The Worst Gift I Ever Gave
With the holidays quickly approaching, many of us are trying to figure out the best gifts to get our loved ones. A lot of time and thought often go into our holiday gift-giving, and we want to make it special for those around us. Every once in a while, however, we mess up. We think we are doing something thoughtful and sweet but then turns out we totally blew it. That happened to me several years ago, and it will forever linger in the back of my mind. The present in question was not a Christmas present, however, it wasn't until Christmas time that I realized my blunder.
Chapter 1: The Invitation
A few years ago, I dated this girl for a few months. At the end of the relationship, we stated that we both wanted to still be friends. We didn't communicate all that much after the breakup, though there was no bad blood or hostility with either party. A couple of months went by, and I received an invitation to her birthday party. I thought it was really sweet that she still invited me, and to further ensure that all was well between us, I wanted to make sure I got her something nice. I went to Things Remembered in the Poughkeepsie Galleria, and I bought this engraved keychain of a butterfly. I couldn't remember what it was exactly, but I was drawn to this butterfly like I knew that there was something significant about it.
Chapter 2: The Party
Come time for the party, I attend and everyone had a great time. I didn't have a chance to talk to her until the very end, but it was nice to catch up and be comfortable around each other again. After that day, things were silent again between us. Neither of us went out of our way to speak to one another. That was until a couple of months later around Christmas time. I was back in Things Remembered buying something for a Secret Santa when I came across the butterfly keychain again. For some reason, this time, I remembered what the connection was, and it wasn't as fun or light-hearted as I would've hoped.
Chapter 3: The Realization
Instantly, I was transported back to earlier that year, when we were still together, where she told me about a time when she was a toddler where a swarm of butterflies had surrounded her. Being so young, she was actually terrified of the experience. It traumatized her! Since that point, she had a minor fear/dislike of butterflies! Have any of you seen Iron Man 2 where Tony Stark gets Pepper Pots a box of strawberries as a gift, only to be reminded that strawberries are the only thing she was allergic to? "This is progress... I knew there was a correlation between you and this." Well, in that moment, I was Tony Stark.
Chapter 4: The Apology
I immediately took out my phone and texted her. "Did I give you a butterfly key chain for your birthday?! If I did, I am so sorry! I promise I was not trying to be a jerk, it completely slipped my memory!" It didn't take long for her to get back to me, laughing at me and my hysteria. She said it was all good, and thought the gift was funny actually. She figured that I had must have forgotten about her connection with butterflies and that it was a thoughtful gift nonetheless.
I was relieved to hear that she did not take it the wrong way. Actually, this text conversation opened up the door to more conversations to come. My blunder broke the ice once again which opened up a new chapter of our friendship. To this day, I consider her one of my best friends, and we may not be as close if I hadn't botched her present years ago. Sometimes the wrong presents can lead to some satisfying outcomes.
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