Dorothy’S World: A Novel

By Andrew de Heer

Schoolteacher Dorothy Nti believes she is living a happy life with her husband, Alex, and their two-year-old son, Kofi, in a suburb of Accra, Ghana. She has no idea that a dramatic illness is about to change their lives forever.

One Friday evening, when Alex is out late, Kofi becomes violently ill. Not knowing what to do, Dorothy turns to a nearby revival church for help. The pastor prays over the sick boy, who begins to improve. But when Dorothy offers to pay him, he instead coerces her into having sex with him, which haunts her for several months. As she recovers through prayer and confession, it soon becomes clear that Alex is leading a double life. Events spiral out of control, and Dorothy finds herself dealing with the aftermath of Alexs crimes on her ownwhile still bearing shame and guilt for the sexual assault she experienced. Only time will tell whether she will be able to find healing and joy once more.

In this novel, a young schoolteacher and mother recovering from trauma faces troubles brought on by the treachery and deceit of those around her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Apr 7, 2016
• ISBN: 9781491789803

Andrew de Heer

Andrew de Heer is a British-trained librarian from Ghana who has served in various library capacities around the world. He retired after fourteen years from a position with the New York Public Library and now spends much of his time traveling and writing stories.

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Copyright © 2016 Andrew de Heer.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-8969-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-8980-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016902110

Print information available on the last page.

iUniverse rev. date: 04/06/2016

A lex and

Dorothy Nti lived in Kaneshie, a suburb of Accra. Alex was a senior nurse at Kaneshie Health Centre. Dorothy was a schoolteacher at a primary school in Kaneshie. The couple had a two-year-old son, Kofi Nti, who was a very active toddler. Dorothy engaged a caregiver to look after Kofi when she went to school. The caregiver, an elderly woman named Esther, had her own grown-up children. The motherly way she treated Kofi made Alex and Dorothy happy.

Alex and Dorothy originally came from Kesease, a town sixty-five miles from Accra. Both of them came from prominent families in Kesease. Alex’s father was a well-established, prosperous cocoa farmer, and Dorothy’s father was a retired, highly respected headmaster. Both of them were devout Catholics, though Dorothy took her faith more seriously than Alex. Alex was an easygoing, man-about-town type of person, very popular in Kesease. He was a kind man, always ready with some loose change to distribute. People assumed that senior nurses tended to be affluent, and Alex lived up to that reputation.

Dorothy, on the other hand, was a simpleminded, beautiful young woman with a stature and face similar to those of a goddess in Greek mythology, always erect. Though she consciously knew that heads turned to look at her whenever she passed by, she did not feel intimidated. She was unassuming and often ready with a smile that some described as seductive; she could easily pass as a model. She took great care of her body through regular exercise and watched her eating habits carefully. She was personally satisfied with her lean appearance.

Alex and Dorothy were happily married. Alex used to boast to friends that Dorothy was a virgin when they got married, unlike many of the young women in town. It was obvious that the couple adored each other. They never went anywhere not in each other’s company, except when they went to work. In time, Dorothy left all important decisions to Alex to the extent that she was completely helpless anytime Alex was not around. He made sure that there was always enough change in the house so that Dorothy never had to worry about change.

They lived in a spacious apartment in a big apartment block building. Although the apartment was not far from their workplaces, Alex had managed to buy a used, mid-size car, which they used for social outings and shopping. They often went home to Kesease, usually with their son in tow, and whenever there was a national holiday, the young people in town expected the couple to visit and help organize social events. Otherwise, the holiday was dull. They were fixtures and lightning rods of the town’s social circuit.

Alex was also popular at work among doctors and nurses; he needed cordial relationships in the workplace in order to succeed in that hospital environment. He cultivated good relations with his colleagues, but surprisingly, he was a very private person who kept his friendships tightly circumscribed. He had only one regular friend, a pharmacist at the hospital, with whom he formed a semblance of closeness. The two of them relaxed after work most Fridays in a pub and only occasionally on weekdays. A prominent pharmacist who had a successful pharmacy in Kaneshie had started to join them, but he did not appear to be a close friend; he seemed to be just a regular customer of the pub.

Alex developed the habit of getting home late on Fridays or any day that he had a night shift or did part-time work at a private clinic, and Dorothy accepted such lateness as part of normal business demands because she knew that it brought in additional income, and it never occurred to her to suspect any indiscretions. For all the time that Alex worked at the hospital, however, he had flirtations with two nurses, but he managed to keep them strictly outside the hospital so very few people knew about them. In any case, Alex was such a careful character that Dorothy never got wind of them. She trusted him absolutely.

One Friday evening, when Dorothy came home from school, Esther, the caregiver, reported that Kofi did not appear to be as lively as usual. When Dorothy touched his forehead, she felt that he was developing a fever. Dorothy gave him some medication to lower his temperature, and then she put him to bed. She kept a close watch on him by checking on him periodically. As the night crept on, she began to worry because Alex had not come home from work and Kofi’s temperature kept rising. Esther had left already, so she was alone. Dorothy tried to reach Alex on his cell phone but to no avail.

After some time, she panicked because this was the type of situation in which she badly needed Alex’s decision and professional action. In his absence, Dorothy was incapable of doing anything. Alex, where are you? I need you more than ever. Please come home; I don’t know what to do, she moaned.

It was getting close to midnight. Alex had not come home or called, and Kofi’s condition had worsened; he was shivering and crying. He stiffened and began breathing heavily, and then he clenched his teeth. Dorothy forcefully inserted a spoon between his teeth to enable him to breathe through his mouth. She suspected that this was the onset of a convulsive condition, and she felt frightened. Without thinking, she tied a cover cloth around her middle, picked Kofi up, and dashed down the staircase to look for a cab. She intended to take him to the hospital, but out in the street, she did not know where to go or where to turn. The streets were empty and quiet—no cab anywhere—but she saw a light on in the window of a small church belonging to a pastor who lived on the ground floor of their building. Without a thought, she rushed to the window and knocked heavily several times.

The light went out, and a voice came out of a small opening in the window. Who is there?

Please, Pastor, I need help. My son is seriously ill. I don’t know what to do, she said.

The pastor opened the door slightly and peered out. When he saw how disheveled her appearance was and that she had a boy on her back, he said, Come in, and quickly opened the door for her to come