Perspectives - chapter 1 & 2

Chapter 1                                                                                                              August 14th, 2007 @ 7 am

         The doorbell rings and jolts Anita out of a dreamless sleep.
"Anita?" - pause - "Anita?" (She hears her mother calling.)
Anita shoots out of bed. "They're here!" When she glances at the clock, she reads 7:00am. "It took them 6 hours..." she mutters in disbelief. Quickly she grabs the nearest pieces of clothing. Jeans, her "bite this" shirt from Vegas (which is totally inappropriate) and a jacket to cover the shirt.
Mike looks at her groggily. "I better go downstairs." Mike nods.
The closer she gets to the kitchen, the louder the aggressive barking of their German Sheppard Zeus gets. He doesn't seem too impressed by the intruders.
When she enters the living room, a police officer is standing in the entrance. "Are you Anita?" She nods. "Did you call us? Please tell me what happened last night", he encourages her.

Chapter 2                                        (written January 19th, 2008)


         Ruth grew up in a small town at the North Sea, called Wilhelmshaven. The town became known during the Second World War. It was an outpost for the German navy. Wilhelmshaven was a pretty little town, with red, brick row houses and narrow, cobble stone streets. Ruth hated the weather though. The summers weren't hot enough and the winters were just nasty. There was a constant wind that was making the inhabitants feel cold and uncomfortable.
         Her parents Edith and Heinz met at a dance one day. Shortly after, they got married and had two daughters. One of them was Ruth. Unfortunately Edith was always sick. As long as anyone could remember, there was something that was bothering her. She was constantly whining and complaining about this or that. In addition, she continuously blamed others for her misery. This never ever changed. Maybe that was one of the reasons why Ruth was daddy's girl.
         Heinz was a smart, but critical fellow who enjoyed life and it's philosophies. He loved having a few glasses of Whiskey and getting into deep discussions with his friends. Heinz took pleasure in women. He took one picture of each woman that he'd been with. He also collected stamps and coins, which one day his granddaughter would receive.
         Ruth never really got along with her older sister Karin. They were just too different.
         Throughout Ruth's childhood, her parents fought a lot. When she was about 15, Heinz decided that he was tired of Edith. He went for a girl who was much younger than his wife, just a little bit older than his oldest daughter. Vera lived in a different city, about an hour away from Wilhelmshaven. It didn't take long for Edith to catch on and soon Heinz was suggesting a divorce. This Edith wouldn't grant him. But why? Ruth believed that Edith was afraid of being alone. She thought she wouldn't be able to take care of herself and the two teenage daughters. Once Ruth was older she thought that her mother should have gotten the divorce. Heinz would have paid for them either way. But because Edith was so stubborn, she was never able to remarry, while her husband traveled from Wilhelmshaven to Oldenburg for the rest of his life.
         The constant, progressive, bickering of her parents drove the young Ruth away and into the arms of a much older man. Peter found himself lucky when he met Ruth through one of his friends. She was quite tall, a little too skinny, with a delicate face, framed by beautiful long, red, wavy hair. She was quite lovely but had an edge to her. When they met, Ruth knew that she had found her escape from the boring little town, and the crumbling marriage of her parents. Because they didn't pay much attention to her, she was able to run away with Peter. The first time they were stopped by the police and she was brought back. The second time they were successful. In a tiny, shabby, VW beatle they made their way to Munich. After nine hours they arrived. At first they stayed with a friend of Peter's. The nights were filled with rowdy guys drinking and playing loud music.
         Soon the couple found a small flat in an old, flimsy apartment building. After some time, Ruth noticed peculiarities about Peter. He didn't like her leaving the house alone and he got suspicious of other guys. After a few weeks, he started having mood swings and was extremely irritable. Ruth began feeling unsafe around him, but didn't know where to go. She had abandoned her family and hadn't made any friends. They fought, and he threatened.
The first time he hit her, actually started with a gift. He came home and was in an elevated mood. She had to sit down with her eyes closed and her hands open. When she opened her eyes, there was a ring lying in her slender hands. It was golden, with a small, creamy pearl. Ruth jumped up and threw her arms around Peter's neck.
But somehow that evening went sour. How did it happen? Ruth couldn't remember. It must have been something trivial, but it set off Peter like a time bomb. For whatever reason, he was yelling at her. His angry eyes stared her down. He was in control and she couldn't do a thing. She was a puppet on a string. Did she break eye contact, is that was it was? She couldn't remember. Suddenly there was a blow to her face. It hit her like the electricity out of a socket, when you don't expect it. She was stunned. Peter took her hand and ripped the ring from her finger. Ruth stared at the floor, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. When Peter threw the ring to the ground to step on it, crushing the pearl, Ruth closed her eyes and tried to hold back her sobs. The door slammed shut behind Peter, who stormed out of the apartment. How did this happen? How did she end up in this mess? She was in love with him, but this had to end. Ruth refused to be one of those abused women, who would never leave their abusive husband because ‘they loved him'. But what should she do?