This is 23 year old May,
she fell in love with 49 year old Richard.
May: We’re best friends. We can do any and everything together.
But their 26 year age gap
has caused many to make unwelcome assumptions about their relationship.
Rich: When May’s friend called me sugar daddy
I thought to myself "Is this how everyone out there is feeling?"
"When they look at us?"
With family and friends also making judgments due to their age difference.
Linda: He said ...
"I met a woman"
"she a little on the younger side" and I said "okay," "how young?" and said
"holly molly, yeah she is ..."
... young."
With people lining up to pass judgment on their relationship
can they prove that their love is real?
May: Smells like bacon,
that's so weird.
Rich: None of my previous partners are like May.
May’s one of a kind she’s super, her energy,
a lot of times
most of the times I can’t match …
Rich: Then one friend told me, asked me what she sees in me,
but that was just a
good natured little barb. You know?
Our age gap is 26 years
and we’ve been together for two years.
May: I took a ride from a stranger don’t do this at home kids,
I was lost I didn’t know where I was going and Rich helped me.
Rich: She proceeded to show me her pepper spray, her martial arts card.
May: I was like he’s a lot older than me but
I thought he was handsome.
He had beautiful teeth, he was in shape, and he was sweet
Rich: Was in shape.
May: Did I really say it like that ?
Rich: I’m saying it.
May: No, stop it.
Having kept their relationship under wraps initially
May decided it was time to reveal her new love online.
May: A few months ago I decided to post pictures of us
and write about our story and our differences.
No one has said anything that terrible in person
but the internet is a different story.
Having posted a number of photos of her new partner
May and Rich were shocked at the reactions they received.
May: Bed wench. That’s what they called me.
Back in slavery days a black woman that would lay in the bed
and keep the bed warm, until the slave master came and slept with her.
May: It was hurtful.
And it wasn’t just anonymous trolls that passed judgment.
May: I’ve had a lot of backlash
from friends,
I had a lot of immature friends.
They would say stuff like "That’s your sugar daddy?"
"Can he be my sugar daddy?"
"Do he got sugar daddy friends?" and I’m like,
"First of all, he’s not my sugar daddy"
"I really love him. This is my man,"
"not my sugar daddy."
"First of all, Rich is not rich enough to be a sugar daddy,"
"and I don’t think he’s old enough yet either."
So I cut a couple of people off.
May: Table for two please?
Female Speaker: Do want to do indoors or outdoors here?
May: Outdoors please.
May: We get stares ...
especially when we dress up and go out on date night
and people can actually tell
that we’re on dates.
May: Thank you.
Rich: Thank you much.
May: The whole room turns and looks at us.
Everywhere we go.
Rich: Cheers, all right.
May: And that was a huge problem in our relationship in the beginning.
In fact almost everyone has an extreme reaction
on finding out about their paring.
Rich: My family first met May last thanksgiving.
Linda: Good to see you bud, come on in.
use this lipstick.
Linda: He told me on the phone that he was bringing somebody
and I said "this is great."
He said "I met a woman"
"and her name is May," he said.
"but she a little on the younger side" and I said,
"okay, how young?"
And he … I forget how old he said maybe it was like
22 or something like that.
And I said "holy molly yeah she is ..."
"... young."
I was a little concerned because of the age difference.
You know would she find somebody that was closer to her age?
Linda: Yeah go sit in the pool.
She was very sweet,
she was very sweet,
who am I to judge and ...
if they’re happy, they’re happy. What’s the age difference? I’m older than my husband
four years but he looks older.
I just hope that they have
enough respect and fortitude and love between them
to keep it going.
With so many critics
May and Rich had had enough.
And decided to take matters into their own hands.
May: So four months ago we started our own YouTube channel.
May: Hi guys Rich: Hey folks.
May: Hi YouTube?
Today we’re going to go to the balloon festival.
May: In the past I would
shut down and get really sad because I
just want the world to know who I love and not judge me
but now I’m at a point in my life where
it’s just like this is who I love,
this is who I’m with if you can’t accept that then goodbye.
Having taken back control,
the couple are now feeling more bold and confident
in their relationship.
Linda: Drive carefully
all right?
Rich: I believe the future holds for us
is the rest of our lives
being with each other
and to just weather any challenge we encounter and endure and get over those.