We finished school and graduated from university.
“Why don’t you have a job?” some people ask me.
“Why aren’t you engaged?” others ask.
But people mostly ask me why I’m not engaged.
My parents are not like that.
My mother says that a girl’s degree and her career are more important than marriage.
They are her weapons.
That way, if she gets married and any trouble arises between her and her husband,
She’ll still have her career.
Isn’t it possible that I don’t want to get engaged and would rather work?
Maybe I’ll love my job and be successful at it.
Maybe I’ll love it more than wanting to get engaged?
But the question is annoying.
“Why aren’t you engaged? When did you graduate?
Wasn’t your college in Qena?
Ah, you’ve been living there for four years.
That day, the man saw your younger sister and I heard him tell your mother,
‘You have another daughter? I thought you only had one!’
But you left and lived there for 4 years, so people forgot about you.
Ah, you keep going out with your friends.
You know, if you were to accompany your mother or aunt down the street,
People would know who you are and propose to you.
But you keep going out with your friends.”
This is often said by various people.
It could be a friend, a relative,
Or someone I barely even know.
It’s just something that is casually said.
Then there are those who call mama,
Who then wakes me up to tell me that so and so who’s related to so and so has a suitor for me.
Me: Who’s the suitor?
Mama: I don’t know. They say he works as something or another.”
Me: Okay, but do I know him? Did he see me?
Mama: No, he just wants a bride and stuff.
Me: Tell her no, of course.
I want to marry someone I love, of course.
But even if I don’t love him,
I want to at least know him.
To have seen him a couple of times.
Someone I know, or know something about,
It doesn’t even have to be everything.
But what’s with the idea that a girl should just get engaged and get it over with because of her age or because people keep asking her to?
Or just because someone has a good job or is of a suitable age?
"Did you go to your friend’s wedding? Were there any handsome boys there?
“Who out of your group of friends is still unmarried? Just you?”
It’s annoying.
I don’t care if I get engaged tomorrow or in 10 years.
It doesn’t matter; whenever he shows up.
There are a lot of people who get married young and are successful spouses and are getting on with their lives.
Others get married young and things don’t work out.
Others get married at an older age and are fine.
And others get married old and have problems.
What I’m saying is that this is human nature.
People’s intrusion ends up bothering everyone.
People’s pressure, their words, and their nagging,
The way they interfere and all these things.
But I don’t get bothered,
On the contrary, I laugh when someone points out that my younger sister got married first.
I’m happy for my sister.
Why would I be upset that my younger sister is married?
And if anyone says anything about it,
I say sarcastically,
“Yes, she’s four years younger than I am. What’s it to you?”