A man in Edmonton who made international headlines for holding onto a wrapped Christmas gift from a high-school girlfriend who dumped him nearly 50 years ago finally learned what it was on Thursday when she travelled to the city and opened it for him.

Adrian Pearce, now a married father of two, received the small present wrapped in shiny, purple paper shortly before Christmas 1971 from Vicki Allen, who was his very first sweetheart at George S. Henry Secondary School in Toronto.

But when she handed it to him, she broke up with him. Dejected, Pearce returned to his familysa国际传媒檚 home, threw it under the Christmas tree and vowed never to open it.

The story last December about the unopened gift appeared on TV, newspapers and websites around the world. And as Allen stood on a stage in a packed cafe northwest of the city and peeled away the paper with Pearce standing beside her and his wife, Janet, in the audience, she herself didnsa国际传媒檛 know what shesa国际传媒檇 see because it was so long ago and shesa国际传媒檇 forgotten.

sa国际传媒淥h no!sa国际传媒� Allen exclaimed when she finally saw. sa国际传媒淚 cansa国际传媒檛 give that to him!sa国际传媒�

It was a small book called sa国际传媒淟ove Is: New Ways To Spot That Certain Feelingsa国际传媒� with cartoons and sayings about love.

sa国际传媒淭he irony is extreme,sa国际传媒� Allen cried.

The event was a fundraiser for the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton, a local charity that provides Christmas meals to families in need.

sa国际传媒淟ove is all of us, all of you, here tonight for the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton,sa国际传媒� Pearce responded.

Days after Pearcesa国际传媒檚 story appeared last Christmas, a friend who knew them both in high school sent Allen a link to one of the many articles written about it. Allen responded by clicking sa国际传媒渓ikesa国际传媒� on some of Pearcesa国际传媒檚 Facebook posts, and Peace figured out who it was. They got in touch, and eventually Pearce and his wife were invited to meet her where she now lives in British Columbia.

They learned that they all got along. They also learned the reason Allen dumped Pearce all those years ago.

It turned out that while Allen was shopping for Pearcesa国际传媒檚 gift at the mall, she met another boy and he kissed her on the spot.

sa国际传媒淚t wouldnsa国际传媒檛 have been so bad, but I kissed him back,sa国际传媒� Allen said.

She said she knew Pearce would find out she had betrayed him. She knew it was over between them.

sa国际传媒淚t was a very innocent relationship. We were in high school,sa国际传媒� Allen explained about her relationship with Pearce.

sa国际传媒淚 didnsa国际传媒檛 know he felt as intensely as he did.sa国际传媒�

For years, even after hesa国际传媒檇 married, Pearce still placed the dog-eared gift under the tree every Christmas. He enjoyed the mystery of it, but eventually his wife put her foot down when their daughter, then five, wanted to open it.

sa国际传媒淪he said, sa国际传媒楧addy, when you die, Isa国际传媒檒l be able to open it then, right?sa国际传媒� I told him he could keep it, but we just didnsa国际传媒檛 want (the gift) out in public,sa国际传媒� she explained.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 pretty secure in our relationship. Isa国际传媒檝e never been jealous.sa国际传媒�

Allen admitted some trepidation about meeting Pearce and his wife. Was he a stalker? He was a nice boy in 1971, but maybe, she thought, sa国际传媒漢esa国际传媒檚 probably become an expert axe murder.sa国际传媒�

Some people had accused Allen of being a terrible person for giving Pearce a Christmas present and then breaking up with him. Pearce has also been called everything from sa国际传媒淗eartbroke Blokesa国际传媒� in the British press to sa国际传媒渕oronsa国际传媒� in one New York newspaper.

Hesa国际传媒檚 since written a book about the whole experience, and his wife and Allen contributed chapters.

sa国际传媒淚 think itsa国际传媒檚 absolutely fantastic that wesa国际传媒檙e friends. My wife is friends with (Vicki),sa国际传媒� Pearce told the crowd.

sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e in a fantastic place where all you can feel is love.sa国际传媒�

Rob Drinkwater, The Canadian Press

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