I worked in the bakery alongside Dirk, beginning at four in the morning and finishing at noon. Anna would arrive mid-morning with three children, each of them under four. They had blond hair that rose from their round heads like dandelion fluff. Anna’s hair was a colour between blond and a red so pale that it looked pink. Her face was pushed into a heart shape by cheekbones that were dotted with freckles. The most striking thing about Anna, though, was that she wore men’s apparel. Rarely, if ever, did I see her in a skirt or dress. I was never sure if she and Dirk shared clothes or if they each had their own men’s wardrobes. Her pants hung loosely from fine leather belts, and she didn’t wear a vest or tie with her shirts. Nor did she wear a brassiere. She would undo a few buttons on her sh
