“The man was eventually convicted, but he fled the country...

“The man was eventually convicted, but he fled the country before his sentencing and went back to Italy. My father never got the gold bar back. He lost more than the money. The gold represented all of his struggles. When he first came from Ecuador, he worked in the back of a restaurant cutting onions. Then he became the manager of a bar downtown. Then he became one of the best store managers that Party City ever had. Eventually he bought his cousin’s jewelry business because he wanted to work for himself. When he saved up enough money to buy the gold bar, he kept telling us that he was going to pay for my college with it, and my brother’s college, and that he was also going to buy a house in Ecuador. When the gold was stolen, he couldn’t sleep for weeks. He got really depressed. I tried to tell him that it was only money, and that I’d figure out a way to take care of the family, but it didn’t seem to comfort him. I’m at Rutgers now, studying finance. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I want to figure something out quick so my dad can retire.” (3/3)