sunday, february 20, 1944

what happens in other people's houses during the rest of the week happens here in the annex on sundays. while other people put on their best clothes and go strolling in the sun, we scrub, sweep and do the laundry.

eight o'clock. though the rest of us prefer to sleep in,

dussel gets up at eight. he goes to the bathroom, then downstairs, then up again and then to the bathroom, where he devotes a whole hour to washing himself.

nine-thirty. the stoves are lit, the blackout screen is taken down, and mr. van daan heads for the bathroom. one of my sunday morning ordeals is having to lie in bed and look at dussel's back when he's praying. i know it sounds strange, but a praying dussel is a terrible sight to behold. it's not that he cries or gets sentimental, not at all, but he does spend a quarter of an hour -- an entire fifteen minutes -- rocking from his toes to his heels. back and forth, back and forth. it goes on forever, and if i don't shut my eyes tight, my head starts to spin.

ten-fifteen. the van daans whistle; the bathroom's free. in the frank family quarters, the first sleepy faces are beginning to emerge from their pillows. then everything happens fast, fast, fast. margot and i take turns doing the laundry. since it's quite cold downstairs, we put on pants and head scarves. meanwhile, father is busy in the bathroom. either margot or i have a turn in the bathroom at eleven, and then we're all clean.

eleven-thirty. breakfast. i won't dwell on this, since there's enough talk about food without my bringing the subject up as well.

twelve-fifteen. we each go our separate ways. father, clad in overalls, gets down on his hands and knees and brushes the rug so vigorously that the room is enveloped in a cloud of dust. mr. dussel makes the beds (all wrong, of course), always whistling the same beethoven violin concerto as he goes about his work. mother can be heard shuffling around the attic as she hangs up the washing. mr. van daan puts on his hat and disappears into the lower regions, usually followed by peter and mouschi. mrs. van d. dons a long apron, a black wool jacket and overshoes, winds a red wool scarf around her head, scoops up a bundle of dirty laundry and, with a well-rehearsed washerwoman's nod, heads downstairs. margot and i do the dishes and straighten up the room.