Excerpt of Death by His Grace by Kwei Quartey

K AT H E R I N E W O U L D N E V E R F O R G E T the day she married Solomon. The wedding was immense, glorious, and the talk of Accra. Solomon’s father, Ezekiel Vanderpuye, a wealthy ex- member of parliament, spared no expense. Clem Howard-Mills, one of Ghana’s most prominent bishops, officiated the service at the Power of God Ministry Church in La Paz on the outskirts of Accra. Four hundred guests flocked to Unique Floral Palace for the reception. The enormous space dazzled in white and gold, with Queen Anne’s lace, white calla lilies, and pink gardenias decorating the guests’ tables. Lights cascaded from ceiling to floor, sparkling like a South African diamond. Caterers in crisp white uniforms served up a large spread of food, from palm nut soup to kung-pao chicken. Cham- pagne, wine, beer, and hard liquor flowed while the DJ played loud hip-life. Weddings and funerals—no difference: eat till stuffed; imbibe till drunk. And the first commandment: thou shalt not run out of food or drink, or you will tarnish your name forever. Solomon and Katherine observed traditional Ghanaian nuptial customs the day after. With gifts of alcohol and yards of cloth, Solomon’s family paid an official visit to Katherine’s. The elders on both sides poured libation and performed the necessary rites. Katherine felt joy and pride whenever she looked at Solomon, so slim and tall in a dark, embroidered smock. Already, she could picture her future life with her husband and two or three kids in a happy home. Katherine wanted a little girl first. After that, she would be perfectly happy with either gender. For a moment, Katherine watched her parents, Nana and Ransford. She could tell how elated they were. Both of them liked Solomon and admired his intelligence and educational accomplishments. He was a young, up-and-coming lawyer. Eze- kiel, Solomon’s father, was also pleased. Every so often, he beamed at Katherine and his eyes moistened behind his spectacles. Solomon’s mother, Maude, was a different matter. She had welcomed Katherine into her family with reluctance. Status was critical to Maude. Vanderpuye, her husband’s name, had been tied to the Ghanaian upper class for generations, since the seventeenth century when Dutch colonists and indigenous people produced mixed offspring. Katherine’s Yeboah family, on the other hand, was of working class stock, and in Maude’s view, fell below a certain “essential” threshold. But to Katherine, her mother-in-law’s preoccupation with caste was a pointless con- trivance. Always at Maude’s right hand was her daughter, Georgina. She looked and behaved like her mother—down almost to the ges- ture—and sided with Maude over everything. The two women felt Solomon had rushed into marriage. He had met Katherine a few months before he went off to the University of Virginia to study Business Administration. While away from Ghana, Solo- mon kept in touch with Katherine by phone, WhatsApp, and Skype. They were in love. Some nights Katherine would stay up until three or four in the morning talking to Solomon. Not long after his return to Ghana, he proposed to Katherine. Thrilled, she accepted. Maude and Georgina had been dead set against Solomon’s engagement to Katherine, but Ezekiel had prevailed over his wife and daughter. He told them Solomon had every right to marry the woman he loved. In the midst of the laughter, drinking, and dancing of the after-wedding party, Katherine stole a glance at her mother-in- law. Maude’s mouth was hard, her jaw set, and her eyes cold.