Dear GhanaWeb,

My father took care of me and performed motherly duties because I lost my mother during childbirth.

The name on my birth certificate was changed to that of my mother's by my father because, at age 9, anyone who knew my beloved mother could automatically tell that I was her child.

Losing my mother took a devastating toll on my father, who has yet to let the past go. He refused to remarry when advised to do so, his reason being that his wife is not dead but lives on in me.

I eventually inherited every feature of my mother, and that strengthened the bond between my dad and me.

After I completed my master's degree, the man I was dating made arrangements to ask for my hand in marriage.

I was 28 years old at that time. My fiancé came to meet my father, but he rejected the proposal because, to him, I wasn't ready to be a wife.

The following year, he revisited the conversation with my dad, and he insisted I wasn't ready. He couldn't wait any longer, so he married someone else.

I'm 35 years old now, and between the ages of 29 and 35, my dad has turned away any marriage proposal that came my way.

He always says I am not ready, and I have spoken to him, reminding him that I am no longer a child, but he says he will let me marry when the right time comes.

When is the right time? Would it be age 40, when I have lost my relevance as a young lady?

How do I approach this issue?