Hillbilly Elegy

bathing suit, flanked by two pint-sized
guard dogs—unable to open the cruiser
door from the inside, and unsure when I
could expect Mamaw’s arrival. I had
begun to daydream when the car door
swung open, and Lindsay crawled into
the cruiser with me and clutched me to
her chest so tightly that I couldn’t
breathe. We didn’t cry; we said nothing.
I just sat there being squeezed to death
and feeling like all was right with the
world.
When we got out of the car, Mamaw
and Papaw hugged me and asked if I was
okay. Mamaw spun me around to inspect
me. Papaw spoke with the police officer
about where to find his incarcerated