Hillbilly Elegy

feeling that my boss counted my people
as less trustworthy than those who took
their groceries home in a Cadillac. But I
got over it: One day, I told myself, I’ll
have my own damned tab.
I also learned how people gamed the
welfare system. They’d buy two dozen-
packs of soda with food stamps and then
sell them at a discount for cash. They’d
ring up their orders separately, buying
food with food stamps, and beer, wine,
and cigarettes with cash. They’d
regularly go through the checkout line
speaking on their cell phones. I could
never understand why our lives felt like
a struggle while those living off of
government largesse enjoyed trinkets