My Dear Aunt Truus

AUNT TRUUS

After our arrival in Holland, read also the reunion with my father, we came to live in the Bergstraat in Amersfoort in a double upstairs apartment opposite the cemetery. Every night I looked at it from my bed in the little room above the front door. For the first time the family was together again. My brother and I loved it, we hadn’t seen each other for a very long time. Once a week we went to the bathhouse on Sunday morning to take a shower with boiling hot water and to wash our hair, clean and warm we came with my father together home again for lunch. It was like paradise, we were having a family again and a house, we were belonging to someone and we mattered again. My brother and I were both very happy. After a couple of weeks my father, unfortunately, had to go to Dordrecht alone for a freshing up course in his trade with his old company. At home it became quieter again and with a strict mother, you couldn’t do very much.
One day the doorbell rang and I opened the door and a very sweet voice said, you must be Dinkie. Yes, I said. I am here to bring your mother something and I am aunt Truus. A very warm feeling come over me, there at the foot of the stairs stood the loveliest, sweetest person I have ever met, who with all her warmth came to me. I was speechless. She had brought a box with her with a pink dinner service. We thought it was wonderful. She was the wife of my father’s colleague in Amersfoort and through the company she had heard everything about us and came as soon as she could with all her love and generosity to see whether she could do something for us. My mother offered her tea and said that she was very glad with the dinner service but that everything was allright and that we had all we needed. After tea my dearest new aunt Truus said, maybe Dinkie would like to come and play at our place with Marijke and Noortje, she will be most welcome. So I will see you this afternoon, that is agreed then and before my mother could say one word, she went. My heart was in my throat from joy and nothing could keep me from going, the appointment was already made, so even my mother couldn’t stop me. In the afternoon I went there, full of expectations. Finally, I found the Paulus Buyslaan and stood in front of the most adorable house you can imagine with a thatched roof. The door was opened and there I was once and for all taken in by that loving warm family. From that time on I was there almost every day playing with Marijke and Noortje and enjoying it very much. They were very dear sisters to me. My heart longed for this cozy, gay and warm family. There also was uncle Gerard, the father of the family a very kind man, who liked playing the violin and when he did, we all sang along.
There also was Juffie, who helped aunt Truus running the house. I will never forget the big table where we all sat and had dinner and where before dinner a prayer was always said by one of the children. Marijke especially was very good at it. Noortje sometimes forgot something.
Will be continued.
Dinkie