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 family鈥檚 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 didn鈥檛 know what she鈥檇 see because it was so long ago and she鈥檇 forgotten.

鈥淥h no!鈥� Allen exclaimed when she finally saw. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 give that to him!鈥�

It was a small book called 鈥淟ove Is: New Ways To Spot That Certain Feeling鈥� with cartoons and sayings about love.

鈥淭he irony is extreme,鈥� Allen cried.

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

鈥淟ove is all of us, all of you, here tonight for the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton,鈥� Pearce responded.

Days after Pearce鈥檚 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 鈥渓ike鈥� on some of Pearce鈥檚 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 Pearce鈥檚 gift at the mall, she met another boy and he kissed her on the spot.

鈥淚t wouldn鈥檛 have been so bad, but I kissed him back,鈥� Allen said.

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

鈥淚t was a very innocent relationship. We were in high school,鈥� Allen explained about her relationship with Pearce.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know he felt as intensely as he did.鈥�

For years, even after he鈥檇 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.

鈥淪he said, 鈥楧addy, when you die, I鈥檒l be able to open it then, right?鈥� I told him he could keep it, but we just didn鈥檛 want (the gift) out in public,鈥� she explained.

鈥淚鈥檓 pretty secure in our relationship. I鈥檝e never been jealous.鈥�

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, 鈥漢e鈥檚 probably become an expert axe murder.鈥�

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 鈥淗eartbroke Bloke鈥� in the British press to 鈥渕oron鈥� in one New York newspaper.

He鈥檚 since written a book about the whole experience, and his wife and Allen contributed chapters.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 absolutely fantastic that we鈥檙e friends. My wife is friends with (Vicki),鈥� Pearce told the crowd.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in a fantastic place where all you can feel is love.鈥�

Rob Drinkwater, The Canadian Press

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