Kwei Quartey - Wife of the Gods

Thirty minutes later, Dawson had the full leg and part of a pelvis. He freed the other leg and the feet, then moved up the spine. The body had been laid at a slight incline, so again he had to use the shovel carefully until he reached another level of bone.

He freed the arms. The skeleton was mostly intact. Around the bones of the neck, Dawson removed the soil in careful, thin layers until he found something again. It was coated with mud and the chain had been broken, but it was there-the gold necklace with its butterfly pendant.

“Mama,” he whispered.

When her head was exposed, Dawson gently touched her skull.

Gyamfi turned away and retreated quietly. Dawson brushed soil out of his mother’s head and eyes. In his mind, he didn’t see her skull, he saw her face and her smile and felt her skin.

“I’ll give you the burial you deserve, Mama,” he said, “and Christine and Hosiah will be there. At last you’ll see them and be proud. And then, Mama, you can finally rest.”

Thank you is a sufficient expression when someone holds a door open for you, but it is inadequate to express the depth of gratitude I feel for those who have in various ways helped me to write this book.

No one deserves the crown more than Marly Rusoff, my agent. When I first presented this novel to her, it was so roughly hewn I wonder how on earth she saw any potential shape in it. Marly not only has keen perception, she brings warmth and humanity along with it. She is a tenacious advocate for her authors. My tremendous thanks also go to Michael Radulescu and Jacqueline LeDonne in Marly’s office, who worked magic with foreign sales of this novel.

I would never have come upon Marly Rusoff had it not been for Beverly Martin at Agent Research and Evaluation. An accomplished writer herself, she searched tirelessly for agents who might take me on, and she was really the first person to teach me how to write a good query letter. I am very grateful to her.

I was fortunate to meet yet another wonderful person in this process: Judy Sternlight, my editor at Random House. She infused me with excitement from the very start. She has an amazing grasp of character and story, seeing many things that did not even occur to me as the author. I consider myself privileged to have worked with someone of her caliber and brilliance. My thanks also go to production editor Vincent La Scala, sharp-eyed copy editor Susan M. S. Brown, and the marketing and promotion personnel.

I must not forget the first readers of the manuscript-Julie Mosow, in Marly Rusoff’s office, and Mary Logue, both of whom gave me such invaluable guidance that I would not have been able to produce the second and third drafts without them.

Many thanks to Ken Yeboah, assistant commissioner of police and deputy director general at the Central Investigations Department in Accra. He was extremely helpful and patient with me in response to the scores of questions I had for him about police procedure in Ghana. Likewise, I would like to thank Edmond Vanderpuye and Patience Vormawor at International Needs in Accra for being so accommodating. I also thank Kofitse Ahadzi of Afrikania Mission; Moses Sowah, M.D., for getting me in touch with detectives and officers at CID; the incomparable and unflappable John Nkrumah Mills, M.D., at the Volta River Authority Hospital in Akosombo; Adukwei Hesse, M.B., Ch.B.; and Nii Otu Nartey, M.D. Many thanks to the always brainy Audrey Quaye for helping me make contacts in Ghana. I am very grateful also to Kwasi Asiedu, attorney at law, for his terrific assistance with tricky legal questions, and to David Asem for expert assistance with English-Ewe translation.

I cannot leave out my late father, K. A. B. Jones-Quartey, who taught me by example about the doggedness needed to write a book; my mother, Pearl; and my brothers, Kwatei, Nii Ofrang, and Kwatelai, to whom I’m grateful for their encouragement and support; as well as Joseph Adinolf, my physical trainer, who can always tell from my workouts if I’ve been doing a little too much writing for my own good.

Finally, thanks to Stephanie Cabot, who long ago suggested the story be set in real-life Ghana rather than a fictitious “Ghana-like” African nation, and to Marjorie Miller, who propelled me on my writing career in those early days. I will never forget Miss Mensah, my primary school English teacher, who inspired me to excel.

Pronunciation of Ghanaian words

· gy, dj , and dz are pronounced like j in just .

· ky is pronounced like ch in church .

· e is rarely if ever silent.

Terms

Abatasu: plant whose leaves are reputed to help rid a person of disturbing spirits.

Abeg (ah-beg): corruption of I beg you .

Adinkra: symbolic designs or logos used to decorate colorful patterned cloth, often expressing concepts such as bravery or loyalty. Originally used for funeral wear but now acceptable for other occasions and as a tourist item.

Akasa: porridge made from slightly fermented corn dough.

Ampe: a girls’ rhythmic jumping and clapping game in which the participant scores points according to which foot she puts forward at the end of a sequence in relation to the other player’s foot (reminiscent of rock-paper-scissors).

Ayekoo: congratulatory exclamation recognizing an achievement or hard work.

Banku: fermented corn-cassava dough mixed proportionally and cooked in hot water into a smooth, whitish paste. Bulla: vulgar for penis .

Calabash: dried, hollowed-out gourd used as a container.

C edi: Ghana’s monetary unit, approximately equal to one U.S. dollar in this work.

Chaley: friend, familiar term only, as in buddy. Chaley-wate: sandals made from old, discarded rubber tires.

Chinchinga: Ghanaian shish kebab.

Chop bar: a small food establishment where quickly prepared meals can be bought. Cutlass: machete.

Dash: money given as a tip, gift, or bribe.

Durbar: ceremonial meeting of a Ghanaian chief and his subjects (deriv. Indo-Persian for “ruler’s court”).

Ewe: major language of the Volta Region spoken by approximately five million people in Ghana, Togo, and Benin (pronounced “eh-way”).

Fien nawo: Ewe for good evening (short form: fien ).

Fufú: cassava, yam, or plantain pounded into a soft, glutinous mass and shaped into a smooth ball, usually as an accompaniment to soup, particularly palm nut soup.

Ga: predominant language of the Greater Accra Region.

Gari: starchy carbohydrate made from cassava, approximately the consistency of couscous.

Kai: expression of revulsion.

Kawkaw-kaw: verbal representation of a knock on the door, used to announce one’s arrival at someone’s home and to request entry.

Kelewele: ripe plantain cut in cubes and deep-fried with ginger and other spices till crispy.

Kontomire: stew made with cocoyam leaves, palm oil, hot peppers, and other flavorings.

Libation pouring: at many important events, tradition of pouring small amounts of alcohol or other liquid on the ground accompanied by entreaties to the gods and/or ancestors.

Ndo na wo: Ewe for good afternoon (short form: ndo) .

Okro: variation of okra .

Oware: a count-and-capture game of strategy played with pebbles on a wooden board with shallow pits.

Shai Hills: forest and grassland reserve fifty kilometers northeast of Accra.