Pepa Flores wanted a doctor for a son-in-law. With four daughters and a medical school close to her house, she had high hopes that her wish would come true.
The only problem was that Cádiz, where the Spanish family live, is a renowned nautical city, and even closer to Ms Flores's house was a naval academy.
Sailors, in their dashing uniforms, were a daily sight for the four girls, and no match for medical students. In an amazing coincidence, one by one Pilar, Carmen, Mercedes and Ana all met and fell in love with young seamen.
Now they are the wives of four captains.
"We didn't even know each other but met through the girls," Captain Esteban Pacha, who is married to Pilar, said.
In fact, it was only Captain Antonio Mayor, Mercedes's husband, who attended Cádiz's naval academy. The other three were working in Cádiz when they met their future wives.
That was when Ms Flores's dream of having a doctor for a son-in-law had to be revisited.
But surrounded by her four captain sons-in-law during a visit to Mdina on Friday as the large family arrived in Malta on the cruise liner Costa Pacifica, Ms Flores looked very happy.
And over the years she has found solace in the fact that her daughters always had an understanding shoulder to cry on when their husbands were out at sea.
"They had the support of each other," Captain Mayor told The Times, as Captain German Sarasua, Ana's husband, joked that the hardship of distance was easy to get used to "as the bank account grows". Carmen's husband, Captain Ignacio Ibisate, smiled as he captured the day out on film.
Today the four men are based ashore, all in high maritime positions, but the sea is their life and family gatherings are an excuse to talk shop.
"You can imagine the Christmas reunion.
"First we talk about family affairs and then move on to ships and the maritime world," Captain Mayor said.
"We can share our professional experiences while enjoying our family," Captain Pacha said.
The chatter of their 11 children, aged between 18 months and 23 years, reverberated through the streets of Mdina. "We are trying to entice our children to study medicine," Captain Mayor said.
Maybe Ms Flores will finally get her doctor.