Hillbilly Elegy

the sound of breaking glass—Mom had
lobbed plates at Bob—and ran
downstairs to see what was up. He was
holding her against the kitchen counter,
and she was flailing and biting at him.
When she dropped to the ground, I ran to
her lap. When Bob moved closer, I stood
up and punched him in the face. He
reared back (to return the blow, I
figured), and I collapsed on the ground
with my arms over my head in
anticipation. The blow never came—
Bob never was physically abusive—and
my intervention somehow ended the
fight. He walked over to the couch and
sat down silently, staring at the wall;
Mom and I meekly walked upstairs to