A retired police officer from California opened up about her unusual love story and revealed how it resulted in her moving across the planet to start a new chapter of her life.
60-year-old Deborah Babu is a retired police officer who flew from Sacramento, California, to Tanzania to tie the know with 30-year-old Saitoty Babu who is a Maasai.
As the couple revealed, it was love at first sight when Deborah saw Saitoty and asked him if she could take a picture with him during her trip to the East African nation back in 2017.
“We didn’t have any money with us but I asked if we could take a photo as I had never met a Maasai,” she recalled.
“Now looking back at that photo it looks like we were already in love.”
During their chance encounter, Saitoty got Deb’s number and the pair met again several times in the following days.
While their romance bloomed from the start, Deborah felt that nothing could actually happen between them due to their age gap on top of the distance they faced once she would fly back to the States.
Despite the odds, the long-distance relationship flourished and the couple had a Maasai wedding in 2018. Four years later, they also legally tied the knot, whereas Deborah has since moved to Ubena, Tanzania, to live with her husband who works as a cattle farmer.
While the 60-year-old former police officer admitted life is very different in Tanzania, she couldn’t be happier about how things turned out.
She also hit back at critics who mocked her by saying she “adopted” Saitoty and his family and suggested he is just using her to get a green card.
“Saitoty has been accused of only being with me for a green card which hurts because I know how little his desire is to live in America,” Deborah said.
She continued: “I never expected to find a husband and marry someone so much younger than me but he is the kindest and most caring man.
“When he first brought up marrying me I thought he was crazy. But my children and family said I shouldn’t care about the age gap as I’d been alone long enough and deserved to be happy. It’s a very different life here in Tanzania but I’m happy.”
Speaking of her new life in Tanzania, Deborah added:
“We cook on fire and have no running water. We’re building a lodge at the moment and we even have to construct our own ladders. Saitoty had never had ice cream or fish before he met me.”
Meanwhile, Saitoty admitted he felt like he’d seen an angel the first time he laid his eyes on Deborah.
“We laughed together and took a photo and she just melted my heart. She’s beautiful and kind and she supports me,” he said.
“Having a wife is a big step for me. I’m proud of our marriage. It really hurts me seeing mean comments but now I see other people with age gaps and it helps us to just ignore what people say. Age is just a number and it doesn’t stop the love and care I have for my wife.”
Congratulations to the happy couple!