Staying Close To Home.....

Due to the turmoil of the indigenous people and the government, with road blocks set up throughout the country, we've been staying close to home. We did have some business in Panama City on Monday that we had to attend to, and had to detour off the Pan American Highway through the city of La Chorrera on the way home.  Apparently these road blocks are popping up all over, and since there is only ONE road through Panamá, it's easy to get stuck in a blockage.  But from what we've seen it's pretty much life as usual here. City traffic was just as heavy as usual, and store shelves are stocked full.

News Flash:  We received word this morning that the Panamanian government and the Ngöbe Buglé are going to be sitting down at the table and discussing the matters at hand. Hopefully peace will prevail now in Panama.

Our lives have become disrupted a bit over some drama back in Texas.  Before we left Texas we had to sell our house, and since nothing was selling we opted for owner finance.  Since the house was paid for we were in the position to act as the bank, and lend money to a buyer that would not normally qualify for a home loan.  In a period of three weeks, we showed the house about 20 times until we met the perfect buyers, or so we thought.  In walked Sally and John (fake names) a couple in their mid 40's who Clyde and I developed a rapport with.  They loved the house, and the four of us got along so well we all went out to dinner together, and felt it was all meant to be. They came up with a down payment and even bought most of the furniture, which allowed us to sleep in our bed until the day we left.  For both parties it was an easy transition and seemed like a match made in heaven.

Fast forward five short months later when Clyde opened up his email one morning to find a surprise. Apparently, the husband John found out that Sally had been having an affair with a single male neighbor for three months.  He had been snooping in her email and forwarded the proof to everyone on her contact list, including us.  Included were explicit letters between Sally and her lover as well as chat between her and another women talking about the whole affair.  As a result Sally and John have moved out of the house and are in the process of getting a divorce.  At their request we have started foreclosure proceedings, which will cost us lots of time and money.  However, they do not receive any monies back that they put into the house, as stated in the contract. 

They seemed like a happily married couple and we had hoped they would live in our house and enjoy it for many years.  And the neighbor involved was also a friend and a good neighbor who I felt perfectly safe around.  When Clyde was in the fire department and gone for 24 hours at a time, I always felt there were neighbors I could go to if I ever needed help. The man involved in the affair was one of them, along with several other neighbors that had become friends, some closer than others.  So it just goes to prove that no one knows what's going on in someone else's relationship.  Things may seem rosey on the outside, but behind closed doors it may be a different story. 

Clyde's best buddy back in Texas will help with the re-sale of the house so that we don't have to travel back, and our lawyer there will draw up the paperwork and take our money.  Just a bump in the road that leads from Texas to Panamá, which makes for less than perfect adventures... along the gringo trail.