Wife couldn’t afford school yearbook as a teen. 12 years later, her husband tracked them all down for her
She often loved looking through her husband's yearbooks, laughing at photos, and reading the notes from his classmates.
As a teenager, Pearl Aiono watched her classmates trade signatures and messages in yearbooks she couldn’t afford. More than a decade later, her husband Ryan managed to track them down and surprise her with the very books she had missed out on, as per Newsweek. The surprise, shared in Pearl’s TikTok @pearlaiono01, has since reached millions with more than 2.4 million views and over 633,000 likes.
Pearl, now 29, remembered what it felt like growing up in Newark, California, when classmates swapped yearbooks on the last week of school. "I used to watch kids on the last week of school, swapping and signing yearbooks, wishing I had my own," she said. Her family couldn’t afford them, so she carried that regret into adulthood. She often loved looking through Ryan’s yearbooks, laughing at photos, and reading the notes from his classmates. One day, he asked to see hers, and she admitted she didn’t have any. She noticed how shocked and saddened he looked, but thought the conversation would end there — it didn’t.
In April this year, Pearl came downstairs to find a gift on the coffee table and Ryan looking very pleased with himself. "I opened it up and it was my high school yearbooks. These were over 12 years old, mind you, so I was shocked to say the least. I looked at him, stunned, and I started crying, asking how he did this," she said. He had called her old high school, arranged the purchase, and even signed one with a handwritten message. "I felt seen, and it healed something in me that day. I never complained or cried about not having a yearbook, but my husband just knew that young Pearl yearned for those memories."
Going through the yearbooks was "really special." Pearl said it brought back faces from Newark she hadn’t seen in years, and she often flips through them in her spare time. In her caption, she called Ryan "the greatest gift of my life." This story offers a living example of how small, thoughtful actions can leave a lasting mark on relationships. A 2010 study by Sara Algoe, Shelly Gable, and Natalya Maisel found that everyday interpersonal gestures not only spark gratitude in the moment but also strengthen connection and encourage long-term relationship growth. Their research showed that when partners notice and appreciate even the little things, it fuels closeness and helps sustain intimacy over time.
Viewers were smitten by the gesture as much as Pearl. @yulianaynl commented, "To be loved is to be considered, and this is a prime example. I love this." @katgrave added, "And if you ever decide to go to any HS reunions, you could have your old classmates finally sign your yearbook." @lizzz.arts shared, "I feel this. I never got a yearbook because they were so expensive. I didn’t even bother asking my parents for one because I already knew they couldn’t afford it." Pearl later told Newsweek, "My husband is a very humble guy, and I was happy so many people get to see how truly special and kind he is. I just want every young girl and woman to know that there are men out there who are ready to love all the parts of you that you may not love. Real love is healing, and kind, and every good woman deserves that."
You can follow Pearl Miles (@pearlaiono01) on TikTok for more relationship and personal content.
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