Part 2 (1/2)

Of course, I nearly died, since that particular page contained a rather unflattering description of her

There's so every day, but I'm too tired and lazy to write it all down

Yours, Anne

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1942

Dearest Kitty, Father has a friend, a man in his mid-seventies named Mr Dreher, who's sick, poor and deaf as a post At his side, like a useless appendage, is his wife, twenty-seven years younger and equally poor, whose ars left over froreat nuisance to Father, and I've always admired the saintly patience hich he handled this pathetic oldat horamophone in front of the receiver, one that would repeat every three minutes, ”Yes, Mr Dreher” and ”No, Mr Dreher,” since the old thy replies anyway

Today Mr Dreher phoned the office and asked Mr Kugler to coler wasn't in the mood and said he would send Miep, but Miep canceled the appointment Mrs Dreher called the office three times, but since Miep was reportedly out the entire afternoon, she had to imitate Bep's voice Downstairs in the office as well as upstairs in the Annex, there was great hilarity Now each tis, Bep says' 'That's Mrs Dreher!” and Miep has to laugh, so that the people on the other end of the line are greeted with an iot to be the greatest office in the whole orld The bosses and the office girls have such fun together!

Soo to the van Daans for a little chat We eat ”mothball cookies” (molasses cookies that were stored in a closet that was ood time Recently the conversation was about Peter I said that he often pats me on the cheek, which I don't like They asked rown-up hether I could ever learn to love Peter like a brother, since he loveswas, ”Oh, ugh!” Just iine! I added that Peter's a bit stiff, perhaps because he's shy Boys who aren't used to being around girls are like that

I must say that the Annex Committee (the men's section) is very creative Listen to the schee to Mr Broks, an Opekta Co sales representative and friend who's surreptitiously hidden so to type a letter to a store owner in southern Zealand who is, indirectly, one of Opekta' s customers and ask him to fill out a form and send it back in the enclosed self-addressed envelope Father rite the address on the envelope himself Once the letter is returned froe confir that Father is alive can be inserted in the envelope This way Mr Broks can read the letter without suspecting a ruse They chose the province of Zealand because it's close to Belgiuled across the border) and because no one is allowed to travel there without a special perranted a pery with sleep, he stumbled off to bed His feet were cold, so I lent hi them to the floor Then he pulled the blankets over his head because the light bothered hierly poked his head out fro We started talking about the fact that Peter says Margot is a ”buttinsky” Suddenly Daddy's voice was heard from the depths: ”Sits on her butt, younicer to oes by, but I'm still somewhat afraid of her

Yours, Anne

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1942

Dearest Kitty, Mother and I had a so-called ”discussion” today, but the annoying part is that I burst into tears I can't help it Daddy is always nice to me, and he also understands me much better At moments like these I can't stand Mother It's obvious that I'er to her; she doesn't even knohat I think about theabout maids and the fact that you're supposed to refer to them as ”domestic help” these days She claimed that when the war is over, that's what they'll want to be called I didn't quite see it that way Then she added that I talk about' 'later” so often and that I act as if I were such a lady, even though I' sand castles in the air is such a terrible thing to do, as long as you don't take it too seriously At any rate, Daddy usually comes to my defense Without hiet along with Margot very well either Even though our family never has the same kind of outbursts they have upstairs, I find it far froot's and Mother's personalities are so alien to irlfriends better than my own mother Isn't that a sha She's very s and locking them up It's too bad Mother doesn't repay every van Daan ”disappearing act” with a Frank ”disappearing act”

Soht not only in raising their own children but in helping others raise theirs Margot doesn't need it, since she's naturally good, kind and clever, perfection itself, but I seeh mischief for the two of us More than once the air has been filled with the van Daans' admonitions and my saucy replies Father and Mother always defend me fiercely Without them I wouldn't be able to jump back into the fray withme I should talk less, mind my own business and be more modest, but I seem dooo given up hope of evermy parents' quiteof a vegetable I loathe and eat potatoes instead, the van Daans, especially Mrs van Daan, can't get over how spoiled I aetables,” she says

”No, thank you, etables are good for you; your mother says so too Have some ht to refuse a dish I don't like

Then Mrs van D really flies off the handle: ”You should have been at our house, where children were brought up the way they should be I don't call this a proper upbringing Anne is terribly spoiled I'd never allow that If Anne were in and end: ”If Anne were et back to the subject of raising children, yesterday a silence fell after Mrs van D finished her little speech Father then replied, ”I think Anne is very well brought up At least she's learned not to respond to your interetables are concerned, all I have to say is look who's calling the kettle black”

Mrs van D was soundly defeated The pot calling the ketde black refers of course to Madame herself, since she can't tolerate beans or any kind of cabbage in the evening because they give her ”gas” But I could say the same What a dope, don't you think? In any case, let's hope she stops talking about me It's so funny to see how quickly Mrs van Daan flushes I don't, and it secredy annoys her no end

Yours, Anne

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28,1942

Dearest Kitty, I had to stop yesterday, though I was nowhere near finished I' to tell you about another one of our clashes, but before I do I'd like to say this: I think it's odd that grown-ups quarrel so easily and so often and about such pettywas just sorew it Often, of course, there's someties that take place here are just plain bickering I should be used to the fact that these squabbles are daily occurrences, but I' as I'm the subject of nearly every discussion (They refer to these as ”discussions” instead of ”quarrels,” but Ger, and I , about me: my behavior, my personality, ain, is the subject of gossip and debate Harsh words and shouts are constantly being flung atto the powers that be, I'rin and bear it But I can't! I have no intention of taking their insults lying down I'll show them that Anne Frank wasn't born yesterday They'll sit up and take notice and keep their big ht to attend to their own manners instead of mine How dare they act that way! It's siain, at such rudeness and most of allat such stupidity (Mrs van Daan) But as soon as I've gotten used to the idea, and that shouldn't take long, I'll give thee their tune! A, stubborn, pushy, stupid, lazy, etc, etc, as the van Daans say I as, but they blow them all out of proportion! If you only knew, Kitty, how I seethe when they scold and e But enough of that I've bored you long enough with hly interesting dinner conversation

Somehoe landed on the subject of Pim's extreme diffidence His modesty is a well-known fact, which even the stupidest person wouldn't drea All of a sudden Mrs van Daan, who feels the need to bring herself into every conversation, re too, muchso ridiculous? This sentence clearly illustrates that she's not exactly what you'd call ed to explain the ”much more so than my husband,” answered cal Inpushy!” And turning to et you nowhere”

Mother agreed completely with this viewpoint But, as usual, Mrs van Daan had to add her two cents This ti me directly, she turned to e outlook on life to be able to say that to Anne Things were different when I was growing up Though they probably haven't changed much since then, except in your modern household!”

This was a direct hit at Mother'smethods, which she's defended on many occasions Mrs van Daan was so upset her face turned bright red People who flush easily beco hot under the collar, and they quickly lose to their opponents

The nonflushed mother, who noanted to have the matter over and done with as quickly as possible, paused for a ree that it's ot and Peter are all exceptionally h not exactly the opposite, don't let ourselves be pushed around” Mrs van Daan: ”Oh, but Mrs Frank, I don't understand what youHow can you say that I'm pushy?” Mother: ”I didn't say you were pushy, but no one would describe you as having a retiring disposition”

Mrs van D: ”I'd like to knoay I'm pushy! If I didn't look out for myself here, no one else would, and I'd soon starve, but that doesn'tas your husband”

Mother had no choice but to laugh at this ridiculous self-defense, which irritated Mrs van Daan Not exactly a born debater, she continued her nificent account in a led up in her oords that she finally rose from her chair and was just about to leave the room when her eye fell on me You should have seen her! As luck would have it, themy head in a co it on purpose, but I'd followed her tirade so intently that my reaction was coave ar, exactly like some fat, red-faced fishwife It was a joy to behold If I could draw, I'd like to have sketched her as she was then She struck me as so co: you only really get to know a person after a fight Only then can you judge their true character!

Yours, Anne

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1942

Dearest Kitty, The strangest things happen to you when you're in hiding! Try to picture this Because we don't have a bathtub, ash ourselves in a washtub, and because there's only hot water in the office (by which I mean the entire lower floor), the seven of us take turns reat opportunity But since none of us are alike and are all plagued by varying degrees of modesty, each member of the family has selected a different place to wash Peter takes a bath in the office kitchen, even though it has a glass door When it's tioes around to each of us in turn and announces that we shouldn't walk past the kitchen for the next half hour He considers this measure to be sufficient Mr van D takes his bath upstairs, figuring that the safety of his own roo to carry the hot water up all those stairs Mrs van D has yet to take a bath; she's waiting to see which is the best place Father bathes in the private office and Mother in the kitchen behind a fire screen, while Margot and I have declared the front office to be our bathing grounds Since the curtains are drawn on Saturday afternoon, we scrub ourselves in the dark, while the one who isn't in the bath looks out thethrough a chink in the curtains and gazes in wonder at the endlessly ao I decided I didn't like this spot and have been on the lookout for avemy washtub in the spacious office bathrooht, lock the door, pour out the water without anyone's help, and all without the fear of being seen I used e as it may seem, I like it better than any other place

The plu the water pipes and drains from the office bathroo a cold winter The plumber's visit was far fro the day, but the bathroom was also off-limits I'll tell you hoe handled this proble it up, but I'm not so prudish about matters of this kind On the day of our arrival, Father and I i jar for this purpose For the duration of the plu the daytime to hold our calls of nature As far as I was concerned, this wasn't half as difficult as having to sit still all day and not say a word You can iine how hard that was for Miss Quack, Quack, Quack On ordinary days we have to speak in a whisper; not being able to talk or move at all is ten ti, htly calisthenics helped

Yours, Anne

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1942

Dear Kitty, Yesterday I had a horrible fright At eight o'clock the doorbell suddenly rang All I could think of was that soet us, you knoho I mean But I calmed dohen everybody swore it must have been either pranksters or the mailman

The days here are very quiet Mr Levinsohn, a little Jewish pharler in the kitchen Since he's fa, we're in constant dread that he'll take it into his head to go have a look at what used to be the laboratory We're as still as baby o that quicksilver Anne would have to sit so quietly for hours on end, and what's more, that she could?