Five Brothers and a War

A Day in the Life of the van Pelts

Breakfasts in the house were not served nor eaten at set times, but whenever people made it downstairs. Leendert would always eat a fresh herring for breakfast before going to work at 7:30 am, arriving by 8:00. He would return home by 5:30 to 6:00 pm, and dinner was served about a half-hour later. Dinners were command performances, and everyone but Bertus was good about maintaining the rule of promptness. Anytime Bertus was late, which was never due to extending his school homework time, but rather because he was spending extra time with his friends, he could expect a stern lecture from his father. Seating at the dining room table was very much set in stone. Leendert sat at the head, nearest the living room. On his right was Kees, then Marie and Bertus. On his left was Jan, then Piet. Leen sat at the foot of the table, opposite Leendert. The course of conversation would usually go through various events experienced by the boys, and would often involve a good deal of laughter. The meal always began with the asking of a blessing on the food, then ended with the reading of a Bible chapter, followed by a prayer of thanks. Before anyone could leave the dining room though, there was the matter of cod liver oil. The boys would have to line up to get their spoonful, which each dutifully hated every single time. After the oil was swallowed, Marie would hand out a cookie as a treat, and to get rid of the taste. Kees apparently worked out his own deal with his mother. If he had his without complaint, he could have a slurp of whipping cream as a chaser. That seemed to have worked, and simultaneously fostered a love of whipping/whipped cream that would last him a lifetime. After dinner, Leendert would go upstairs to his middle-floor office to catch up on work, usually until 9:00. Saturday evenings were bath time. As youngsters, Jan, Kees and Bertus bathed together, with Marie doing the scrubbing and drying honors, which could be so vigorous that the kids’ skin would be a pleasant shade of red. Still, having a house with a bathtub was nothing to take for granted. Jeannette Lammerse’s family made a weekly trip to a bathhouse to clean up, as her family’s house did not have bathing facilities.

van Pelt

Five Brothers and a War

Page 193