Coward explained

John is the narrator. He has a dream the night before he meets his two potential loves. One is his true one, a very intense flame that will burn for a short time and then extinguished. The other is a safe choice, a slow, long burn if you will.
John and Jane sound familiar and they should. They are commonly known by their second name, Doe – a moniker for unidentified bodies. The implication is that both die; John inside and Jane physically. Mary? Together, Mary Jane or marijuana: two women born of a dream.
We pick up the story years after that fateful day. Framing John’s confession is the wedding picture of him and Mary. We know who he picked and now he has regrets. It is quite possible that he just learned about Jane’s death and he revisits his past, thinking about the choice he made.
Remember what I said in The Reckoning blog post about ordinary lives? Most of us settle for Mary and that is even without knowing the future. Most of us are John. Discuss in FORUMS.