Hillbilly Elegy

movie villain, and a mean teacher.
Mamaw and Lindsay always make an
appearance, and they always make it to
the exit just ahead of me. Without fail,
the dream provokes pure terror. The first
time I had it, I woke up and ran to
Mamaw, who was up late watching TV. I
explained the dream and begged her
never to leave me. She promised that she
wouldn’t and stroked my hair until I fell
asleep again.
My subconscious had spared me for
years, when, out of nowhere, I had the
dream again a few weeks after I
graduated from law school. There was a
crucial difference: The subject of the
monster’s ire wasn’t me but my dog,