Your Story” Competition

Printed in Writer’s Digest Nov/Dec 2022 Issue

Jonathan was fine with losing the house. He was completely fine with losing his marriage. But not Maya. She was the only reason Jonathan even tried to make it work with Tamara for two years too long. Hunched over the dining table with his face buried in his hands, Jonathan stole a glance at his daughter playing on the kitchen floor with her dolls. 

Clay sat next to him, doing a poor job of keeping him calm and an even worse job at helping him win his custody battle. “She’s allowing you weekends.” 

Jonathan looked around his apartment filled with garage sale furniture he moved in himself since Tamara took their friends too. His eyes settled on the fridge where alphabet magnets held up late bills and a photo of Jonathan embracing Maya who wore a pink sweater and a soft smile. “Full custody. I won’t settle for anything less.”

“Then we got work to do.” Clay pulled his phone from his pocket. “We’ll need some reinforcements.” He made a call, and within minutes, there was a knock on the door. Clay rose and answered it as Jonathan and his daughter peered around the corner at the mystery guest. 

A young woman with long hair and a not-long-enough t-shirt walked in, a backpack slung over one shoulder. Jonathan didn’t understand what she had to do with his custody battle. 

“This is Taylor from Instalife. She’s helped a lot of my clients win cases.” Clay extended a hand. “Thanks for coming on such short notice.”

“Yeah, sure,” Taylor said without looking up from her phone. “So, what are we pretending?” 

“He’s looking for full custody of his daughter. Let's go with Happy Single Dad.”

“I am a happy, single Dad.” Jonathan looked over at Maya, hoping for some sort of confirmation, but she was hyper-focused on the girl pulling out a tripod and a ring light from her backpack. 

Clay gave Jonathan’s shoulder a squeeze. “I know that. You know that. But the world doesn’t know that. Taylor sets up social media accounts for people trying to win lawsuits and legal battles by showing they are injured, sober, or whatever else they need to be to convince a judge.” 

Cupboard doors slammed from the kitchen, disrupting the jumble of questions Jonathan wanted to ask. He followed the noise and saw Taylor arranging items on the counter. “Okay, Single Dad, let's get some pictures of you and your daughter making cookies.” 

With a squeal, Maya ran into the kitchen and dragged a dining chair to the counter.

“But I’ve never baked anything before.”

“You just have to pretend you’re making cookies and having fun.” Taylor staged Jonathan and Maya to make it look like they were stirring bowls of dough, complete with smearing flour on their faces and hands. She circled them with her phone held out in front of her and captured the imaginary baking event. Jonathan held his tongue while orders to act happy were barked at him. He said he would do anything to have full custody of Maya, and he was ready to prove it. 

The next hour passed by in a whirl as Taylor depicted various domestic scenes for the pair to pose in, all proving Jonathan was capable and doting. Finally, with the apartment in disarray from multiple set changes, Taylor announced they had enough evidence. She packed up her equipment and requested payment be Venmoed by the end of the day. Clay gave a thumbs up and she left the apartment. 

“Full custody is as good as yours,” Clay said before heading out, and Jonathan, after looking at his new social media accounts, felt his confidence grow. 

Late that night, he took down the old photo on the fridge and replaced it with one of Taylor’s. He and Maya looked much happier in those.