47 years after, man refuses to open gift from ex-girlfriend

A man whose girlfriend broke up with him has refused to open a Christmas gift she gave as her parting gift.

Forty-seven years on, the still aggrieved lover, Adrian Pearce, now 64, says he has no plans to open it soon either.

Adrian was gifted the present by an old girlfriend who dumped him all those years ago. Back then, he was a 17-year-old Grade 12 student at George S. Henry Secondary School in Don Mills in Toronto, Canada, and was excited for the Christmas holidays.

Until his first serious girlfriend, Vicki, broke up with him.

Adrian said, “She gave me a present at the same time and I took the present home.

“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.

“And so, I fired the present under the Christmas tree. 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.”

He stuck to his word and the present remains unopened till this day.

Adrian says Vicki’s younger sister approached him a few years after they broke up, gave him Vicki’s number and said she wanted to see him again.

They met up a few times, but then lost touch after realising they weren’t interested in dating again.

But Adrian still put the present under the tree, even after he got married and had children, until his wife decided the present was no longer welcome.

Now, he occasionally pulls out the present just to look at it before putting it away.

He also has tried ringing Vicki’s number and even tried to search for her, but has had no luck.

Adrian said he’s not sure what he would say if the right Vicki did pick up the phone and also why he’s kept the present, which is wrapped in a shiny blue paper, for this long.

He said: “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.”

Adrian is now considering opening it on the 50th anniversary of receiving it and having a contest to guess what’s under the wrapping, with the proceeds going to charity.
(Metro)