Driving That Man Crazy

David Young was the guy my mom set me up with on a blind date.

There wasn't much to complain about. He was good-looking, honest, and drove for a ride-hailing company. His job offered health benefits, and his salary was decent. On our dates, he always insisted on paying.

Once a woman turned 25, it was like there was this expectation to settle down and start a family. The pressure from home to get married was getting to me, so I decided to give David a try.

After a few months of dating, we were already heading toward marriage.

To be honest, I didn't have any real feelings for him.

I told him seriously, "I don't plan on having kids."

He nodded and said, "Okay, whatever you say."

That was how he answered everything, no matter what I brought up.

Since he agreed, I figured we could just make do and get by.

My best friend, Zoey Joyce, didn't agree at all. "You've only known David for how long? What if he's just pretending? He could be fooling you into marriage, and later he'll pressure you into having kids."

I nodded but then shook my head. "It doesn't look like he's into me anyway. We're just trying to get by. I'm so tired of the nagging about marriage. Every New Year, relatives and friends ask about it. I just want to get married and move out, so I don't have to hear it anymore."

When we discussed it at our engagement, my mom was the first to get upset.

She said, "How can you not have kids? Isn't the point of marriage to have children? Who's going to take care of you when you're old if you don't have any?"

David's parents, on the other hand, didn't seem too bothered. They even stepped in to smooth things over.

They said, "Young people these days face a lot of pressure. It's normal not to want kids.

"Each generation has its own path. We should respect their choices."

...

We went through all the formalities, and just like that, David and I became a legally married couple.

The first two months passed peacefully, but by the third, my mom started pushing again.

She said, "Lola, it's been three months since you got married, and there's still no news?

"You're at the perfect age to have kids. If you don't take advantage of it now, you'll regret it."

I was getting irritated. "At my age, isn't everything the perfect time? Why is having kids the only thing you're focused on?"

...

Every time I called my mom, it turned into an argument about this. Eventually, I got so fed up that I stopped answering her calls.

One day after work, I came home to find my parents and David's parents all sitting together.

The five of them were gathered, waiting for me—the star of the show.

My mother snapped, "Lola! Now that you're married, do you think you can ignore me? I worked hard to raise you, and you can't even pick up my calls?"

She glared at me like I owed her millions.

My mother-in-law, Sofia Young, stopped her from hitting me, telling her to calm down and talk things through.

I didn't want to deal with my mom's baseless anger, so I turned to leave.

I said, "Looks like I came back at the wrong time. Didn't mean to interrupt your family meeting."

David grabbed my arm, a bit panicked. "Lola, we've been waiting for you."

I shot back, "Were you waiting for me to get off work or waiting for me to have a baby?"

Sofia smiled and said, "Lola, we older folks might not get your generation's thinking. Maybe your mom's words were a bit harsh, but there's truth in them. Don't take it too personally.

"I support your decision not to have kids, but people change. What if you regret it later? It'll be too late by then.

"I had a colleague who was in the same situation. She didn't want kids when she was young, but when she hit her 40s, she regretted it. By then, it was too late, and her husband ended up having an affair and a baby with a younger woman.

"A woman isn't like a man. A man can change his mind at 50 and still have kids, but once your chance is gone, it's gone. Your mom's just looking out for you. Sometimes it's worth listening to your elders."

It was clear to me—everyone in that room, my parents, and David's family, were all here for the same reason.

They all wanted me to have a child.