My family and friends think I am ripe for marriage; how do I say no?

Must a woman get married at a certain age? (Photo: iStock)

It was just a few weeks before Ann's twenty-sixth birthday when she got barraged with countless demands from her kin and friends. It all started with a long phone call from her elder sister who urged her to get married and join motherhood. It was one of those conversations she could have easily ignored as it had not been compounded by her mother.

The mother claimed that she was already married with two children by that age. Warned her that if she did not move fast, men would stop looking her way within no time. Anne, in her defence, explained her reasons for the 'delay', claiming that she had a lot that needed unpacking before settling down.