Boyfriend #1 Alex Ripley, age four
One by one, let us go through Jane’s Numbered List of Boyfriends before she lets them go forever.
Alex Ripley, age four
Alex declared to Jane’s preschool teachers, their mothers, and Kildara (the girl with self-cut bangs) that he and Jane would marry. Her heart thrilled. She felt like a princess for real.
After a rousing Easter egg hunt in the park, he ran with Jane behind a tree.
“I want to give you something that means we’ll be together forever,” he said.
Forever sounded wonderful to little Jane. She closed her eyes, and he kissed her on the lips seven times. Kissing wasn’t as thrilling as she’d hoped. She felt like she’d been pecked by a chicken. A soft chicken.
That summer Alex’s family moved to Minnesota. She never saw him again.