Hillbilly Elegy

lot of whispers from a lot of people to
Mamaw that she just needed to take a
break and enjoy her golden years. That
feeling of being a burden to Mamaw
wasn’t something I imagined; it came
from a number of small cues, from the
things she muttered under her breath, and
from the weariness she wore like a dark
piece of clothing. I didn’t want that, so I
chose what seemed like the least bad
option.
In some ways, I loved living with
Dad. His life was normal in precisely
the way I’d always wanted mine to be.
My stepmom worked part-time but was
usually home. Dad came home from
work around the same time each day.