Breakups are tough. Even if it’s something chosen by one partner, both parties usually feel the void and sadness that comes along with the end of a relationship. The time after a breakup is strange. Some people go out and try to keep their minds off of the situation while others stay at home to give themselves some alone time.
One thing a lot of folks do is throw away all the mementos that were collected throughout the duration of the relationship. Adrian Pearce, however, had other ideas…
First Love
Adrian met his girlfriend Vicki Allen in high school. They became inseparable and dated for almost two years. When their relationship came to an unfortunate end, Vicki still cared for Adrian and wanted to leave him with a parting gift to remember their time together…
The Holiday Gift
Vicki knew it was time for them to go their separate ways and called it quits with Adrian. It was odd timing, though, because their breakup occurred right before the holidays. She had already purchased a gift for Adrian and wasn’t quite sure what else to do with it besides give it to him…
Parting Gift
Adrian didn’t see the breakup coming, but Vicki truly felt it was the right move for both of them. She ended things with him in the middle of December. She insisted on giving Adrian the gift she had bought for him, though, as she knew he would enjoy it…
The Heartbreak
Adrian was crushed by the breakup. Vicki was his first love and the thought of spending the holidays without her was so upsetting. Vicki’s gift lay there under the tree, unopened. He couldn’t bring himself to open it, regardless of how badly he wanted to know what was in it…
Holding On to Memories
Adrian decided that he would hold off on opening the gift, but he wasn’t going to get rid of it just yet. So, for the meantime, he left it under the tree, untouched, and eventually, his parents packed it away…
A New Love
Adrian’s heart eventually mended and he went on to fall in love again, this time with a woman named Valerie. Adrian fell head over heels for Valerie, and his time with Vicki became a distant memory…
Making It Official
Adrian asked for Valerie’s hand in marriage and they were excited to start a family together. His first love, Vicki, was all but a distant memory, however, once a year Adrian was reminded of his very first heartbreak…
The Holidays
Every holiday season, Adrian would come across that unopened gift from Vicki, and every time he would place it back in the storage box, where it remained unopened. Adrian had moved on and started a family of his own, what did it matter…
No Interest
His family didn’t understand why he had never opened the gift. They wondered how his curiosity hadn’t gotten the best of him, but the best explanation he could offer was that he just wasn’t interested…
Killer Curiosity
Now, decades later, after Valerie and Adrian had been married for many years, Valerie succumbed to the mystery of the unopened gift. After 47 years since his breakup with Vicki, the curiosity was really getting to Valerie—she needed to open it…
Asking Facebook
On December 23, 2017, Adrian took to Facebook to get some answers. He pleaded to his Facebook friends to see if anyone could help him track down Vicki…
The Search for Vicki
The post got a lot of attention. People found it crazy that Adrian avoided opening a gift for 47 years. To Adrian’s surprise, an old high school friend reached out after seeing his post. The friend said they still had Vicki’s contact information and could connect them…
Getting In Touch
Adrian’s high school friend helped to reconnect Adrian with his high school sweetheart. Vicki was kind enough to invite Adrian and Valerie to visit her at her home in British Columbia…
A Reunion
Adrian was excited to visit with Vicki and catch up after all these years. He loved Valerie and was so happy their paths led to one another, but he was definitely curious about Vicki’s gift and where her life had taken her after all this time…
Under Pressure
Adrian admittedly had a few nerves about reconnecting with Vicki. It had been so long since they had spoken, and honestly, he couldn’t even begin to guess what she had wrapped in that purple paper all those years ago. Part of him also worried about Vicki and Valerie getting along…
Heading to BC
Adrian and Valerie packed up and headed to western Canada where Vicki lived. The wildest part of this meetup was that it was going to take place on live television for a grand reveal of the mystery gift…
A Surprise for All
When they reunited, Vicki admitted to them that she truly didn’t remember what she had given Adrian all those years ago. This big reveal was going to be a surprise for all of them…
The Reason
While Vicki didn’t remember what she had given Adrian, she did remember the day that she had found the gift. On this day, she experienced something that changed the course of their relationship forever…
The Day
Vicki shared her memory of the day, saying she had been out shopping for a Christmas gift for Adrian when she suddenly met a man who really swept her off her feet…
The Kiss
Vicki said that the mystery man she had met that day and stolen a kiss from her, and she kissed him back. She remembers how guilty she felt for betraying Adrian…
The Right Thing
After the kiss, Vicki really knew that she had to break things off with Adrian. It wasn’t fair for her to stay with him after she had betrayed his trust. But, she wanted to make sure to still give him his gift, as he deserved nothing less…
Years Later
The day had finally come, and the big reveal had arrived. Vicki was ready to take a step down memory lane. Adrian handed her the gift for her to open…
Opening the Gift
Vicki got to do the honors, unwrapping the mystery present. However, when she peeled back that old wrapping paper, her face flushed bright red instantly…
A Little Embarrassed
“There’s no way I would have given this to my boyfriend,” she said, blushing profusely. After years of speculation, the famous gift was revealed…
The Mystery
Inside the little package was a book. The title was Love Is: Ways to Spot That Certain Feeling. The book was a collection of comic strips written by Kim Grove, inspired by letters she had written to her own husband. But that wasn’t all…
A Special Note
Even though the book wasn’t exactly something a teenage boy would be thrilled to receive, the message it sent was sweet. When Adrian returned the book to Vicki, she revealed a personal note written on the front page…
A Secret
Adrian red the inscription and smiled. He decided not to share it publicly, but Vicki’s words filled him with gratitude. He announced that he would frame the book and keep it as a memory of his youth. With that, Vicki and Adrian went their separate ways, but not without Adrian sharing some of his thoughts…
15 Minutes of Fame
Adrian thought the experience was so wild that it would make a good idea for a book. He wrote a book aptly titled, The 47-Year-Old Present, and then went on to share the story in a documentary…
The Documentary
Adrian wanted to release a documentary to cover all the things that the book could not. While some of his loved ones thought it was silly, Adrian, in his old age, had found something that really boosted his creative drive…
The Anticipation Ends
Sometimes, the idea and excitement of a gift turn out to be more thrilling than the actual gift. However, for Adrian, it was a reminder of young love and the path he took to find his forever.