THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL : THE DEFINITIVE EDITION ... - Fidele

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in a low whisper, and kids who weren't in the know were often laughed at. That struck me as odd, and I often wondered why people were so mysterious or obnoxious when they talked about this subject. But because I couldn't change things, I said as little as possible or asked my girlfriends for information. After I'd learned quite a lot, Mother once said to me, "Anne, let me give you some good advice. Never discuss this with boys, and if they bring it up, don't answer them." I still remember my exact reply. "No, of course not," I exclaimed. "Imagine!" And nothing more was said. When we first went into hiding, Father often told me about things I'd rather have heard from Mother, and I learned the rest from books or things I picked up in conversations. Peter van Daan wasn't ever as obnoxious about this subject as the boys at school. Or maybe just once or twice, in the beginning, though he wasn't trying to get me to talk. Mrs. van Daan once told us she'd never discussed these matters with Peter, and as far as she knew, neither had her husband. Apparently she didn't even know how much Peter knew or where he got his information. Yesterday, when Margot, Peter and I were peeling potatoes, the conversation somehow turned to Boche. "We're still not sure whether Boche is a boy or a girl, are we?" I asked. Yes we are, he answered. "Boche is a tomcat." I began to laugh. "Some tomcat if he's pregnant." Peter and Margot joined in the laughter. You see, a month or two ago Peter informed us that Boche was sure to have kittens before long, because her stomach was rapidly swelling. However, Boche's fat tummy turned out to be due to a bunch of stolen bones. No kittens were growing inside, much less about to be born. Peter felt called upon to defend himself against my accusation. "Come with me. You can see for yourself. I was horsing around with the cat one day, and I could definitely see it was a 'he.' " Unable to restrain my curiosity, I went with him to the warehouse. Boche, however, wasn't receiving visitors at that hour, and was nowhere in sight. We waited for a while, but when it got cold, we went back upstairs. Later that afternoon I heard Peter go downstairs for the second time. I mustered the courage to walk through the silent house by myself and reached the warehouse. Boche was on the packing table, playing with Peter, who was getting ready to put him on the scale and weigh him. "Hi, do you want to have a look?" Without any preliminaries, he picked up the cat, turned him over on his back, deftly held his head and paws and began the lesson. "This is the male sexual organ, these are a few stray hairs, and that's his backside." The cat flipped himself over and stood up on his little white feet. If any other boy had pointed out the "male sexual organ" to me, I would never have given him a second glance. But Peter went on talking in a normal voice about what is otherwise a very awkward subject. Nor did he have any ulterior motives. By the
time he'd finished, I felt so much at ease that I started acting normally too. We played with Boche, had a good time, chatted a bit and finally sauntered through the long warehouse to the door. "Were you there when Mouschi was fixed?" "Yeah, sure. It doesn't take long. They give the cat an anesthetic, of course." "Do they take something out?" "No, the vet just snips the tube. There's nothing to see on the outside." I had to get up my nerve to ask a question, since it wasn't as "normal" as I thought. "Peter, the German word Geschlechtsteil means 'sexual organ,' doesn't it? But then the male and female ones have different names." "I know that." "The female one is a vagina, that I know, but I don't know what it's called in males." "Oh well," I said. "How are we supposed to know these words? Most of the time you just come across them by accident." "Why wait? I'll ask my parents. They know more than I do and they've had more experience." We were already on the stairs, so nothing more was said. Yes, it really did happen. I'd never have talked to a girl about this in such a normal tone of voice. I'm also certain that this isn't what Mother meant when she warned me about boys. All the same, I wasn't exactly my usual self for the rest of the day. When I thought back to our talk, it struck me as odd. But I've learned at least one thing: there are young people, even those of the opposite sex, who can discuss these things naturally, without cracking jokes. Is Peter really going to ask his parents a lot of questions? Is he really the way he seemed yesterday? Oh, what do I know?!!! Yours, Anne FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 1944 Dearest Kitty, In recent weeks I've developed a great liking for family trees and the genealogical tables of royal families. I've come to the conclusion that once you begin your search, you have to keep digging deeper and deeper into the past, which leads you to even more interesting discoveries. Although I'm extremely diligent when it comes to my schoolwork and can pretty much follow the BBC Home Service on the radio, I still spend many of my Sundays sorting out and looking over my movie-star collection, which has grown to a very respectable size. Mr. Kugler makes me happy every Monday by bringing me a copy of Cinema & Theater magazine. The less worldly members of our household often refer to this small indulgence as a waste of money, yet they never fail to be surprised
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THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL : THE DEF
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In this edition, the helpers are no
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Henny Mets is a nice girl with a ch
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My father, the most adorable father
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pages Mr. Keesing had assigned me a
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"Now my grandmother wants me to see
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Dearest Kitty, It seems like years
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whom were told anything. Here's a d
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on the radio. I was so scared someo
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off the table. Suddenly I saw a not
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You see, Mrs. van Daan, Mother Said
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"Hey, Anne, can't I even take a pee
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van Daans, especially Mrs. van Daan
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fishwife. It was a joy to behold. I
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Bye-bye, Anne SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3,
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murdered. The English radio says th
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fuse box was at the rear of the dar
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just a coincidence that Father and
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To provide ourselves with a source
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Dispossessed Persons Open all year
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I get frightened myself when I thin
Page 43 and 44: you. I received a Kewpie doll, Fath
Page 45 and 46: gone to fat from eating potatoes, d
Page 47 and 48: Everyone thinks I'm showing off whe
Page 49 and 50: Dearest Kitty, Mrs. van D. has a ne
Page 51 and 52: Our evening serving of bread has be
Page 53 and 54: office were neatly grouped around t
Page 55 and 56: about if I listen to your prayers t
Page 57 and 58: lived in such comfortable circumsta
Page 59 and 60: "We've got experience! Take it from
Page 61 and 62: someone who's cooped up. Our only d
Page 63 and 64: of sugar, our entire allotment. It
Page 65 and 66: and the hope that the war will be o
Page 67 and 68: kept during the day. In the next ro
Page 69 and 70: look at him long, because the time
Page 71 and 72: Everywhere I go, upstairs or down,
Page 73 and 74: Five-thirty. Bep's arrival signals
Page 75 and 76: eing too optimistic. The British ha
Page 77 and 78: to have to part with her fur coat.
Page 79 and 80: If I'm engrossed in a book, I have
Page 81 and 82: the occasion, but Mrs. van Daan, wh
Page 83 and 84: Most of the time the tickle refused
Page 85 and 86: us. Anne WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 19
Page 87 and 88: keep a secret, no matter what happe
Page 89 and 90: It's funny, but I often have such v
Page 91 and 92: I think Mother believes that Margot
Page 93: I think it's horrible that you can'
Page 97 and 98: unselfish people do, risking their
Page 99 and 100: Our provisions are holding out fair
Page 101 and 102: Dearest Kitty, The sun is shining,
Page 103 and 104: "I did my best, but I couldn't find
Page 105 and 106: It's Saturday again, and that shoul
Page 107 and 108: P.S. Thoughts: To Peter. We've been
Page 109 and 110: P.S. We'd be delighted if you could
Page 111 and 112: Yours, Anne M. Frank FRIDAY, MARCH
Page 113 and 114: on the outside! Who will be the fir
Page 115 and 116: Yours, Anne M. Frank WEDNESDAY, MAR
Page 117 and 118: Yesterday afternoon I was so worn o
Page 119 and 120: with green peas, yesterday he had t
Page 121 and 122: I've told you more about myself and
Page 123 and 124: That was the nicest thing he said a
Page 125 and 126: However, as you wrote, I do think o
Page 127 and 128: could understand how he must have f
Page 129 and 130: you further and also makes you feel
Page 131 and 132: Yours, Anne TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 1944
Page 133 and 134: oard, the police, the officials-the
Page 135 and 136: Peter filled my days, nothing but P
Page 137 and 138: "That sounds fishy," I said to Marg
Page 139 and 140: comforted Mrs. van Daan, who was ve
Page 141 and 142: "We've been saved, keep on saving u
Page 143 and 144: drooling. Miep immediately picked h
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sounds of a break-in again. It must
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celebrate your birthday when you've
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questions and laughter. I have to a
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Yours, Anne M. Frank WEDNESDAY, MAY
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Dearest Kitty, Last night before di
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Miep drank ten schnapps and smoked
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Poor Mouschi! How were you to know
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And now something else. You've know
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Mr. Frank. Is learning English (Dic
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circles where once it would have be
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us, but they're able to put the Ann
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has a cold. Dussel caught with brew
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with music and the other arts are m
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struggled to keep my eyes open unti
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The mood has changed, everything's
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Yours, Anne M. Frank SATURDAY, JULY
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But I've talked about these things
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truth, the whole truth and nothing
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Miep Santrouschitz Gies is still li
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THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL : THE DEFINITIVE EDITION ... - Fidele

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