Originally Posted by sexandcash

My grandpa's best friend, Gino, used to tell me stories from the Great Depression.
Gino's father actually had to send him and his brother to a children's home. His father didn't have enough money to financially support his two children. His father used to come every week with a bucket of corn flakes (and another bucket of some other kind of cereal I can't remember) and visit his children living at the children's home. Gino ran away from the home at like 12 or 13 because they were abusive and cruel at the home and went to work in an Italian bakery. They would get beaten if they got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and he couldn't take it anymore. He used to sleep on the sacks of flour because he had no other place to live.

At the age of 16 he lied about his age and joined the Merchant Marines.
Gino was an amazing man and a fucking badass. I never knew my granfather but he was my grandfather's best friend. I loved his stories. He had so much cool stuff in his house from his world travels in the Merchant Marines. It was one of my favorite places to go to as a child. He had semi previous stones and pressed butterflies from Brazil. Carved wood paintings from China. Silk Kimonos from Japan.

He was an absolutely incredible person and his Depression stories were amazing.
Wow do I miss him from writing this......