The Four Loves of Miss Jane Pickles

Jane spread out the fifty or so wedding invitations across her dining room table and looked at each and every one carefully. The last batch had mistakes and she had to send them back. She hoped that she didn’t have a problem with this batch. So far so good. She nodded her head and smiled. 

“You are invited to the wedding of Miss Jane Anne Pickles and Mr. Hunter Kyle Alexander on Saturday, July 17th, 2023 at the lovely home of Mr. and Mrs. Ira Handcock. The ceremony will be held in the garden at 222 Main Street. Port Charles, NY. Please RSVP Mrs. Ira Handcock at 555-123-4569 by February 19th, 2023. “

Jane read the invitation aloud and noticed its simplicity and that was just what she wanted. She was not a fancy kind of girl and didn’t want her wedding to be so fancy that people would forget to celebrate and worry about being fancy. She would not have a reception right after the wedding. The reception was going to be held at the end of the year when her grandparents were visiting for a month from Europe. They could not make it to the wedding. Jane understood. Her grandparents were getting up in age and they had a few health problems which came with advanced age. Grammy Gina was past 80 and so was Grandpa John. She would miss them but would send them lots of pictures. 

“Hunter, is that you?” Jane said as the front door slammed.

“Yep, how was your day?” Hunter asked as he threw his jacket on the sofa and his keys on the desk in the living room. 

“Pretty good. How was yours?” Jane responded.

“Well, it was long. Let’s just leave it at that for now. I see that the wedding invitations finally came. Are these right? No mistakes?” Hunter asked, walking towards the dining room table.

“They are perfect.” Jane said.

“ Jane, I hope that you are not going to still invite Robert, Jerome, Gary and Prince are you?” 

“Why not? You don’t have a problem with that do you?” Jane asked, knowing the answer.

“I do. I don’t think that you should be inviting all of your ex-boyfriends to our wedding.” Hunter replied. He folded his arms in front of his chest and glared at Jane.

“Hunter, I can’t believe that we are arguing over this. I told you that you can invite anyone that you want to even your exes. What about that girl, Lucy? You can invite her if you want to. I don’t mind at all.” Jane said, crossing her arms and rolling her big brown eyes.

“I’m just saying that exes don’t belong at weddings.” 

“Oh, Hunter, grow up. Maybe I want them to see the man I married. You are the best man in the world and maybe I want them to see that. And you should not have a problem with that. I love you, not them.” Jane said.

Jane walked slowly over to Hunter and smiled that coy smile he liked and gently put her arms around his waist. She stood up on her tip toes and kissed his cheek. 

Jane met Hunter three years ago when she worked at the cafe. She was busy making fancy coffee for fancy people when Hunter walked in. She knew right away that he was different. He was not dressed in a designer business suit like the majority of the men there nor was he wearing those polished dressed shoes. He was handsome in his tight tee shirt and black jeans. She figured that he was working construction on the building across the street. He was tall and tan and had the brightest smile that she had ever seen. His curly hair was a little long and he kept brushing the curls back with his hand. Hunter didn’t order a fancy cup of coffee with the creams and sugars and whipped toppings. Hunter simply ordered a cup of black coffee to go and a blueberry danish. Jane could not help but smile all the time he was in front of her. She even did that flirting move she did when she liked someone and flipped her hair back and  smiled bigger. 

Hunter turned to leave but when he got to the door he turned back around. 

“Is there something wrong with the order?” Jane managed to say.

“No, not at all. I just was wondering if you were single, if I could maybe call you sometime?” Hunter asked.

Jane said yes and the rest as they say was history. They were barely apart for the better part of three years. After year one they moved in together and six months later Hunter asked Jane to marry him with the biggest diamond she had ever seen. She almost asked him if he robbed a bank to pay for it. But, she didn’t. She lovingly accepted the ring and his proposal. 

“Jane, you think that you are smart. Kissing me to get me to forget about all of your exes.” Hunter laughed.

“Is it working?” Jane laughed.

The next day Jane mailed out all of the invitations. She held back four. She was not sure if she wanted to actually invite her exes or not. She thought that maybe Hunter had a point that exes weren’t supposed to be at a wedding after all. As she handed the off white envelopes the invitations were sealed into the postal worker at the post office her phone rang.

Jane had different ring tones for all of her friends so she knew exactly who was calling her before she looked at her screen.

“Hey Georgie. What’s up?” Jane asked.

“Are you free for lunch?” Georgie asked Jane.

“Sure. Today is my day off and I am just mailing the invites for the wedding. Can you meet me in about an hour at Huggies cafe? I wanted to try their double bacon avocado cheese burgers.” Jane asked.

“Sounds good. I will meet you there. If you get there before me, get a table by the window. You know how I like to watch people.” Georgie said.

Georgie was late. She was always five or so minutes late every time they met. Jane was used to it. And as Georgie instructed Jane got a table near the window. She waved to Georgie when she saw her walk by the window. They both laughed. 

The  two friends spent the better part of an hour catching up on everything they had missed in each other’s lives in the past couple of weeks. Georgie was Jane’s best friend and was going to be her maid of honor at her wedding. It took Georgie until the end of the hour before she asked the dreaded question that Jane had been waiting for. Jane sipped the last of her soda through the red and white paper straw and waited. 

“Jane, I was wondering why you want to invite all of your exes to your wedding?” Georgie asked.

“Did Hunter put you up to this? Asking me?” Jane said.

“No, he doesn’t even know that I am asking. But, it is a valid question. Don’t you think so?” Georgie continued.

“First of all, they are not all of my exes. I had more. Second of all I don’t see a problem. Two of them are married and the other two have girlfriends. And for goodness sake one has three kids. They are just my friends now and I thought that it would be a good gesture to invite them. I doubt that they would all come anyway.” Jane said as she pushed her empty plate a few inches from in front of her. 

“So, why invite them if they are probably not going to come in the first place?” Georgie asked.

“For goodness sake. Now you sound like Hunter. I told him that he could invite anyone he wanted to and he did invite Carol from his office that does the bookkeeping and he invited Janet who works with his uncle Franklin and I didn’t make a big deal about it. I know he dated Carol for about two months. That doesn’t bother me at all. So, I don’t see why everyone is getting their collective underwear in a bunch because I want to invite four friends that I happened to date a long time ago.” Jane said.

“Well, did you tell Hunter that you were engaged to one of them?” Georgie asked.

“No, why should I? We never got married so why tell him.” Jane asked.

“Because that is the truth and he does deserve to know. But, I see you don’t want to tell him because he would insist that you should not invite them. Am I right?” Georgie asked.

“No, you are not right. I am planning to tell him.” Jane said.

“When on your honeymoon?” Georgie laughed.

“That’s not funny. I can’t believe that we are having this conversation. I feel like I am talking to Hunter. We have this same argument every other day. But, I told you that they are friends and I already mailed the invitations so there.” Jane said. 

“Okay, as long as you are good with it. I am too. I can’t say the same for everyone though. You know that Nancy feels the same way.” Georgie said.

“Well, cousin, Nancy has the right to feel any way she wants to. But, it is my wedding and my life. And I can’t believe that we are arguing over this.” Jane said.

“Me either. You are right, it is your life. But, I strongly urge you to tell Hunter about your old engagement before you get married. The sooner the better.” Georgie said.

Jane not so fondly remembered the engagement to Prince. Prince was the total opposite of Hunter. He was good looking like Hunter but that is where the comparison stopped. Prince was a musician and his whole life was rock and roll. He played guitar and was in a band named after his dad, The Paul Rubby Band. Jane was instantly attracted to him when the cafe had live music on Saturday night and Prince and his band played a couple of numbers there. Prince knew all the right words to say and all the right things to do and when he smiled at her the world seemed to disappear in his eyes. She saw only him. Seven months after they met he proposed. Jane knew that in her head she should have said no. She knew that Prince was too young and too ambitious and also too much into his music to be married. But, her heart said yes. The engagement lasted all of three months before Prince and his band got a job playing overseas and three weeks later the engagement was over. Jane and Prince remained friends though over the years and even tried to get back together once or twice. It never really worked for them as a couple so they decided to stay friends. Prince did eventually get married to another singer and had a baby boy who had the cutest dimples just like him. Jane hadn’t thought it was that important to tell Hunter all of that old history but now she knew that Georgie had a point. 

Jane walked home the ten blocks from the cafe and walked up the four steps to her front door. She noticed a nice smell of food cooking coming from her apartment. But, it couldn’t be anyone. She only lived with Hunter and he was at work. She turned the key and unlocked the door slowly and peeped around the door.  Hunter was standing at the stove with two pots cooking and one looked like it had rice cooking and the other had baby carrots. Jane’s favorite vegetable. Hunter checked the chicken cooking in the oven and turned facing Jane.

“Hey, honey. I got off early and figured that I would cook you dinner.” Hunter said.

“You're so sweet. But there is something that I need to tell you.” Jane said, taking off her coat.

“What’s up?” Hunter asked joining Jane on the sofa.

“Remember that I told you about my exes? The ones that I want to invite to the wedding? Well, there is something that I didn’t tell you about one of them. I was engaged to one. But, briefly. It didn’t last long. I was going to tell you sooner but I got so involved in planning the wedding and well, I am telling you now.” Jane said.

Hunter took Jane’s hands and wrapped them in his. He smiled and their eyes met. He knew that this conversation was coming sooner or later and he had wished it was sooner but he nodded and gave her a peck on her cheek. 

“Jane, I already know that you were engaged to Prince. It doesn’t bother me at all.” Hunter said.

“But, how did you know? Did Georgie tell you? Or did my big mouth brother tell you?” Jane asked.

“No, none of them told me. You told me on her fifth date. Don’t you remember?” Hunter asked.

“I did. I don’t remember telling you that.” Jane said.

“Well, you didn’t say it directly but when you were telling me about your past you did mention that you had a special bond with one of your exes and that you and he had been friends for 20 years and if that bothered me that I could let you go now. You didn’t have time to fall in love with me and then have to leave me because I couldn’t understand that you had a past and was engaged to a man before you met me. I assumed that you were talking about Prince.” Hunter said.

“Did I have too much wine before I said all that?”Jane laughed.

“You probably did. But, I was glad that you told me. I guess since you didn’t remember that you don’t remember me telling you that I also was engaged for a year to Ethel the model.” Hunter said.

“You’re kidding! You were engaged to another woman and I didn’t remember you telling me that. Boy, I must have had too much wine.” Jane laughed.

“Wait, what happened to her?” Jane continued.

“That’s not important and you know what it is not that big of a deal if you want to invite your exes. I can handle it. After all, you are marrying me, the best man you ever met, in your words.” Hunter laughed.

“You are the best.” Jane hugged Hunter.

The next day Jane decided what to do with the invitations to her exes. She made confetti out of them. After all, they were her past and Hunter was her future. She only wanted to look forward.