Ugly Duckling

Now quite a while ago I mentioned the story of the Algerian diplomat who demanded a divorce and the return of his marriage gifts to her family, after seeing his unveiled bride for the first time on their wedding night.

Well it seems that they are very demanding men in Algeria, even when basically being given a wife (usually a cousin), because out of that same country comes the tale another Algerian husband suing his bride of just one day.

All went well it seems on the wedding day, and even the wedding night, which we presume was in the dark, but come the morning .....

Ugly Bride .....

.... he was not a happy man. 

His wife had removed her bridal make-up, and, well not to put to fine a point on it, had transformed from a swan (or at least a pretty duckling), into an ugly duckling, or at least in her new husbands eyes.

In fact so much of a transformation was it, that he at first mistook his wife for a thief, until she told him who she was. He then left the room and returned home, and has opened court proceedings for deception and "psychological suffering". He wants a divorce, and £13,000 damages for the shock he suffered.

A court official commented that "he felt deceived as she used to fill her face with make-up. He said that she looked beautiful before. But he woke, saw she washed her face and was frightened."

There's a lot to be said for both parties living together before marriage vows .... not least of which is that you see each other as you truly are .....