—
AFTER COOTER LEFT, GENE thought about what he had said. “Was the war worth it?” Gene wondered. If he had to do it all over again, would he still do it? He couldn’t sugarcoat it. He would’ve loved to have had more time. To have had a chance to be a husband, a father to his little girl. He wished like hell he hadn’t been killed, but would he do it all over again? And the answer was yes, he would. He wasn’t a historian or a philosopher, but he knew there had to be at least some free countries left in the world or else there would be no point in living. He was surprised to hear he was getting a medal, though. He wondered what kind of medal and what for? He didn’t remember doing anything heroic.
1946
The Sweet Clover Dairy had almost tripled its production during the war and was now the largest dairy in the area. Ander Swensen owned thirty-eight delivery trucks and employed more than one hundred people, and the dairy was still growing. Ander and his wife, Beatrice, had just bought a brand-new two-story brick house and a new car. They now had everything a couple could want, except a child.
—
IN LATE SEPTEMBER, Elner Shimfissle was at the kitchen sink, running cold water over her string beans, when the phone rang.
“Hello?”
It was Beatrice, who said, “Elner, are you peeling potatoes?”
“No, I just finished stringing some beans. Why?”
“Do you remember that dream you had?”
Elner had to think a minute…then she remembered. “Oh, no, Beatrice…you don’t mean it!”
“Yes, I do. I just got home from the doctor.”
Elner was so happy for her friend, she danced a little jig around her kitchen.
Beatrice and Ander had given up hope of having a child long ago, so when out of the blue, the doctor had informed Beatrice that she was pregnant at almost thirty-six years old, she and Ander were overjoyed.
A week later, the happy couple flew to Chicago and went to Marshall Field’s department store to shop for their new baby. They bought all the latest baby clothes, a bassinet and a Mother Goose baby bed, and almost cleaned out the toy department. The salespeople got a kick out of the joyful couple, who were obviously from a small town. Ander handed out cigars to the salesmen and a “bouquet of roses” pin to all the salesladies. They bought two of everything, one in pink and one in blue. This child would be loved and raised as a prince or a princess. They didn’t know which yet. They didn’t care. All they knew was a baby was coming.
That same day in Chicago, in a tenement apartment building with gray rickety wooden stairs in the back, another woman was expecting a child, her sixth. But there was no joy in it, only despair.
She was so tired. But there was no way to stop the babies from coming year after year. And her priest said it was a sin to try. As she stood looking out at the clothesline full of wet sheets and diapers strung between the buildings, she suddenly winced in pain. This one would be a boy. She could tell by the way he kicked at her. He wasn’t due for a month, but he was already like his father. He would come out like the rest of the boys had, hungry and angry, wanting to kick someone.
Two different babies were coming. Two different lives. The chances of their ever meeting one another would be slim to none.
After some delivery difficulties, the long-awaited Swensen baby was born. She was a beautiful little brown-eyed girl they named Hanna Marie. Both Ander and Beatrice were over the moon with joy. Ander gave all of his employees at the dairy a fifty-dollar baby bonus, and a huge party was planned in her honor.
As someone said, “My Lord, you would think that they were the first people in the world to ever have a baby.” The party was held at the house, and everyone in town was sent a pink invitation tied with a white ribbon.
Come say hello to
MISS HANNA MARIE SWENSEN
Tuesday afternoon, 2 to 5
One year later, pink cards were sent out to every child in town that read:
You are cordially invited to a celebration in honor of
MISS HANNA MARIE SWENSEN’S
First Birthday
Favors, entertainment, and all the ice cream you can eat!
Every child in town came. They didn’t care so much about seeing the baby, but all the ice cream you could eat was a once-in-a-lifetime treat. And their parents were only too glad to take them. They all liked the Swensens and loved to visit their home. It was beautifully decorated with the finest furniture that could be bought and had a magnificent grand staircase leading up to the second floor. Ida Jenkins marched through each room and exclaimed, “I swear, Beatrice and I have the exact same taste.” When Ida got home that night, she asked her husband, Herbert, why they couldn’t have a grand staircase like the Swensens.
“Because, Ida, we live in a one-story house.”
“Couldn’t we add an upstairs?”
“We could, if we were made of money. Just because I work at the bank doesn’t mean I own it.”
“Well, you’re the president. Couldn’t you give yourself a loan?”
Herbert sighed. He loved her, but the woman just didn’t understand finance.
—
BY THE TIME HANNA MARIE was a year old, her smiling picture was on the side of all the Swensens’ milk delivery trucks. Everybody in town waited for their invitation to her second birthday party. But it never came.
Other people had noticed it first. Some even whispered about it. They couldn’t quite put their finger on it, but Hanna Marie was not like the other children her age.
At first, her parents tried to ignore it, to pretend everything was all right, but soon it became very clear. There was something wrong with their little girl.
Of course, they had suspected it. A local doctor had told them as much, but the words were still hard to hear. The specialist at the Mayo Clinic sat down across from Ander and Beatrice Swensen. “Your little girl is completely deaf.”
This was devastating news. They had been hoping it had just been a hearing impairment and that she could possibly get help.
Ander said, “Money’s not a problem, Doctor. Isn’t there anything…an operation or something?”
He shook his head. “No. I’m sorry.”
The little girl could see her parents were upset, and she kept stroking her mother’s face. “Will she ever be able to speak?” asked Ander.
“No, when children are deaf from birth, they don’t know what speech sounds like. They see our lips moving, but it’s a silent world for them. But as you can see, she is very bright. Her cognitive tests are perfectly normal. And, my God…just look at her. She’s the prettiest little child with that smile, and there are plenty of schools for the deaf. She can be taught sign language, lip reading…with some special training, she should be able to live a completely normal life…get married, have children…a lot of deaf people do.”
Beatrice asked, “Do you really think she could get married?”
“I don’t see any reason why not,” said the doctor with a smile. “We’ll just have to wait and see and hope for the best.”