Although Kathy and Brandon Gunn have been married for nine years, they have not yet opened any of the several wedding presents that they got when they tied the knot.
The present that Aunt Alison, Kathy’s great aunt, gave her arrived in a white box, and for a number of years, it was stored on top of a shelf in their wardrobe.
It is not the case, however, that the couple did not value the present they were given, instead, it was at Aunt Alison’s suggestion that the present be delayed until after the couple had their first argument before being unwrapped.
An envelope that was connected to the wedding present had the words “Do not open until first argument” scrawled across the front of it.
When Kathy and Brandon’s aunt Alison handed them the gift for the first time, they decided that in order to respect her request, they would not open the present until they had their first argument.
Even though they have been married for nine years and have had several arguments and conflicts over the course of that time, neither Kathy nor Brandon has ever opened the present.
“If I had to guess, I would say that both of us avoided looking inside the box since doing so would have shown our inability to solve the problem. It would have indicated to us that we lacked the ability to make our marriage work, which is something that neither of us is willing to accept since neither of us is willing to give up.
Therefore, we were compelled to do a thorough scenario analysis. Were we truly at the point where we needed to open the box?
What if this isn’t even our most difficult confrontation? What if there’s an even more difficult one up ahead, and we don’t have our box? As my Great Uncle Bill used to say, ‘Nothing is ever so horrible that it couldn’t be worse,’” Kathy said.
When Kathy and Brandon opened the package, the first thing they noticed was two letters; one of the letters was written to Kathy, while the other one was sent to Brandon. Even some cash was concealed inside the envelopes containing the notes.
The note that was sent to Kathy said that she should “Go buy a pizza, shrimp, or whatever you both enjoy.”
While reading Brandon’s letter, you will see that he was instructed to “Go fetch flowers and a bottle of wine.”
In addition to the letters, there was a crystal flower vase, two crystal wine glasses, a bath soap, lotion, and bubbles; all of these items were intended for the moment when the pair was reportedly going to need them the most.
“All along, we thought that the contents of that box held the secret to rescuing a marriage — an age-old trick – unknown to us novices,” Kathy said.
Kathy continued by saying that the important thing to her was not the things that were within the box but rather the profound message that was hidden beneath them.
“After all, my Great Aunt and Uncle had been married for half a century when they told me their story. So, we had high hopes that the box would come to our rescue, and in a sense, it did.”