Part 7 (1/2)

Yours, Anne

THURSDAY, JULY 29, 1943

Dearest Kitty, Mrs van Daan, Dussel and I were doing the dishes, and I was extremely quiet This is very unusual for me and they were sure to notice, so in order to avoid any questions, I quickly racked ht the book Henry froht fit the bill, but I couldn't have been ; if Mrs van Daan doesn't jump down my throat, Mr Dussel does It all boiled down to this: Mr Dussel had recoot and ht it was anything but that The little boy had been portrayed well, but as for the restthe less said the better Ithe dishes, and Dussel launched into a veritable tirade

”How can you possibly understand the psychology of a man? That of a child isn't so difficult [!] But you're far too young to read a book like that Even a twenty-year-old o out of his way to recoot and ue: ”You knoay too ht up all wrong Later on, when you're older, you won't be able to enjoy anything anyo in some book' You'd better hurry if you want to catch a husband or fall in love, since everything is bound to be a disappointment to you You already know all there is to know in theory But in practice? That's another story!”

Can you i, ”You may think I haven't been raised properly, but ood child-rearing includes trying to pit ainst irl rown-up subjects is fine We can all see what happens when people are raised that way

At thatfun at e, and if I only kne er we had to put up with each other's co the days

Mrs van Daan's a fine one to talk! She sets an exaly pushy, egotistical, cunning, calculating and perpetually dissatisfied Add to that, vanity and coquettishness and there's no question about it: she's a thoroughly despicable person I could write an entire book about Madame van Daan, and who knows,exterior when they want to Mrs van D is friendly to strangers, especially et to know her

Mother thinks that Mrs van D is too stupid for words, Margot that she's too uniuratively!), and after long observation (I'), I've come to the conclusion that she's all three of the above, and lots le out just one of them?

Yours, Anne

PS Will the reader please take into consideration that this story ritten before the writer's fury had cooled?

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 1943

Dearest Kitty, Things are going well on the political front Italy has banned the Fascist Party The people are fighting the Fascists in ht How can a country like that continue to ar against England?

Our beautiful radio was taken away last week Dussel was very angry at Mr Kugler for turning it in on the appointed day Dussel is slipping lower and lower in my estimation, and he's already below zero hatever he says about politics, history, geography or ything else is so ridiculous that I hardly dare repeat it: Hitler will fade froer than the one in Ha the opportunity to bomb Italy to smithereens; etc, etc

We just had a third air raid I decided to grit eous

Mrs van Daan, the one who always said ”Let the than not to end at all,” is thelike a leaf thisand even burst into tears She was comforted by her husband, ho; I nearly got sentiht

Mouschi has now proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that having a cat has disadvantages as well as advantages The whole house is crawling with fleas, and it's getting worse each day Mr Kleiman sprinkled yelloder in every nook and cranny, but the fleas haven't taken the slightest notice It'sa bite on our ars or other parts of our bodies, so we leap up and do a few exercises, since it gives us an excuse to take a better look at our ar had so little physical exercise; we're so stiff we can hardly turn our heads The real calisthenics fell by the wayside long ago Yours, Anne

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4,1943

Dearest Kitty, Now that we've been in hiding for a little over a year, you know a great deal about our lives Still, I can't possibly tell you everything, since it's all so different compared to ordinary tiive you a closer look into our lives, from time to time I'll describe part of an ordinary day I'll start with the evening and night

Nine in the evening Bedtiins in the Annex with an enormous hustle and bustle Chairs are shi+fted, beds pulled out, blankets unfolded-nothing stays where it is during the dayti, so we have to add a few chairs to er Co has to be re the day

In the next roo bed being set up More blankets and pillows, anything to make the wooden slats a bit more comfortable Upstairs it sounds like thunder, but it's only Mrs van D's bed being shoved against theso that Her Majesty, arrayed in her pink bed jacket, can sniff the night air through her delicate little nostrils Nine o'clock After Peter's finished, it's my turn for the bathroom I wash myself from head to toe, andin the sink (only during the hot months, weeks or days) I brush my teeth, curl my hair, manicure my nails and dab peroxide on my upper lip to bleach the black hairs-all this in less than half an hour

Nine-thirty I throw on my bathrobe With soap in one hand, and potty, hairpins, panties, curlers and a wad of cotton in the other, I hurry out of the bathrooracefully curved but unsightly hairs that I've left in the sink

Ten o'clock Tiht For the next fifteenof beds and the sigh of broken springs, and then, provided our upstairs neighbors aren't having a marital spat in bed, all is quiet

Eleven-thirty The bathrooht falls into the rooer than the htly work in Mr Kugler's office I hear hi back and forth for ten wholeaway in his cupboard) and the bed being ain, and the only sound is the occasional suspicious noise froet up to use the tin can under my bed, which, to be on the safe side, has a rubber mat underneath in case of leaks I always hold o, since it clatters into the can like a brook down a ure in the white nightgown (the one that causes Margot to exclaihty!”) climbs back into bed A certain so to the sounds of the night In the first place, to hear whether there are any burglars downstairs, and then to the various beds-upstairs, next door and in my room-to tell whether the others are asleep or half awake This is no fun, especially when it concerns a member of the faasping for air, and this is repeated nine or ten times Then, the lips aresounds, followed by a long period of tossing and turning and rearranging the pillows After five minutes of perfect quiet, the same sequence repeats itself three more times, after which he's presumably lulled hio off during the night, between one and four I'm never aware of it before it happens, but all of a sudden I findbesideso deeply (of irregular French verbs or a quarrel upstairs) that I realize only whenhas stopped and that I've rerab a pillow and a handkerchief, throw on my robe and slippers and dash next door to Father, just the way Margot described in this birthday poeht, The door creaks open and into sight Coure in white

Once I've reached the big bed, the worst is over, except when the shooting is extra loud

Six forty-five Brrringthe alarm clock, which raises its shrill voice at any hour of the day or night, whether you want it to or not Creakwhaets up, puts on the water and races to the bathrooo to the bathroom Alone at last, I reins in the Annex Yours, Anne

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1943

Dearest Kitty, Today let's talk about the lunch break

It's twelve-thirty The whole gang breathes a sigh of relief: Mr van Maaren, the one home for lunch

Upstairs you can hear the thud of the vacuuot tucks a few books under her arm and heads for the class for ”slow learners,” which is what Dussel seeoes and sits in a corner with his constant co a bit of peace and quiet Mother hastens upstairs to help the busy little housewife, and I tidy up both the bathroom and myself at the same time

Twelve forty-five One by one they trickle in: first Mr

Gies and then either Mr Kleiler, followed by Bep and sometimes even Miep

One Clustered around the radio, they all listen raptly to the BBC This is the only time the members of the Annex family don't interrupt each other, since even Mr van Daan can't argue with the speaker

One-fifteen Food distribution Everyone froets a cup of soup, plus dessert, if there happens to be any A contented Mr Gies sits on the divan or leans against the desk with his newspaper, cup and usually the cat at his side If one of the three is , he doesn't hesitate to let his protest be heard Mr Kleiman relates the latest news froler hurries up the stairs, gives a short but solid knock on the door and colee, depending on whether he's quiet and in a bad ood mood

One forty-five Everyone rises froot and Mother do the dishes, Mr and Mrs van D head for the divan, Peter for the attic, Father for his divan, Dussel too, and Anne does her homework What comes next is the quietest hour of the day; when they're all asleep, there are no disturbances To judge by his face, Dussel is drea, because the time whizzes by and before you know it, it'll be 4 PM and the pedantic Dr Dussel will be standing with the clock in his hand because I' off the table

Yours, Anne

SAturdAY, AUGUST 7, 1943

Dearest Kitty, A feeeks ago I started writing a story, so to end, and I've enjoyed it soup Yours, Anne

MONDAY, AUGUST 9, 1943