Dutch and German Immigrants The Prins Family - Pier 21

est wat er onder aan hangt (Dutch joke)). He attended to him but forgotto look for a lost tooth, one that had lodged inside his cheek under hiseye. Next day back to have that removed.Once during a hands-on chemistry lesson he lent a retort to a fellowstudent. He got the retort back “clean”. When he went to the storeroomto get a volume of nitric acid an explosion followed! No wonder, the socalled“clean” retort contained a film of alcohol! Of to the hospital againfor a treatment with a weak lime solution.It was toward the end of his high school days in 1932 that he took dancelessons and “discovered” Aunt Jo. A he told me attracted to her by herattractive lips and her pert nose. The acquaintance developed into a tenyearengagement and a long lasting marriage. There were long walks tothe harbours and the beach; Aunt Jo meeting him half way when UncleKlaas came back from his job at the steelworks. Aunt Jo worked as asales person in a fancy handwork shop and later on at the V D store inHaarlem, at that time one of the biggest stores in town. Quite often whengoing home either on the bike or by train, depending upon the weather,she had dinner at Uncle Klaas his home, before proceeding home.But most of the time Uncle Klaas would be at the Sohl family, where themood was a bit freer with more people around the house. Oma beingbusy with providing the food, often soup and sandwiches, while Opa satin his chair, listening to the radio and smoking his pipe. As another sonin-lawcharacterized him as a rather quite person in the household. Hereis where Uncle Klaas met my dad the odd time, when he came there topick me up. According to the Sohl family’s impression, my dad was aconservative and jealous man (looks like to me for a good reason) and notan easy man to live with.Jennie met Hr. Gritters during a personnel evening of the CentralBakery, where he was employed as a bookkeeper. A relationshipdeveloped between them: if the little window to the entrance door to thehouse in the Fazantenstraat was open, he was welcome to come insidebut if the window was closed there was no visiting. To the oldergeneration a divorce was frowned upon, so she didn’t get much supportfrom her sisters Annie and Truus either.When Jennie took up residence in the Hague, Oma went to visit her andinsisted upon a decision of her, one man or the other but not two of themat the same time! Residing in the Hague, she took up dressmaking, gotseveral design jobs with the Masonic Lodge and other private contracts.Hr. Gritters was a nice man, but not one to take strong action and thatprobably suited her better.