The Silent World of Hessie

By Janet Mc Ghie Brown

The Silent World of Hessie - a combination of fact and fiction
This book is a tribute to the author’s parents who were both born deaf, but overcame all obstacles in their path to achieve what many, in similar situations, would have given up on.
They were determined to give their children every opportunity in life, with what they had at their disposal, in spite of many setbacks, which they rose up above. They were determined to be the best that they could be, with what they had: integrity, compassion, honesty, humility, a sense of responsibility, empathy, a willingness to accept their lot and a deep sense of the presence of God in their lives. Not only did they rear their own three children, but added to their family, three more children, whose mother had passed away when the youngest was only ten days old.
This is a story that had to be told. Many of the events in the book are facts as told by the couple, during their lifetime, but the dialogue is the fruit of the author’s imagination, as are the details of world events described in the book, and may not be historically accurate, but here the author has pleaded for writer’s licence.

“I thoroughly enjoyed this most entertaining and interesting read. I love historical works and family tales and have a particular soft spot for South African history. This book ticked all the boxes for me – a delight!” - Editor’s comment

About the Author

Author Janet Mc Ghie Brown, currently 86 years old (at the time of publication), is determined to tell the world the amazing story of her parents through this book.
Janet was a pupil at Paarl Girls High School and furthered her studies at the Cape Technical College, where she earned a distinction in English. English Essays was her favourite subject at school. She has two children, three stepchildren, seven grandchildren and many God children.
She lives in Gordon’s Bay, Western Cape.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Janet Mc Ghie Brown
• Release date: Jan 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005649500

Book preview

Chapter 1 - Martha, Hessie’s mother

Standing next to the wood stove in the tiny kitchen, kneading dough, Martha cast her mind back to the day that Hessie was born. How tired she was after the birth, but what a joy to look into that angelic little face. Hessie’s eyes had looked straight into hers with an almost knowing look as if to say, ‘Look here I am, at last, come to bring you a little happiness into your life.’

While forming the four loaves of bread that she baked every day, she reflected on how hard life had been since Johannes had been laid off from the foundry and was forced to take a job for lower wages. Her oldest, Annie was only four years old and Jakobus was three. Then there were the children from Johannes’ previous marriage, Petrus twelve, Lettie ten, Maria eight and Susie six. Their mother had died when Susie was only two years old.

Martha remembered the deep pity that she had felt for the little ones when Johannes came courting. She had only just celebrated her seventeenth birthday, but her parents felt that she was ready to take on the role of wife and mother.

‘Dear daughter,’ her father said, ‘we know that you are still very young, and you prefer to settle into a marriage with a younger person and start your own family, but Johannes is a good and caring man and you and his two children, Annie and Jacobus already get on so well. He has a secure job and his own house, and we feel that you will be happy there. But if you are not happy to do this, we will not blame you. Think about it.’

And ‘think’ she did. Lying in bed at night her thoughts kept coming back to Johannes’ two children. They were so vulnerable without their mother and already they had attached themselves to Hessie with her youthful and cheerful disposition. She had not become attached to any other young man and certainly did not want to be without a family of her own.

She prayed earnestly about it and the next morning she spoke to her parents and agreed to marry Johannes.

The next evening after Johannes returned from work, the four of them went to see the dominee (pastor) and it was agreed that there was no point in waiting, so a simple small wedding was arranged for the end of that month.

Her mother helped to add to her meagre wedding trousseau and altered one of her dresses to wear for the wedding. Neighbours rallied round and provided some eats and on a bright spring morning in October, Martha and Johannes were married.

Immediately after the celebration they walked to Johannes’ house, which was now her future home, and started the chores. After supper Martha put the children to bed, read to them from one of her favourite books and taught them a short prayer she had learnt as a child:

‘Gentle Jesus meek and mild, look upon a little child,

pity my simplicity,

Suffer me to come to Thee.’

They folded their hands as she had taught them and said, ‘Amen.’

Johannes had been loving and patient, understanding her inability to be as good a housewife as his late wife had been. She spent many hours scrubbing, washing and cooking trying her best to live up to the standard set by her predecessor. She did not expect anything else from life, as she had watched her mother do the same work year in and year out as she bore one child after another. Sometimes she would wonder if there could be more to life than the endless drudgery from dawn to dusk.

I am so tired of doing the same things over and over every day; every time I walk into the kitchen, I see another heap of dirty dishes, the washing never ends and despite the help from the children, albeit reluctantly, the making of the beds, sweeping… oh dear I must not complain, I really am very fortunate to have such a loving husband and beautiful children… it’s just… stop it, Martha! she said to herself.

Holding the door of the oven open, she placed the loaf tins containing the risen dough, on the shelf inside and closed the door. Looking out of the window into the little back yard, she remembered again how tired she had been after Hessie’s birth. Looking down at her on that day she had whispered, ‘Poor little thing. I pray that life will not be as hard on you as it has been for me. If it depends on me, I will see to it that you have a better chance in life than I did.’

That day Johannes had knocked on the door of the bedroom and brought the children in to see their new little sister.

‘See how beautiful she is,’ Martha said to them as she lifted the blanket from little Hessie’s face. They pushed one another aside so that they could have a look.

‘That’s enough,’ their father said as he herded them out of the room. ‘Your mother is tired and needs to rest.’

When he had left them with Martha’s sister, their Aunt Anna, he returned to the bedroom and looked at little Hessie for a long time.

‘How will life treat her?’ he asked. ‘Somehow I feel that this child is special and that we must take very good care of her. Let us pray that the Lord will guard over her and protect her.’

Then he knelt down next to the bed and holding Martha’s hand, placed his other hand on Hessie’s head and prayed. ‘Almighty God, you have seen fit to bless us with this perfect little creature. We pray that she will be a blessing, not only to us but to all those who cross her path.’

He kissed the little forehead and kissing Martha on her cheek, said, ‘Rest now my love; tomorrow we will see if we can get someone to help you in the house.’

Martha had closed her eyes in weariness after she had laid Hessie in the wooden crib, crafted so lovingly by Johannes and in which all the children had slept over the years. She leaned back on the pillows and closed her eyes. Although she had been very tired, her mind would not rest. She thought of each of the children and wondered what the future held in store for them. Somehow, she would have to find the energy to carry on caring for them all.

‘Dear God, help me and give me the strength I need,’ she prayed.

At last, her eyes had closed, and she had drifted off into a deep sleep.

Coming back to the present, she stirred herself and went outside with a bucket to collect water from the pump to do the washing. Hessie was playing quietly on a blanket, under the jacaranda tree with her rag doll. What a good child she was and how she enjoyed dressing the doll in scraps of cloth and making it sit up against the fence surrounding the house.

‘What a blessing you are to me Hessie and so cute in the way you handle your little doll. Who knows, perhaps you’ll become a famous dress designer when you grow up,’ she said as she smiled at her own imagination. ‘But who knows? Stranger things have happened.’

Annie and Jakobus were drawing lines in the ground with sticks they had taken from the pile of firewood.

The house was in the poorer section of Pretoria. It was a small mud-brick house with a corrugated iron roof. The only redeeming feature was the beautiful jacaranda tree in the yard, the branches of which turned into showers of pale purple flowers with a sweet intoxicating scent. There were three bedrooms besides the parlour, which was always locked and only used when the dominee from the church came to call. The four older children slept on straw pallets head to toe and the two younger ones on a pallet in the room with their parents and Hessie, who slept in the crib. When the dominee came to visit, the children had to be on their best behaviour, neatly dressed in their church clothes, hair brushed, and hands washed. Johannes enjoyed bringing them in, one at a time and introducing them to the pastor. He was very proud of his family.

The older children went to school, walking the four miles there and back every day, barefoot, as shoes were only for church and special days and had to be passed down to the next child as they became too tight. Petrus had one more year of schooling and then they would have to find a job for him, perhaps the railways.

Martha looked up into the sky and saw the black smoke from the foundry and hoped that the wind would not blow in their direction while the washing was on the line. She knelt beside the big tin bath and while scrubbing the clothes, her thoughts returned to Hessie. She kept looking towards her and occasionally Hessie would look up and smile at her mother. What a blessing she was!

After hanging the washing on the line, she swept the floor and then took the golden-brown bread out of the oven. When the children came home from school, they each had a household task to perform before doing their schoolwork. She wanted to get the kitchen tidy and the sandwiches on the table for them, as they would be hungry from the long walk. Then she would start the supper. Johannes had picked up some tripe and trotters the night before and they all looked forward to this special treat. She cut the bread and spread the slices with the lard that she had made by rendering the fat of the pork she had braised the previous week. Life was good and although they could not afford luxuries, they were a united and happy family.

Chapter 2 - Hessie is Deaf (1907-1910)

Hessie grew into a bonny toddler, but somehow Martha felt uneasy about her. She had the sweetest smile and was loved for her sunny disposition but, although she thrived physically, she had not yet spoken and was only able to make guttural sounds. By the time she was eighteen months old, she still had not formed any words. Daily Martha had grown more alarmed. The older aunts in the family came to visit and tried out various herbal concoctions, but by the time Hessie was two years old they realised that she was not able to speak because she was deaf. What a blow that had been. Never before had they known anyone who was deaf. How would the child manage?

The old aunts came as soon as they heard the news. Standing in a huddle in the kitchen, they discussed this tragedy but were unable to come up with a solution. Looking at one another they asked, ‘Has there been something like this in the family?’

They shook their heads looking baffled.

‘Oh, but wait,’ said Aunt Tilla, ‘what about that boy of Fanie’s who sat dribbling all day and had to be fed?’

‘He only lived to be five,’ Aunt Betsy said.

‘But that’s not the same,’ replied Tilla.

The men were outside smoking their pipes, which was their only luxury after a Sunday family meal. They were discussing the current political situation. It was 1909 and there were rumours of an impending war in Europe. They did not know much about it as they could not afford to buy the newspaper, but big Koos Visagie had a small radio which they placed on the table and tried to hear the words spoken by the news reader. There was so much noisy crackling on the radio, that they could hardly understand what was being said. But it was not very difficult to imagine, as this news was a long time coming. ‘Nee magtig man, what’s the problem with those stupid rooinekke (a derisive name for Englishmen)? Don’t they realise what it would mean if they declared war now?’ shouted Koos, as he jumped up from his chair, knocking it over.

Aunt Anna went out quickly and tried to calm him down.

‘Ai Koos! Look how you’ve upset the children; calm down, there is nothing you can do about the situation. Perhaps it will blow over and in no time the leaders in Europe will be friends again.’

‘Women!’ said Koos with a smirk on his face. ‘What do you know, Anna? Stick to your pots and pans.’

Little Annie and Jakobus started to cry as they were not used to harsh words spoken in such anger. Not knowing what was happening, Hessie saw her siblings crying and immediately joined in.

Martha reflected on that scene when everyone had been so upset and said a quiet prayer to ask God to step in and prevent a war.

Please, Lord, things are bad enough as it is, we really don’t need a war as well. Please put some sense into the minds of those men who make the final decision and give them the wisdom to decide correctly.

Now Martha looked out again and saw that Hessie had moved towards the iron gate, as she did each day, watching for the return of her brothers and sisters from school. She knew instinctively that after she had eaten the sandwich that her mother made for her lunch, it was time to sit near the gate with her doll and watch for them. As soon as she saw them walking up the road, she would jump up and down making noises and waving her hands to welcome them. Petrus would open the gate, swoop her up into his arms and swing her round and round. She would laugh delightedly. Martha realised that she and Johannes would have to think about Hessie’s future carefully.

Now she heard Hessie banging a stick against the gate and knew that she had seen the children coming up the road. Quickly she made the tea and went out to meet them.

‘Careful Petrus, don’t get Hessie so excited, she has just had her lunch!’

‘Ag Ma, she is fine, and you know that she loves the attention.’

‘All right then, all of you, quickly to the pump and wash your hands, careful that you don’t splash water over your clothes. I have some of your favourite sandwiches waiting for you and then you can start your chores after you have eaten. But first, tell me all about school while I peel the vegetables and start the supper.’

While Martha was listening to them, she praised God for the wonderful way in which He had blessed them. They could cope with poverty and hardship as long as there was love in the house. Just then she started coughing, struggling to catch her breath. Susie rushed and fetched a mug of water, anxiously watching to see if Martha was all right.

‘It’s all right my love,’ she managed to gasp as she reached out for the water ‘only a little tickle in my throat,’ but as soon as the children had gone off to do their various chores, she sat down at the table and pressed her hand to her chest. It felt as if the pain would consume her whole body. She felt nauseous and feverish and had to hold her hands tightly on her lap to still the trembling.

I cannot afford to be sick. Dear God, don’t let me be sick.

After a while, the pain subsided, and she was able to continue with the supper. She would have to ask Johannes if she could go to the clinic and get some cough medicine. She had been coughing for about six months now and her chest was not improving. At first, she had thought that it was the cold winter and constant fatigue that was causing her to feel ill, but perhaps it would be better to go for a thorough check-up.

The next morning Martha took Annie, Jakobus and Hessie and walked to the clinic. Phoebe, the receptionist glanced up and saw Martha and the children.

‘Good morning Martha. How are you keeping? We hardly ever see you anymore. What can I do for you?’

Martha shook her head tiredly. ‘Good morning. I’ve just been feeling very tired lately and I thought Doctor could give me a tonic or something and some cough medicine.’

‘I am sorry to hear that. Doctor won’t be long. Oh, wait, here he is. You can go in now. Would you like me to keep an eye on the children? We have some new toys in the next room; they can play there until you are back.’

Martha looked at the children and told them to go to the next room.

‘Go on my darlings, Auntie Phoebe said there are some toys in there that you can play with. But no fighting and don’t break the toys. Be careful.’

She smiled weakly at Phoebe and went through to the doctor’s consulting room.

‘Now let’s hear all about it my dear,’ said the doctor as he showed Martha to a chair.

‘I don’t know Doctor,’ she said forlornly. ‘I just cannot cope anymore. Perhaps you can give me some cough syrup so that I can sleep at night and a tonic to give me some energy?’ She smiled at the doctor.

‘Come, my dear, let me examine you,’ he said and led her through to the examination room.

After a thorough examination, they returned to the consulting room and the doctor told her to sit down while he made a few notes.

‘Mrs Stenekamp I am afraid that it is not good news. You have a spot on your lung and with all the other symptoms you display, you clearly have tuberculosis which has