Unlike most people, when Sofian Loho Dandel received a call from a woman who accidentally dialled the wrong number, instead of hanging up her, he ended up marrying the caller.
When the garage mechanic from Indonesia received a call from Martha Potu, a stranger at the time, he fell for her voice so hard that the call ended up lasting for nearly an hour.
The pair continued to talk, not knowing much about each other – and, having completely fallen in love with Martha’s voice, Sofian decided to meet her.
But after reaching her house, he could not believe who answered the door – an 82-year-old widow.
Sofian had had no idea that he’d been speaking to a woman 54 years his senior.
But, while Sofian was shocked that Marthe hadn’t disclosed her age over the phone, he had, after all, expressed his love for her already – and his feelings remained unchanged.
Sofian decided to continue with his visit and stayed with Martha for two hours – where they chatted about everything that came to their minds.
In that time Sofian learned that Martha had been living alone since the death of her husband ten years ago, and had two children who had left the country to work abroad.
Moved by her story, Sofian, who had never dated before, promised to stay with her forever.
And he truly meant those words – as Sofian went on to ask for her hand in marriage, receiving a resounding ‘yes’ from Martha.
The pair tied the knot on 18 February this year, exchanging vows in presence of their family and loved ones in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.