Photo: The Faces / Shutterstock
How's that for playing the field?
By Tom Miller — Written on Jun 06, 2020
Stop me if you've heard this one before. An older person from a largely Muslim nation is considering ditching a 22nd spouse in favor of a 23rd one.
If you're a little confused by the gender non-specificity, there's good reason. This Malaysian marriage malcontent is a woman.
In 2009, a woman from near the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur had been starting to look for her 23rd husband as her 22nd husband, Muhammad Noor Che Musa, was preparing to leave rehab.
The 107-year-old woman, Wook Kundor, feared that her seven-decades-younger partner would leave her upon exiting treatment and that she would end up alone.
Though an older man is generally called out on his lechery when discussing marriage to and divorce from a much younger partner, Kundor said that she was strictly in this for companionship.
"My intention to remarry is to fill my forlornness and nothing more than that," she said. Eesh.
The obvious question, at this point, is: What is a 37-year old man doing with a woman seventy years his senior? Clearly, seeing as this chap is in narcotics rehabilitation, he may not be someone who thinks logically at all times.
While it was possible that she was rich and he was a gigolo, that didn't seem right, either.
Maybe this was one of the many, many times in life when we all just had to agree to accept something without understanding it, like why the sky is blue, why washcloths seem to get us cleaner than just using the soap bar, and why we're tired when we get too much sleep.
However, Musa himself revealed that he did, in fact, marry for love. He married Kundor in 2006 and he admitted that, initially, he felt sympathetic towards her due to her age and the fact that she was alone.
But Musa said that he had a great respect for Kundor and, eventually, their friendship turned into something more.
Sure, they may not be the most conventional pairing in the world, but you know what they say: age is just a number.
And in 2010, the lovebirds were finally reunited after Musa had completed his year-long treatment.
At the time, Kundor said, "I am grateful my husband has come back, I am happy we see each other again because I really love him. We will return to our normal life and I will serve my duty as a wife, just like any other woman."
Musa said that Kundor had visited him many times during his rehab stint, adding, "I always miss her. I know I had done something wrong and I have repented."
Now that Kundor and Musa have found their happily ever after, someone needs to round up as many of the other 21 past spouses as are alive and create a reality TV show. There will probably be a number of misunderstandings.
However, we think that it could definitely give The Bachelor a run for its money.
Tom Miller is a writer and performer based in New York. He's been the general manager and coordinating video producer at YourTango for 12 years. His side-chick is acting and improvised comedy.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted in September 2009 and was updated with the latest information.