The Bold Introduction
In the fall of 1941, Jacqueline van Maarsen was walking home from the Jewish Lyceum in Amsterdam when she was approached by a stranger. This girl, “short, skinny,” with “shiny black hair and rather sharp features,” was none other than Anne Frank. Anne, out of breath from running to catch up, immediately took the initiative. “Are you going that way also?” she asked, and without waiting for a reply, declared, “Then the two of us will ride home together from now on.”
This first meeting, as recalled by Jacqueline, is a perfect snapshot of Anne’s character. She was bold, confident, and direct. She didn’t wait for an invitation to friendship; she created one. Jacqueline, who had not even noticed Anne in class, felt “a little awkward” having to ask her name. When the girl replied, “My name is Anne, she said, ‘Anne Frank,’ a friendship that would become a profound part of both of their lives began.
This memory is especially poignant because it reveals the simple, human beginnings of a friendship that would be tragically cut short. It reminds us that before Anne Frank was a symbol of hope and tragedy, she was a real girl with a lively, spirited personality, a girl who, in a moment of youthful boldness, found a best friend.
