Jackson hates his job; his lab technician job requires him to inject, intubate, plumb, drain, and kill rats for hours every day. At least he doesn't have to work with the dogs, he thinks, as he hands a joyful, escaped spaniel back to its lab handlers. Later that day, at home, he just drinks some gin, listens to music, and tries not to imagine his cat bristling with tubes. His fiancee of a year and a half, Debbie, is supposed to call him when she leaves Boston to join him in Kentucky — they haven't seen each other in months — but all he can think about is Janet. They had met at a party in Lexington several months earlier, and they've spent most weekends together since. Jackson's guilt causes him to tell Janet about his fiancee in a letter that week. When she gets his note, she calls him and chews him out. She, too, has another, longer-term partner. After that, he starts to call less and less. He has to go back to Debbie. Jackson succeeds in hiding his torture from Debbie for all of one night. His confession drives her to tears. She's done with him. In just two weeks, he realizes, he has made the two women in his life desperately unhappy. As Debbie shames him even harder than does his own mind, he leaves the bedroom and brings a gin bottle down on the stereo. The next morning, he leaves Debbie in the apartment, goes to work, and wonders what happened to the happy dog from last week. Driving home, he realizes what he has to do. Jackson pulls over at the nearest phone booth and calls the woman he actually loves.