DO IT WITH CLASS

oma Julia and bad planning

He didn't say or do anything but looking down at the papers on his desk as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. The Sink siblings didn't know if they liked the expression on their father's face, he didn't look happy but they couldn't quite figure out what his expression exactly was, but it was prominent that he partly didn't quite know how to feel.

"Dad, say something please" The only female in the room asked her father with a quivering bottom lip, if it was hard for anyone, it was for her.

Oma Julia Gerritsen was a short, skinny and grey-haired Jewish Dutch woman who married Russian Alexei Vasilyev when they were both young, they met in Paris where they were both visiting at the same time. They exchanged letters for some years and after a while, they saw each other again. It was decided them and there, they were going to get married.

After the wedding, Alexei packed his bags and went to live with his newly beloved wife in the Netherlands, they were happy, and their happiness was only to become bigger when they found out they were having a baby, a healthy daughter called Hannah Vasilyev.

As expected, a Russian immigrant wasn't very welcomed by the Dutch, which had caused some difficulties in the marriage at some point, but as time passed and Alexei learned Dutch, he was slowly accepted into the community of sorts. Either that or no one dared to say otherwise, as the Gerritsen name was well-respected in Den Haag (The Hague)

Hannah had a comfortable life, but she always wanted more adventure, so when she was old enough to leave home, she grabbed the first chance she got and went to America. There, she met Robert Sink, they married soon after, moved into a beautiful house in New Summerfield in Texas where they welcomed James on July 29th 1918 and Joanne on October 30th 1921.

Both children were the lights of their parents lives and the Sink children were adored all their childhood. Their life was basically picture perfect, a role model to the American society. A healthy and handsome boy and a gorgeous little girl, it was perfect, until it wasn't.

Hannah had troubles, troubles the started to drown with Morphine and other medicine. After a while it got so bad she became a hazard to not only her children, who were now in their teens, but to her husband as well. Robert was heartbroken by the sight of the shell of a woman that was once his wife and the mother of his children, it wasn't easy, but the decision had to be made; she was to be sent away.

Joanne didn't know the exact word for it, but it was a rehabilitation center of sorts. Her mother had been in there for almost seven years, it sounded extreme but Hannah was so far gone she was still just a shell of who she was, but she made lots of progress and was doing good, and that's all that mattered to Jo.

When Hannah was institutionalized in '36, Robert went away to the military, as James was eighteen at the time, he could do what he pleased. Joanne couldn't say the same and so she was sent to Oma Julia in the Netherlands.

It was nice, she missed her family dearly and went to visit them after around a year in the Netherlands in '37. It was nice but expensive, and even though the family was quite rich, it couldn't be repeated, so she stayed put in the Netherlands at her oma and opa's house.

Opa Alexei died in March '39, it was a beautiful funeral and many people showed up to it, as he was a man loved by many and talked to everyone he came across, familiar or not, opposed to his wife who was more closed off due to recent harassments she had gotten for being Jewish.

Julia did not handle her husband's death well and became bitter, taking her anger out on the only other person around; Joanne.

Joanne was at first thriving in the Netherlands, she learned both Dutch and Russian, one language taught by each grandparent and made some friends her age she hung around quite often. She didn't go to school there at first as her grandparents wanted her to learn the language before going in public much. After three months she finally got to go to school and was at last surrounded by people her age and made quick friends with some girls who kindly welcomed her into their group.