Alma Carlson

Alma Carlson is one of the main characters of the short story. When Alma was a young woman, she met and fell in love with Paul. They married shortly after her graduation. For the first days of their marriage, she and Paul were happy together. They were intimate often, and Alma felt happy. Everything changed when their children Pammy and Paulie were born. The children's riotous moods and behaviors made their home life unpleasant. Bothered by the children, Paul began drinking heavily, and leaving Alma home alone with the children almost constantly.

Desperate to win back her husband's love and attention, Alma did everything in her power to make herself desirable. Sometimes it worked, and her unexpectedly wild behaviors intrigued Paul, pulling him away from his string of other affairs.

Though Alma knew Paul had a litany of sexual partners, her least favorite of his lovers was...