This story is the property of the author and cannot be copied or used in part or in entirety with the express written consent of the author. This story is published in Literotica and if it appears on any other site it has been stolen and re-published without the author's consent. The subject of this story is a real woman and the author has her permission to write and publish this story.
It was circled there on the calendar on the wall. I stood there looking at it and thought that it was still months away, so not so close, but then came the thought that it was close -- really close, and I felt a knot in my stomach. My 40th birthday. It was coming. It was strange -- I had never had any problems with any previous birthdays. I was really happy when I turned 21. When I turned 30 it was not a problem. I was established with a job and a career and I didn't miss the uncertainty of my 20's at all. I had several friends who dreaded turning 30. I'm an Asian woman as are many of my friends. When I turned 26 and again at 27 my parents had asked me, "Will your boyfriend ask you to marry him this year? You aren't getting any younger, you know." Most Asian parents of girls are this way. They want their girls married by the time they are 26. In fact, the same is true of Asian parents and their sons, although they cut their sons a little more slack and don't bug them so much about it, but all of my Asian friends who are males told me that their parents were also complaining that they weren't married yet if they had not married by 28 or 29.
Before I turned 28 I told both of my parents not to say anything to me about my age and marriage. I told them I was happy with my life and that I didn't need a husband to be happy. It was true -- I really did feel that way. My parents saw that what I had told them was sincere and they also could see that I really was happy. They also both love me a lot and respect my choices, so they stopped asking me when I was going to marry. When I turned 35, my mother took me aside and told me that she was proud of me and didn't care if I married or not. I was really shocked! I didn't expect that at all! She went on to tell me that many of her friends had told her that their married daughters were not happy in their marriages. The husbands cheated on them, or couldn't get good jobs to support their families, or had drinking problems, or were just lazy. My mom told me that she had only one friend who had a happily married daughter. I'll never forget, she looked straight into my eyes and said, "Good you not marry. Many men just trouble. You enjoy your life." I thought my mom and dad were happy together but her remark made me wonder a little about that.