As she watched her granddaughters, she thought about the time she nearly drowned Elaine.She was giving her a bath when she got the idea—although it was not so much an idea as it was an impulse. Elaine was fussing around as usual and she was soaping her up, holding the back of her head and neck as she did so. She released the baby’s head and let her go under the water, assisting her by placing fingertips to her tiny chest. The baby flailed her arms, her large blue eyes looking up at her, bubbles coming out of her mouth as she cried, her muffled ‘wah’ almost making Alice giggle. Alice watched her for a few seconds then pulled her up, helping her get the water out. The child coughed and choked and cried as soon as she could.Afterward, Alice felt nothing but wonder—wonder that she had done such a thing, wonder at what had stopped her; after all, she had not been thinking about what would happen to her when George found out, how he would feel, nor had she thought of what she would say in her defense after, what story she would have to make up, whether or not she could be charged with murder.
