“It’s Time to Get Married, Don’t You Think?” — Asked My Nosy Neighbour

I’m past 25, and people think something’s wrong because I’m not married yet.

Photo by Trung Nguyen on Pexels

“I don’t know, really…” I replied to one lady next to my house when she asked me whether I’m ready or not for a marriage.

I’m turning 27 in about two weeks. And I can see people in my village are more freaked out than I am. If you live in a big city, this is hard to relate to because people in a small village like where I came from have a completely different mindset about marriage.

You are past 25, and you aren’t married yet? What are you doing with your life? Don’t you think something is wrong and need a fix?

Those are the common comments I got from the villagers. Sometimes it could get harsher than that, and for women like me, it’s considered “normal” to be called expired — as if I’m just a product with the expiration date or something.

The Turning Point

I used to be deeply offended when people commented on my life decision. I refused to go back home during big events such as Eid Mubarak because I knew people would attack me with their close-minded opinions, and sadly, most of them came from middle aged-women.