By Joyce Aheebwa
“When I saw her picture on a mutual friend’s WhatsApp status, I immediately called for more information. Somehow, I wanted to know more about her. As luck would have it, the description I got matched what I had been looking for in a wife; God-fearing, humble, loving and beautiful,” says 32-year-old Edgar Karugaba, businessman.
Karugaba did not want to waste even a minute and asked for her phone number. The next day, Karugaba reached out to Babrah Kirabo, a 27-year-old lawyer and asked her out on a date.
“She hesitated a little but I was successful in securing our first physical meeting five days later,” Karugaba says.
For Kirabo this was new territory as it had always taken her a while to warm up to new people being the conservative, soft spoken and cautious person she is.
“I am not certain why I said yes immediately this time around. One thing is for sure, he spoke like someone who did not want to play games and this caught my attention,” Kirabo says.
First date
Kirabo told her sisters about the date and all kinds of questions came up since it was out of character for her. They became her driving force to not change her mind.
“I had to attend a class that day so I told Karugaba to come at 2pm. I was so impressed to find him parked at the hostel gate waiting. And he had been there a while. I expected him to come out and open the door for me which he did not. However, I chose not to show my disappointment,” Kirabo recalls.
And off they went to Zone 7, a restaurant and bar in Mbuya, Kampala, for a causal get-to-know-each-other talk. By the end of the night, Karugaba had made it clear that he was interested in love, commitment and marriage.
“I honestly knew things were going too fast but somehow, it felt right. All my questions had been answered and I had ticked all the boxes of the values I was looking for,” says Karugaba.
It was a very wonderful night for Kirabo who felt very peaceful and free from the time she sat in the car to the time they said good night to each other outside her home.
“We talked and laughed as though we had known each other all our lives. The freedom and peace I felt that day gave me confidence in this stranger who was somehow no longer a stranger in my heart. I had fallen in love,” Kirabo says.
Gentleman
At home, Kirabo noticed she had forgotten her shawl at the restaurant, something she mentioned to Karugaba during their good night phone call.
“I could not believe my eyes when the next day he showed up at the hostel with my shawl. I knew he had gone back to look for it. After this, there was no doubt he was the man for me. I committed in my heart to do my part to make this work,” Kirabo says. Click to read more…