Hillbilly Elegy

Casper, with whom I’d lost my temper
earlier in the night. There was no
Lindsay and no Mamaw. And I was the
monster.
I chased my poor dog around the tree
house, hoping to catch him and throttle
him. But I felt Casper’s terror, and I felt
my shame at having lost my temper. I
finally caught up to him, but I didn’t
wake up. Instead, Casper turned and
looked at me with those sad, heart-
piercing eyes that only dogs possess. So
I didn’t throttle him; I gave him a hug.
And the last emotion I felt before waking
was relief at having controlled my
temper.
I got out of bed for a glass of cold