The Deceased gets a refund
FRIDAY, July 30 – ‘We are of the opinion that the U.S. tax service is obliged to refund a sum of just under two thousand dollars,’ pronounced the accountant in Washington D.C. I couldn’t help grinning. Haven’t a clue how he reached that conclusion, but it sounds good to me. This was number one on my list of administrative commitments, which I hadn’t exactly been looking forward to.
So, it’s a refund. We’ll have to wait and see if the IRS tax authorities are of the same opinion. The smile faded from my face when I had to sign the declaration and remembered the reason for my visit. Jenn was dead and I had to finalize her administrative existence. She was no longer the translator, the pastry chef, the mother of two children. She was The Deceased. It was there in black and white, and as The Beneficiary, I was asked to confirm this.
My accountant gave me a discount of one hundred dollars and invited me to stay for lunch. I said no, since I had appointments with my tax adviser, the bank, and the agency that administers our pension. Jennifer has been closed down.
Diary of a Widower 