Hillbilly Elegy

without an alarm clock, then drove to
McDonald’s at seven to grab a coffee
with his old Armco buddies. After a
couple of hours of conversation, he
would amble over to Mamaw’s house
and spend the morning watching TV or
playing cards. If he left at all before
dinnertime, he might briefly visit his
friend Paul’s hardware store. Without
exception, he stayed at Mamaw’s house
to greet me when I came home from
school. And if I didn’t go to Mamaw’s—
if I went to Mom’s, as I did when times
were good—he’d usually come over and
say goodbye before he went home for the
evening. That he had missed all of these
events meant that something was very