The Heartbreaking Break-up
One day, Adrian Pearce was getting ready to go on a date with his girlfriend Vicki right before Christmas. However, little did he know he was about to receive some heartbreaking news.
Vicky broke up with him and gave him a parting gift wrapped in blue paper, something for him to remember her by. Devastated, Adrian swore he’d never open the gift. But 50 years later, the man changed his mind! But how did this story begin?
High School Sweethearts
Adrian Pearce and Vicki Allen met while they were teens back in the late 60s. They fell in love in no time and began dating. None of them were too experienced, considering it was their first serious relationship.
Adrian thought they had something special, but Vicky, on the other hand, wasn’t really on the same page. As they were getting ready for their winter holidays in 1971, Vicky gave him a terrible news. Vicky broke up with Adrian and curshed his heart... and on the night right before Christmas!
Getting the Goodbye Present
What was more heartbreaking was that Vicky showed up with a present that day. What was she thinking? That a present would somehow make the break-up better?
Adrien recalls that day all too clearly: > “I had a long walk home and I was all upset and angry, and all the things you feel when somebody breaks up with you,” he said in an interview.
A Decision for the Next Four Decades
“After my family opened their gifts at Christmas, there was still one Christmas gift left and it’s the gift this girl Vicki had given me,” recalled Adrian. However, Adrian promised himself not to open it, no matter what.
He actually kept his promise for 47 years, until things took a different turn. After all those years, Adrian finally learned why Vicky had broke up with him. Can you guess what the gift was?
Choosing Different Lives
As time passed, Adrian’s heart finally mended, but he never got back together with Vicky. They married different people and years later had their own family. As you can imagine, the two didn’t keep in touch.
Adrian, however, kept the mysterious gift throughout the years, but year after year he would place it in the Christmas tree anyways, sort of like a tradition. Why did he even keep it, one may wonder?
It Became a Habit
Adrian’s strange habit continued for 47 years. Every Christmas, you could see the blue wrapping and the clear tape going yellow. However, this tradition wouldn’t last forever.
You see, someone by Adrian’s side wasn’t going to take this nonsense anymore! Adrian’s wife let him keep that habit for quite a while until she thought it was enough!
A Token From the Past
The man saw the gift as a token of his past and not as the present he once got from his ex-girlfriend. He loved his wife Janet a lot, but the old Christmas present was intriguing, which was why he left it unopened.
Adrian enjoyed the mystery, but after 47 years, he decided to finally open it! And guess what? He posted his story on Facebook and it became viral overnight! In fact, Adrian gathered the courage to write a book.
A Mysterious Present
He called his book The 47 Year Old Present. In the Facebook post, he explained that he had developed a “pleasure of not opening” that gift. Then, he also revealed some new information on why Vicky had broken up with him!
He confessed that she liked an older man called Wolf, but all these years, little had he known she had actually had one more reason to break up with him. How did Adrian find out? This is where things get interesting!
Looking For Vicki
All of a sudden, hundreds of people started telling Adrian that he should track down Vicki! Adrian accepted the challenge, but this was quite a difficult task! First, he talked it over with his wife, Janet, and she was OK with it.
He found some numbers through some old friends, but all leads were just dead ends. He even looked for her number in the phone book but there was only a 91-year-old woman from Toronto with her name.
He Nearly Gave Up
As he saw there was no way he could track Vicki, Adrian nearly gave up. His search turned into an impossible quest... until one of Adrian’s friends from high school contacted him on Facebook! It turned out that guy actually had Vicki in his friends list!
Finally, Adrian would speak again to his former high school sweetheart. The story of the 47-year old present then gets much better!
Reconnecting With Adrian
One day, Vicki received a link to Adrian’s story about the old present he got from her. She read it all and contacted him instantly. She had no idea that she would later on receive Adrian and Janet into her house in British Columbia.
The reunion was pretty exciting for both. As they began catching up on the past four decades, the three reached a conclusion - they had to open the gift
The Present Is Revealed!
Before Christmas 2018, Adrian and Janet’s visit to Vicki’s home ended with a decision that would stun the whole world! They figured the best way to find out what the present contained was to do it in front of the cameras and a huge crowd.
Adrian told Vicki that he never had the guts to open that gift and as years passed it became a habit. And you know what? So much time had passed, that Vicki had forgotten what the gift was!
A Suspenseful Moment
And the day of the revelation finally came. They organized a meeting at a restaurant, sold tickets to the crowd, and gave the money to a Christmas charity.
While on TV, Vicki admitted that although she had forgotten what was inside the wrapping, she did remember what had happened that day. She had gone shopping for a present and that’s when she ran into Wolf, the boy she had had a crush on for as long as she remembered!
They Kissed!
She revealed in front of the cameras that she and Wolf began talking and out of nowhere, he kissed her. It made Vicki feel terrible because she kissed him back and felt like she had betrayed Adrian.
She felt guilty for having been unfaithful, so she couldn’t continue the relationship with Adrian. Today, nearly 50 years later, she was going to be the one that would open the present!
The Suspense Was So Big
The suspense was huge as the former sweethearts were about to tear open the present! As Adrian held it in his hands, he looked at Vicki and told her she should do the honors.
When she opened the gift, her face turned red! She muttered to herself something and took a second look at the gift saying she couldn’t show it to Adrian. What was she holding in her hands? Then, she said this to the cameras…
It Was a Book!
“Oh no! I can’t give that to him!” said Vicki, as she slowly revealed what she bought to him 47 years ago. It wasn’t a photo or a chocolate. It was a book.
As Adrian took a look at its cover, he smiled as he read the title: Love Is: New Ways To Spot That Certain Feeling. It was a bit ironic, considering the fact that he was being dumped the day he had received it. What did Adrian say about it?
The Extreme Irony
“The irony is extreme,” said Vicki, adding that she had been “a bit careless of his feelings” back in those days. She looked through the book, looking to see if she had written a message in any of the pages.
As for Adrian, he said he held no grudges against Vicki for her decisions as a teenager. Finally, the Christmas present was opened! But things didn’t end with the revelation…
Framing The Present
Since he held it for so many years, Adrian said that he would frame both the book and the wrapping to have them as a reminder of his past and the story behind it. During that event, the broadcasting and the fundraising was a success!
The Christmas Bureau of Edmonton received $13,000 from that event, meaning that the children in need would receive Christmas presents that year thanks to Adrian and Vicki’s mysterious present!
Revisiting the Last Chapter
Adrian had finished writing and publishing the book months before opening the present, so he decided he should revisit the last chapter to add the details from the event and his opinion on that small book on love.
Now, Adrian, Janet and Vicki are friends and keep in touch regularly. Moreover, the two women have also written some chapters in his book, talking about their memories about the old gift…
The Unopened Gift
Who would have thought that the story of a simple unopened gift would take the world by storm? Adrian’s strange attachment to an old gift turned out to shape his life and brought him fame nearly 50 years later!
The mystery was finally solved and now Adrian looks forward to writing and even creating a documentary on his experiences with the 47 year old present. We’re all looking forward to see how the filming goes!