Interview of Officer Müller’s Wife by Zoe Ramirez

Officer Müller’s Wife is the woman whom Gerta claimed was pretty. Her name is not spoken because she could get arrested if the German government of East Berlin finds out that Officer Müller takes good care of his wife.

Q: What made you decide to try escaping to the West?

A: My husband always has his gun in hand and has to kill people for work. I didn’t like him doing that, but I knew he was forced to act this way. I believed the West was a safer place for my family and has more job opportunities.

Q: How scared were you when the Grenzers came into the tunnel and your husband ran toward them?

A: I was absolutely terrified both for my husband and my son. I was also nervous that my son was crying. Luckily, he stopped, and I couldn’t see why. My husband could have gotten shot, too, if the Grenzers thought that he was betraying them.

Q: How did you feel about the government of East Berlin personally?

A: I agreed with some of their rules, like curfew, but the rest was pure nonsense! You don’t need a Death Strip to keep people from escaping. I felt very insecure because I knew that everyone was being watched. My son was in danger, too.

Q: When you went to the market, did you take what was on the shelves, bargain with the Benders or what?

A: I did both. If I needed something specific that was not on the shelves, I would bargain. But, usually, I would take items from the shelves.

Q: Did you feel your husband broke the law by betraying the Grenzers or that he did the right thing?

A: I am kind of in the middle. I knew that eventually the Grenzers would start to break the law, but I also think my husband did the right thing by putting his family first and escaping to the West.