"Turn off your trash music already! You're annoying all the neighbors here, you bitch!" burst out my mother-in-law Ute while I was visiting her.
Actually, I was supposed to dismantle and dispose of an old cabinet. But before that, we planned to have a coffee together on the balcony, and that’s when the following scene unfolded.
Ute occupied one half of an old semi-detached house from the 1920s in a tightly built residential area near the city. The gardens here in the neighborhood all bordered each other, separated only by hedges and trees, so you got to know a lot about the neighbors. The old semi-detached house where Ute lived was also somewhat sound-permeable. That was fine until the elderly owner of the other half passed away and a couple around the same age as my in-laws moved in.
I only knew the wife of the couple by sight, but I'd suspected for a while that this might lead to trouble. I pegged her as an alpha female, just like Ute — someone who calls the shots. And when people live so close to each other, that can lead to conflict. The previous owner had been quiet and almost never visible, so Ute had no problems asserting her alpha status. The new owner changed that, and both women were now in competition, as I'd gathered from remarks Ute had made on various occasions. Unlike my blonde mother-in-law, however, the other woman was a redhead. Otherwise, though, they were physically quite similar. Ute stands at 1.75 m, weighs about 85 kg, and is 60 years old. Her neighbor could have been 2 or, at most, 3 years younger. I think I remember her name was Marion.
On this day, with temperatures around 35°C, Ute was wearing short gray fabric hot pants that just barely revealed the beginnings of her buttocks, and a mint-green, sleeveless top. I concluded she wasn’t wearing underwear, as I could see her nipples while she sat across from me, and her pants had ridden up as she leaned over the balcony railing.
I, too, looked down over the railing and saw the neighbor standing in her garden, wearing short black leggings, a yellow spaghetti-strap top, and with her hands on her hips. It was also clear that she wasn’t wearing a bra.
"Then come and turn it off, you slut!" Marion snapped back.
I saw Ute, composed and calm, put out her cigarette in the ashtray, adjust her top and shorts, and head for the balcony door.
"Wait here for a moment," Ute instructed me as she walked out of my sight.
I looked back down at the redhead on the balcony below, who was also adjusting her top. A confrontation was about to happen, and I could watch it live. From what I'd heard, Ute had been in a few physical altercations before. I expected this one to be evenly matched. In my opinion, it wasn’t really about the music. Here were two alpha females facing off. This would have happened even without the music. But it had to be settled who was in charge here.
I now saw Ute down in Marion's garden, heading straight toward her opponent. Marion tensed, raised her hands halfway, but remained rooted in place. Ute lunged at her and managed to grab Marion’s hair with her left hand, yanking her head downward. With her right hand, she struck her rival's face. Marion grabbed both of my mother-in-law's hands and pulled at her hair as well, but she kept getting hit by Ute.
Marion now pulled harder on Ute’s hair, bringing her body closer to the ground. To keep herself from falling, Ute had to dig both hands into Marion's hair and pull back even harder.
I continued watching the confrontation eagerly from the balcony. It excited me to see both women, with their backsides sticking out, grappling and yelling at each other. Neither one let up as they circled slowly on the grass, barefoot, waiting for the other to make a mistake. Their breasts hung down in their tops, affected by both age and gravity.
Ute pressed her body against the redhead to avoid being pulled backward. She freed her right hand from Marion’s hair and began landing random blows aimed at her head. Ute was quick. Some of the blows only hit Marion’s shoulders, but a few struck her head with full force. Marion now freed her left hand to fend off my mother-in-law's hits. But Ute, with Marion still bent over and close in front of her, had almost fully straightened up and gained a slight advantage. She yanked her opponent by the hair, keeping her bent forward, and continued throwing punches.
Marion showed impressive resilience, enduring the blows without giving in. On the contrary, she still had one hand in Ute's hair and yanked at it furiously. The fact that the women were still standing at this stage of the fight definitely spoke to their physical endurance and underscored their determination to establish alpha status in the shared house. Marion now also came out of her defensive position and stopped merely fending off the blows.
A scream echoed through the neighborhood so loudly that I jumped. Marion first yanked at Ute’s top, then grabbed her right breast firmly, squeezing as hard as she could. Marion had more or less torn Ute’s top apart, leaving her breasts completely exposed. It was the first time I’d seen them, and I found them enticing. They sagged a bit but were otherwise nicely shaped, with attractively-sized areolas.
My mother-in-law was still screaming, and she became even more aggressive, covering Marion's head with punches. Things were getting fiercer between them, and I began to wonder if it was right to let this happen or if I should step in.
I glanced around the neighboring gardens, knowing someone must have heard the scream. I spotted the first discreet spectators, an elderly couple, just beyond the boundary of the garden. They remained hidden behind the hedges but seemed to have a clear view. Another couple, around my age, stood arm in arm on a balcony of one of the neighboring houses, whispering to each other. The woman nestled against her husband, stroking his chest as they both watched the scene unfold. I also saw two more men, arms crossed, standing on their balconies, and I dismissed the thought of intervening. The rivalry must have been well-known in the neighborhood. That made it all the more thrilling and intriguing for me.
By tomorrow, the entire neighborhood would know what happened and who of the two feuding women had come out on top, making this the ultimate humiliation for one and a great triumph for the other. My mother-in-law versus her direct neighbor.
Lost in these thoughts, I felt a powerful thrill coursing through me. I dismissed any other thoughts entirely and just wanted to see how it would end for Ute and how she would handle this fight. I wanted it to be resolved, no matter how.
"Come on! Fight back!" I shouted down as Marion gathered her strength and rammed her head into Ute's stomach, knocking her onto her back. Ute reacted instantly, burying both hands back in Marion's hair, yanking her head down toward her to prevent her from gaining any freedom of movement. Marion fell onto her rival, who had landed roughly on the ground, and started slapping her, while their legs tangled in a fierce struggle. Marion aimed to use her advantage on top to pin Ute down, while my mother-in-law was still free enough to resist. But Marion's blows landed squarely on her face, and now Ute was the one taking some hard hits.
"That’s it, Marion! Finish her off!" I heard a voice near the neighbor's garage. I looked around and saw Marion's husband, who must have just arrived home. Our eyes met and held for a moment. He nodded briefly at me, and I nodded back. His expression showed he shared my feeling that this had to be settled. He was certainly as invested in seeing Marion win as I was in rooting for my mother-in-law.
Marion was gradually gaining control over Ute. She had managed to pin down her legs. If she could secure her hands, that would almost be the end of it. Marion grabbed Ute's face with her left hand to hold her in place, then began pounding her with her fist, just as her opponent had done earlier. She intended to increase the pressure on Ute and force her to let go of her hair and shift into a defensive position. I had a clear view of my mother-in-law's face. I could see the pain and suffering in her expression. By now, both women’s screams had faded. They were completely focused on their fight, with only the occasional groan breaking the silence. Ute tugged harder on Marion's hair again, which reduced the number of blows she could throw. In response, Marion forced Ute's head back and forth at her will by pressing her chin. Each time Marion’s fist landed on Ute’s face, she let out a gasp, sounding almost like a whimper.
But Marion also looked worn down, her hair disheveled from the prolonged, intense hair-pulling. Despite this, she maintained the upper hand and kept Ute's legs pinned down.
This was now the fierce fight everyone here wanted to see. Just like in the beginning, the situation was now so tense that any wrong move could end the fight.
Suddenly, Ute grabbed at Marion’s top and managed to pull it over her rival’s head. Caught off guard, Marion let go of my mother-in-law's face. That was the moment Ute needed—she freed her legs, held onto Marion's top so that she couldn't see, and with great effort, bucked her sideways and threw her off. Fortunately, Marion couldn't free herself from her top. Ute took advantage and quickly threw herself on top. Now, Ute was sitting on Marion’s stomach, and I could see both women's bare chests. Marion's breasts were just as attractive as Ute's.
My mother-in-law wasted no time, landing two or three punches on the now "blind" Marion's face. Marion moaned, flailing wildly, reaching for anything. Ute managed to get hold of Marion’s left hand, but Marion’s right hand continued swinging wildly. I could tell everything from the look on Ute's face. She was furious and wanted to end this as quickly as possible. I caught myself staring at her breasts, enjoying how they bounced back and forth with the jerky movements of Marion struggling beneath her.
Things were getting unfair now.
“DO YOU GIVE UP NOW?!” Ute shouted, her face flushed red, while Marion also screamed at the top of her lungs. Just moments before, my mother-in-law had managed to trap Marion's arms under her shins and was now pressing her thumbs through the top against Marion’s eyes. Marion let out a scream so piercing it shook me to the core.
Before I could even think about whether this was the end, Marion rammed her knee into Ute's back. It must have been desperation, judging by the scream of pain. Knowing Ute, she certainly wasn’t one to go easy. On her second attempt, Marion used both knees to gain momentum, and Ute was sent tumbling head over heels. And Marion, despite everything, was faster. Her top was back down, and she immediately threw herself onto Ute from behind. Ute landed flat on her stomach on the grass, with her arms now pinned under Marion’s shins. And Marion was furious. She screamed, hissed, and cursed my mother-in-law in the worst way while she now took control.
With her left hand, she held Ute’s head up by the hair, while with her right, she landed blow after blow on Ute’s face. Ute had no choice but to endure it, and I could see tears slowly but surely rolling down her cheeks. But Marion wasn’t done yet.
I sensed the fight was over and looked over at Marion’s husband. But he didn’t move. The fight was reaching its climax.
Marion bent down over Ute's head. With her left hand, she pinned Ute’s face between her chest.
“And now, you slut, let me show you how much this hurts! Do you give up?” she screamed into Ute’s ear as she pressed her thumb and forefinger into Ute's eyes.
I had never heard Ute scream, cry, and whimper as shrilly as she did at that moment. I ran down into the neighbor's garden to put an end to it. But by the time I got there, Marion’s husband had already pulled his wife off of Ute, who was still lying there crying. I helped my mother-in-law up and led her back to her side of the house.
In the stairwell, she began to sob bitterly as I held her in my arms and tried to comfort her.
"Did you give up? I didn’t catch that," I asked once she had somewhat regained her composure.
“No. But almost. That nasty woman was pulled away just in time,” she sobbed.
“Good! Then you didn’t lose. I’m proud of you,” I replied.
And I truly am—proud that my mother-in-law fought so bravely. Secretly, I hope she gets a rematch because, apparently, she didn’t give up. Even though there will be plenty of gossip in the coming days and she’ll have to walk through the neighborhood full of shame.
