When Cinderella met her Prince Charming, she knew they would have a fairytale ending. But that was not the case for Shavkat Mamadjonov and Dilya Ganieva.
It all started in 2000, when Mamadjonov, a Tajik who worked as a trainer for a voluntary youth organisation in Tajikistan, was assigned to teach an English class. One of the students turned out to be Ganieva.
Falling in love with her trainer's job, Ganieva decided to join the organisation. This is when their relationship grew.
One fine day, when Mamadjonov and Ganieva were looking out at the busy streets of Tajikistan, Ganieva said: "Your future wife might be passing down this street right now."
Little did they both know that his future wife was sitting right next to him.
Sadly, that was the last moment they shared before Mamadjonov had to leave for a year-long business trip.
Upon coming back, Mamadjonov realised that his true love was in an office cubicle away.
With that, Mamadjonov decided to pop the question in a cafeteria where they frequently had lunch.
He said: "It was the perfect place to propose to her, as it was the place where we built our relationship."
Mamadjonov and Ganieva live in Dubai and are now the proud parents of nine-month-old Malika.
