Our today's story might remind you of those awkward mistakes that you might have done during your teenage, that's not what this story is all about though. It's about a man's strong determination to keep a young age promise for over half a decade until his wife finally loses her patience.
Thousands of people were intrigued by this old man's decades-old promise that he made to himself after his first love broke his heart. When what was left in between years ago was finally completed, the truth just became unbearable for everyone.
As children, we don't care at all, we would wear anything and try to execute all the silly ideas that cross our minds. Sadly, on our ways to grow up there comes the teen phase in our lives, it confuses us to the core, either makes us care way too much or not even a bit, and even irritates us for tiniest reasons. Growing up from this age is when one realizes that the concept of childhood was indeed the best of all. Once aware of this truth, that's when a person really grows up.
Adrian Pearce is no other from the rest of us. Even today when he shares stories from his school days with his children, he realizes how different he has been as a young boy from what he is today as an old man.
Most people experience their first love during their teenage. Maybe that's the reason why the majority of first relationship experiences have something or the other embarrassing about it. First love is unforgettable and when it's over, the young heartbreaks get unbearable. After all, it's the first time that most of the teens feel this kind of pain. All the troubles of the world are on one side and the love issues on the other side.
Now when Adrian looks back at his life, he realizes how everything has been constantly changing in his life but one thing remained the same over the past 47 years. What was it? It became a ritual for the man until his beloved wife finally had enough with this habit.
It started when Adrian was 17 years old was a senior year student at George S. Henry Secondary School, Toronto, Canada started liking Vicki Allen. From group study to school projects, they did everything together. Everyone felt they were in a relationship much before they actually shared their feelings with each other.
The young lovebirds stayed all the time together but their relationship was meant to last for a few months only. In the short span of time, Adrian got so connected with Vicki that when she broke up with him, he made a vow that he didn't break for the rest of his life.
The happiest days of the year were around the corner. It was December and Vicki had a gift with her, sadly, it was less of a Christmas gift and more of a parting gift. When she handed over the gift to Adrian he was eager to open it but she asked him to wait for it. And before he could open the gift, Vicki said that she needed to talk.
Vicki broke up with him and asked him to unwrap the gift once she leaves. But the broken-hearted teen made up his mind to never see what was inside the gift. His first love left him and the pain was unbearable for him. Even though he kept the gift under the Christmas tree he didn't open it. What he didn't forget is to keep a condition to his vow.
The one condition that Adrian would have opened the gift was if Vicki did it herself. He was determined that he won't open the gift in her absence but they were not meant to be together. This gift remained like a memorial of their relationship but for how long? One has to move on sooner or later, right?
It became a tradition to keep the gift underneath the tree every year. Keeping the gift there didn't mean that Adrian was still hoping things to be alright between him and Vicki. He just kept it because it was more like a tradition and that's all. His life moved ahead and he met the woman he would like to marry. But what would be her reaction when she knows about this gift?
Adrian soon moved out of the city for further studies and forgot about Vicki. But he didn't forget to keep her gift under the tree year after year. Even after he got married and had kids. For other family members it was weird to see the same gift every year and when everyone else used to pick up their respective gifts, there remained one wrapped gift.
Vicki and Adrian were not even in touch. And as years passed they even lost track of each other's whereabouts just like the rest of their schoolmates. A few years after Adrian married, Vicki also got married. Both of them lived happy lives but separately.
Adrian had two children who were curious to know the story behind this mysterious gift that they used to see every year. But Adrian kept the secret from them for a long time until he felt his kids were mature enough to understand the story. And his wife was wise enough to understand that Adrian was just keeping the promise to himself not that he had any feelings for Vicki. But this could not go on forever.
For more than 10 years Adrian's wife managed to deal with the embarrassing gift tradition. When even the kids got to know this story, she finally banned this gift. Adrian respected her decision and stopped keeping the gift underneath the Christmas tree. Although the gift remained with him always.
“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. I told my family I’m never going to open that present,” recalled Adrian. The question arose that when there's no point in keeping the gift then why doesn't he just throw it away?
Andrian kept this gift unwrapped for over 47 years and now his wife finally had enough. "I kept it initially because I guess I had hopes that we would get back together and open it together. Now it’s just become a habit after 47 years of looking at it and having the pleasure of not opening it," explained Adrian.
People went nearly crazy about knowing that Adrian was holding on this gift since his teenage. Everyone wanted to know what was inside the gift. They wanted to know when will he open the gift but nobody knew he will ever open it. So, was this going to be it? Well, not everyone is as patient as Adrian.
One day, again near Christmas Adrian posted an old picture of his and Vicki along with the photo of the present. He mentioned his young and short-lived story. “Maybe I don’t want to know what’s inside it. It’s more exciting right now not opening the thing,” added Adrian.
Adrian never expected that his post will receive so much attention from all his friends. And the comment section started to fill with requests to unwrap the gift but how could he? But seeing all the interest that people grew in his post he decided to at least get in touch with her. He started to search for his ex on the internet. Think how would his wife feel knowing that he was looking for his ex more than 30 years after his marriage!
Adrian's wife has always been cooperative with him. She knew that it was all about the suspense and nothing else that kept this decades-old story still so intriguing. Meanwhile, Adrian noted down many several numbers and when he tried calling one of the women, she was a 91 years old woman from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
He thought it was too silly of him to try to get in touch with Vicki after all these years when she must be busy in her life. He knew that she might not even remember him anymore and that's when his wife warned him. She told him that it's not just about him and Vicki anymore, she too wanted to know what was wrapped inside. So, Adrian dialed a few more wrong numbers.
“I was almost shaking I was so nervous,” recalled Adrian. He called twice but no one answered and he thought maybe it's just another wrong number. But third time is always a charm and with this thought, he called the third time and she answered. The question was if this was the Vicki he was looking for?
It was her and Adrian couldn't believe that he was finally talking to the girl whose present he has kept with him for over 47 years. They talked about how life has been over the phone and soon Adrian told her about the present. She was surprised to know that Adrian was still holding on to the gift when she didn't even remember about the gift!
Vicki and Adrian planned to finally open the present at the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton. The Bureau works for families in need. They wanted to connect as many people as possible with the cause. As Vicki herself didn't remember what was inside the gift, it was going to be a tricky situation. Wondering how?
When they finally met and Vicki was about to open the 48 years old gift something shocked her. She said, "Oh no! I can't give that to him!"Adrian and his wife were looking at her and every person inside that packed cafe northwest of the city looked at her. They thought she was just trying to create a suspense scene but that wasn't it.
48 years back Vicki bought a book named, “Love Is: New Ways to Spot That Certain Feeling.” Vicki later admitted, “I do not recall buying the book, I do not recall wrapping the book, and certainly don’t recall the book itself. In hindsight it couldn’t have been more inappropriate under the circumstances, it couldn’t have been less careless of his feelings and it just goes to show how ignorant a 15-year-old can be."
There was one reason for giving Adrian this particular gift and Adrian later shared it, “Well yes it is a bit of a surprise and yet I know the backstory that on the day that Victoria was buying this gift for me she fell for the other guy, so she figured she’d got the present for Adrian so I might as well just give it to him.”
Vicki went out to look for a gift for Adrian when she ended up kissing a guy who liked her. She said, "It wouldn't have been so bad, but I kissed him back," said Victoria. She knew that the relationship would be over as soon as Adrian found out about the kiss, so she broke up with him. "It was a very innocent relationship. We were in high school. I didn't know he felt as intensely as he did."
Adrian answered a lot of questions in the media. He said, "It took quite a long time to establish a relationship again, I had to prove to her who I was and she had to prove to me that she was who she said she was."
“There were three women who said they were her and we had to check them out because I asked them very specific questions about something we might have done on a date, two of them didn’t answer this one did and then we connected by telephone and as soon as I heard her voice and her kinda mannerisms I was pretty sure it was her,” recalled Adrian.
"Are you surprised that Adrian kept this present, putting under the tree year after year?" A reporter questioned Vicki. She answered, “Surprised is a bit of an understatement. Shocked! When I first heard about it I was astounded that anybody would hold a grudge that long or possibly remember me that long, or even be able to stand the temptation that long.”
Adrian and Vicki understood the significance of this moment. Adrian even wrote a book about his experience for which his wife and Vicki contributed. He said, "I think it's absolutely fantastic that we're friends. My wife is friends with Vicki. We're in a fantastic place where all you can feel is love."
"She said, 'Daddy, when you die, I'll be able to open it then, right?' I told him he could keep it, but we just didn't want the gift out in public. I'm pretty secure in our relationship. I've never been jealous," recalled Adrian's wife.
When Adrian can take a vow to not open the gift so seriously, we can understand what is the significance of wedding vows for him. She never felt insecure with Adrian rather she knows his importance. That's what true relationship is all about, isn't it?
This all happened with the help of a mutual friend on facebook. Vicki once liked a post on this friend's profile and Adrian got to know that this was the same Vicki that he was looking for. The world is actually very small and one can get tracks of others at any time.
Have you noticed how this story revolves around Christmas? They dated till Christmas, and then every year her gift reminded him of her each Christmas, and decades after the incidence, they met once again on Christmas. Isn't that amazing?
This is certainly a unique story. A guy holding on to his ex's unopened gift from so long and his wife was not only aware of it but also okay with it. In a world where people don't trust each other for the smallest of things, this story certainly made many people's day.