Hillbilly Elegy

during emotionally trying times, and I
knew that I had the power to save her
from at least some bouts of sadness. But
I couldn’t do it any longer. I didn’t know
what had changed, but I wasn’t that
person anymore. Perhaps it was nothing
more than self-preservation. Regardless,
I couldn’t pretend to feel at home with
her.
After a few weeks of mono, I felt
well enough to return to Columbus and
my classes. I’d lost a lot of weight—
twenty pounds over four weeks—but
otherwise felt pretty good. With the
hospital bills piling up, I got a third job
(as an SAT tutor at the Princeton
Review), which paid an incredible