Zozó's our new neighbor

Brazilian law requires that when fathers like our Tonico die, a portion of their assets must be distributed to their children. Even if their wife survives them, an inventory of their assets is taken and a portion must be distributed to surviving children. Writing out a will cannot completely override this requirement. (Tonico had a will.)

In our case this means that the house Zozó has been living in for the past 15 years with Tonico (pictured here) must be sold and a portion given to his biological son. (Tonico was Luiz’s step-father.) The house is now in probate, waiting for the paperwork to be sorted out. And we are told this could take anywhere from 3 months to 3 years depending on any insistences on the part of Tonico’s son, plus any delays within the court system.

So we wait.

In the mean time Zozó is moving to a significantly smaller apartment with significantly smaller monthly expenses and way fewer upkeep chores.

Actually, since we lost Tonico, Zozó has been living with Luiz and me in our two bedroom apartment, with weekend visits by all to the house. (Shout out to Stephanie here.)

Zozó’s lawyer has made good progress and so far everything seems positive (knock wood).

Today we got some good news. Zozó has secured an apartment. Her new apartment is located three doors down the street from ours. (Again, hey Stephanie!) This puts her in the neighborhood she loves and within shouting distance of us should she need our help. She is delighted.

Stay tuned.