Anatomy of a Slip

IT IS PROBABLE that I had been unconsciously planning the drunk long before it started. There was a temporary job as a warehouse leader to gel through, with a layoff and two weeks' pay expected at its end. Ideal conditions: idleness, money, bad luck. The layoff came on a Friday. I did not head for the nearest bar. I went home as usual, gave part of my salary to my mother, then relaxed and watched television. There was a meeting of my group scheduled for that night, but I told myself that I was too tired to go. The beer commercials looked good; the evening took on a glow of anticipation.