Cathedral

The narrator sits on the porch of Frank Martin’s, a treatment center for alcoholics, with a man named J.P. J.P. experiences muscle tremors, which the narrator assures him will eventually stop. The narrator doesn’t mention that he recently saw a man named Tiny have a seizure, even though he nearly completed his time at the facility and was ready to go home. The narrator, who also experiences occasional muscle spasms, wishes he could ask Tiny if there was any sort of warning before it happened.

To keep them both occupied, J.P. tells the narrator stories about his life. He talks about an afternoon when he was 18 or 19, drinking beer at a friend’s house. An attractive chimney sweep named Roxy arrived to clean the chimney. After she finished, she offered J.P.’s friend a kiss, because a kiss from a chimney sweep is supposed to be good luck. Then, J.P. asked for a kiss and she agreed. Smitten, J.P. walked Roxy to her truck and asked her out. They married, and Roxy’s father made J.P. a partner in the family chimney sweep business.

Roxy stopped working and had two children. But J.P. started drinking more heavily for reasons he doesn’t understand. J.P.’s marriage became volatile, and his fights with Roxy often turned physical. Eventually, Roxy had an affair, and J.P. retaliated by slicing her wedding ring into pieces with a wire cutter. The following morning, J.P. was arrested for drunk driving. Having lost his license, he could no longer drive to work. Shortly thereafter, he came to Frank Martin’s get his life in order. This is the narrator’s second stint at the facility, and his stay is voluntary. When the narrator arrived, drunk and dropped off by his equally drunk girlfriend, Frank Martin suggested that he stay at least two weeks.

Later the same day, Roxy’s father and brother dragged J.P. into the facility. As the two men sit on the porch, Frank Martin informs them that the author Jack London lived nearby and died from alcohol abuse, adding, “Let that be a lesson to you. He was a better man than any of us. But he couldn’t handle the stuff, either” (126).

On New Year’s Eve, the narrator calls his wife, but she doesn’t answer. At dinner, J.P. tells the narrator that Roxy is going to visit tomorrow. The narrator tries to call his wife again, but there is still no answer.

On New Year’s Day, Roxy visits J.P. who introduces her to the narrator. Impulsively, the narrator asks Roxy for a kiss for luck. She gives him a kiss even though she points out that she is no longer a chimney sweep. He thinks that he might try to call his wife again later. If he talks to her, he thinks, he will keep the conversation light. However, he knows she will want to know where he is calling from.