TAIF, 21 February 2007 — In a story reminiscent of the works of playful American author O. Henry (best known for “Gift of the Magi”) a young, attractive and rich Saudi widow allegedly sought a husband through a matchmaker. But before setting out on this quest, she asked that the matchmaker tell her potential spouses that she was, in fact, a poor and homely middle-aged woman. According to the report published in yesterday’s Al-Madinah daily, the woman hatched this O. Henry-esque ploy in order to avoid having to go through the rigmarole of filtering out the creepy leeches that would only want to marry the woman for her looks and her wealth. The report didn’t say if she found an acceptable suitor or not, but more than a few men came forward and were surprised when they finally got to meet the woman they expressed interest in marrying.
