Somehow in just 2 days I managed to retrieve my father's body, purchase a casket and flowers, and have a viewing and burial by a beautiful beach. I rested on Sunday and come Monday morning, everything came to a stop. The local police have been obstinate and paranoid. I did manage to hire a good attorney who put together paperwork explaining that I am the only child and sole heir to my father's estate. He then had to draw up official documents that show that my father's house was purchased PRIOR to his remarriage with "the woman" (no one even likes to say her name here). The law here states that everything purchased prior to marriage belongs to the estate, not the wife. So I own the house free and clear.
Even with all my documentation the police are reviewing everything (and taking forever) to make sure I am TRULY my father's daughter. The problem comes because in the US last names change after marriage; here in Costa Rica the wife does not lose her maiden name. They have to verify that I am me even though my name does not have my father's name in it. They are afraid of giving the keys to my father's house to the wrong person. It helps that I was born here.
I am trying to get my citizenship id now. The only problem with that is that the government has NEVER issued me one. So I have to do a sworn statement that shortly after my birth I went to live in Germany, and that is the reason I was never been issued a card. It is all so complicated. Without my citizenship card it takes MONTHS to resolve estate issues; with it, only days. Also, my citizenship ID has my name as it would be here in Costa Rica including my father's and mother's name.
Over all, the red tape is terrible. I am so limited on what I can do in a week. I wanted to turn off my father's cell phones and cable/internet. I wanted to open a personal account here in my name. I wanted to apply for social security benefit (that my father has been paying in to) and get reimbursed for a portion of the funeral costs. And mostly, I wanted to be able to go in to my father's home and smell his pillows, hold his clothes, and put on his watch. It's funny how when someone you love dies, how important a bed pillow becomes. I miss him terribly and it hurts that I will not hear his German accent again. It hurts that he won't be parading me around town telling everyone, "this is my beautiful daughter". It hurts that he isn't going to be patting me on the head any more. It hurts that in his last years, he had finally mellowed out and was filling in to the word DAD. I regret not being able to spend more time with him. The stories I am hearing from the neighbors are hilarious.
He has left me a nice home, amazing friends, a bar, a car and a small savings. No debt, no hard feelings and nothing that can not be overcome. Only a cruel woman that robbed him continually and that I have no choice but to give over to God.
Time is almost out. I will write again and post pictures as soon as I am able.
PS I found out the other day that it took a LITERAL bribe to someone in the phone company to track me down in the US. Amazing.
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