My younger sister is engaged and I couldn’t be more thrilled! She has been dating her fiancé for seven years and their relationship has been heading in this direction for a while. He’s nice and she seems very happy. However, I am dreading the endless pitying questions from my family. “Are you okay?” “How nice for you sister—wouldn’t it be great if this happened to you?” “Are you jealous? Are you worried you missed your chance?” Rationally I know that these are dated responses and that a woman’s worth is not dependent on whether or not she is a wife but it’s very hard not to feel a dip in ego when everyone is asking you these questions. To make matters worse, my mother left me off a text chain announcing the news to the family, which means the jokes and barbs will be nonstop. When people inevitably ask me these questions what should I say? How should I steel myself for the coming onslaught of pity?
—Spinster Sister