do i need to be married?

do i need to be married?

Today, as I was waiting for my students to finish their work, a boy named H asked me this ‘sacred’ question out of nowhere;

“Teacher why are you not getting married?”

I never thought that an illiterate student of 16 years old would ask me such question. I kept my cool composure as usual and smiled as I answered him;

“Maybe never.”

The whole class started to ask WHY.

And I answered, NO REASON. Probably it’s because I’m not interested in it anymore…

Then I asked them back, why is there such as concern? Do they think I need to be married?

And again they said, YES. So that you have someone to take care of you when you’re getting older and when you are sick.

I was so amused of their answer. So sincere and pure; as all marriages should be.

Well, then. As I turned towards H direction’s; I spoke to him and looked at his innocent eyes. I told him that even parents with a dozen children sometimes do not take care of their parents and send them straight to the old folks’ home. At least, if one day I end up there – the pain is lesser coz I know there were no children in the picture. I cannot imagine the pain of parents whose children simply refuse to care for them and toss them aside without a feeling of guilt at all.

H replied that he will never leave his parents’ side. I smiled at him and told him to remember his promise to me always.

And then I started to remember their question in the first place. Why am I still single? I have been asked a lot of this over the years. The funny thing is that by now I should be savvy enough to answer this kind of question but somehow, I really can’t. It’s something that is out of my control and beyond my knowledge. When will I get married? How will I know? Would I want to know? Geez. Still no answer.

If I don’t think of that special someone who would one day come and sweep me off my feet then I would be lying. I do think about how I would be if I am married with children? Will I still be the same me? Will I be happy? Or happier married? Or sad and lonely? I really, really want to know but then again, these notions easily died out as fast as they appeared.