The New Yorker, March 15, 1982 P. 41
Narrator is at Frank Martin's drying-out facility in California. He is an alcoholic. He saw a fat man have a seizure the day before. Now he is talking to J.P. J.P. is at Frank Martin's for the first time. It is the narrator's second time. J.P. is married to a chimney sweep. She had been in the chimney sweeping business with her father and brother, and when J.P. married her he became a full partner in the business. Even though he felt happy with his life, J.P. began to drink heavily. He fought with his wife. His father- and brother-in-law threatened to beat the hell out of him, and they finally brought him to Frank Martin's. Narrator had been living with his girlfriend and her smart-mouthed son since his wife kicked him out. His girlfriend drove him to Frank Martin's, making a party out of it with champagne. On New Year's, the men sit around Frank Martin's watching the festivities in Times Square on television and Frank Martin brings out a cake that says, "Happy New Year--1 Day at a Time." Narrator recalls a happy morning with his wife, and decides to call her and simply wish her a Happy New Year, and then he thinks maybe he'll call his girlfriend first, and hopes he doesn't get her son.
