“My GF thinks I didn’t get her anything for our anniversary, but the reality is way worse…”
Hey everyone. I’m writing this from the bathroom because I am literally hiding from the shame. I need to vent because I feel like I’m losing my mind. We’ve been together for 3 years, and she is the most thoughtful person on earth.
She remembers everything: dates, my distant friends’ names, exactly which foods I love and which ones I hate. I, on the other hand, am a disaster with memory. My brain is like a web browser with 50 tabs open, and half of them are frozen.
Knowing this, I wanted to do it “right” this year. TWO MONTHS ago, I bought the perfect gift. It’s a vintage, first-edition copy of her absolute favorite book (The Princess Bride), which was incredibly hard to find. I was so proud of myself for being so ahead of the game.
The problem is, because I bought it so early, I hid it in a “safe place” so she wouldn’t accidentally find it while we were cleaning or looking for stuff. I told myself, “Obviously, this spot is perfect. There’s no way I’ll forget this.”
Well, the day arrived (yesterday). We had a romantic dinner at home. She gave me my gift: an incredible watch engraved with our initials. I teared up a bit; it was beautiful. Then it was my turn.
I went to the bedroom to get the book…and my mind went blank. Total white noise. I checked the closet. Nothing. Under the bed. Nothing. In the toolbox (why would I put it there?). Nothing. I even checked the freezer in a moment of pure desperation. Nothing.
I spent 20 minutes “in the bathroom,” but I was actually silently tearing the apartment apart trying to find the damn book. The panic started rising in my throat. I couldn’t walk out there empty-handed after the amazing gift she just gave me.
So I went out…and I lied. I told her: “Babe, your gift is something really special that I had to order from overseas, but there was an issue with the shipping and it arrives next week.”
She was super understanding. She told me not to worry, that the intention is what matters. But now I feel like absolute human garbage. Not only did I “forget” to give her the gift (which is physically inside this house, I am 100% sure), but I lied to her face.
Now I’m on a countdown. I have one week to find where the hell I hid that book before she realizes there is no tracking number and no pending shipment. I’ve checked places in my own house I didn’t even know existed.
The worst part is that this happens to me all the time with small things (where I left my keys, the name of a restaurant someone recommended, my mother-in-law’s birthday), but I’ve never screwed up on this level before.
I feel like my mental disorganization is starting to affect my relationship, and I’m terrified she’s going to get tired of having a boyfriend who seems like he doesn’t care, when in reality I care too much—my brain just refuses to cooperate.
I need advice on how to handle this with her. Should I come clean now and admit I lost it inside the house, or should I use this week to tear the apartment apart? How do I explain this without looking like I don’t care?
Here’s what people had to say to OP:
SteelToeSnow said:
Just be honest with her. stop lying, and be honest with her. You can both work together to find the book, and one day you’ll laugh about your poor memory and this instance.
mishney said:
I don’t know why you made it worse by lying… just tell her what you got her and make a game out of searching for it together. Next time, don’t wait until PRESENT GIVING MOMENT to actually look for it.
Aldetha said:
Just tell her! Get out of the bathroom and tell her everything you just told us and she will still love you for it! Have fun searching together, enjoy the rest of the evening. Then tomorrow maybe make an appointment with your doctor to discuss ADHD.
(Either to investigate a diagnosis, or if it’s something you’re already dealing with, perhaps different treatments?) For now, enjoy your anniversary!
pistachio-pie said:
Omg just tell her. It’s not bad at all. She will help you go on a quest to find it. You can make it cute. Just tell her the truth by god!
Tajohnson23 said:
I don’t understand why you would lie and make it worse. If this happened to me, I would say let’s find the book. And would find it funny. But with the lie in there…I would say why would you lie to me about something so stupid and wonder what else do you like about?
eflask said:
Come clean, dude. The truth is sweet. She’s met you. she KNOWS you lose things.
sherahero said:
Tell her the truth and have her help look for it! It’s so sweet that you bought it so far in advance I wouldn’t be mad at all.
