After the Funeral, the Vultures Descended

摘要

Death and money do strange things to people. Shake-speare wrote "He that dies pays all debts." In a perfect world, children are repaid for the neglects of the father, wives are compensated for any wrongful acts, friends are left tokens of appreciation, business partners are acknowledged for their services and charities are given gifts to make up for years of disregard. In a perfect world, one's death would leave one's affairs neatly wrapped and tied with a bow. Death rarely provides such neat resolutions, however, especially when it is unexpected. I learned this harsh lesson at the tender young age of 21, when I became the coadministrator of my father's estate.