Bullied: A Comedy, a Thriller, a Fiction with Intertwining Medical & Legal Issues

By H. K. Poon MD FACS

Insignificant, introverted, self-pitiful, inferiority-complexed, always bullied, resentful, and vindictive Leroy Bubba Arkansas had always been so ashamed of his name. Somehow, through his own endeavor and special fortune, he acquired some unexplained supernatural power. Thus, equipped and later officially changing his legal name to Lawrence Brooke Acansato as he initially only set out to get even with those who ill-treated him, he became entangled with underground organized crime behind health-care management organizations with unethical as well as criminal practices. He found himself becoming also a target of the multiple homicides he was investigating. As he endeavored to help others, he found himself also really becoming the able, proud, outgoing, vigilant, and confident advocate Lawrence Brooke Acansato always aspired to be, and he tried to metamorphose into someone who could speak for the underdog, help the bullied, avenge the oppressed, and punish criminals, as well as those who engaged in and perpetuated injustice, thus winning the heart of his love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984533142

H. K. Poon MD FACS

About the Author Hon K. Poon MD FACS is a retired general surgeon. He is of Chinese descent born and raised in the 1940s to the 1950s in Hong Kong. After obtaining his MD degree in a military medical academy in Taiwan, the Republic of China, he immigrated to the United States and received his surgical training in the East Coast. He then moved to the Mid-South where he raised his family and had a life time private practice of general surgery for thirty some years until his retirement in 2012. He now lives with his wife in Las Vegas, Nevada where he is very involved in creative writing. A list of his publications (novels and memoirs) in both the English and Chinese languages can be found at the following link: Publications of Hon K. Poon MD FACS (www.sites.google.com/site/pahnhj/)

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Copyright © 2018 by H. K. Poon, MD, FACS.

Library of Congress Control Number:            2018906666

ISBN:                  Hardcover                                   978-1-9845-3316-6

                           Softcover                                     978-1-9845-3315-9

                           eBook                                           978-1-9845-3314-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is only a work of fiction. The views expressed are only the author’s personal views. The description of insurance filing and Medicare/Medicaid regulations might not be exactly accurate as is in the current status of the law, and the practices of the particular insurance company described are fictitious, coming from the author’s imagination, and the author does not assume any responsibility to its accuracy. The author further emphasizes that if there is any similarity between this fictitious company and anyone in real life, it is purely coincidental and unintentional. The author assumes no responsibility.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 06/27/2018

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Contents

Preface

Chapter 1 The Bullied

Chapter 2 The Avenger

Chapter 3 The Crooks

Chapter 4 The Advocate

Epilogue

About the Author

Publications of Hon K. Poon, MD, FACS

Preface

This is a work of fiction in which I have two perhaps totally unrelated points to make.

First, contrary to the idealistic belief or wish, people are not born equal. Some unfortunately start with more inequities than others. They are born disadvantaged. For such, their lives can be severely affected in that they often have problems of being accepted by their peer. A lot of times, they become victims of bullying. And undoubtedly, one’s personality—behavior, disposition, worldview—can be, to a large extent, affected and molded by the way and the environment he/she is raised in and the people he/she is raised with. Our reaction to external stimuli can be a result of a response to an accumulation of external actions directed to us over time, thus producing various so-called different personalities, whether optimistic, pessimistic, aggressive, vindictive, introverted, narcissistic, egoistic, kind and forgiving, etc. Such characteristics in different personalities in turn undoubtedly affect the person’s behavior, performance, and thus his/her achievement. For some, shortcomings can be recognized with enough stamina to change toward the better and toward success, minimizing the effect of the disadvantages one is born with.

Second, although America has the most advanced technology and achievement, as well as the most abundant resources in health-care sciences among all the nations, we probably have one of the worst and most ineffective delivery systems, full of flaw and inefficiency. There is a lot of bureaucracy in the administration of the rules and regulations for the guidelines of utilization and the appropriate allocation of health-care resources, which meant well when it was created but later proved disastrous and hindering, even encouraging fraud. Various previous administrations recognized the problem and put in efforts to try to fix it, with all resulting in a continuously worsening scenario. The fix seemed to have created new problems worse than the original.

Yes. Two totally unrelated points. I have put them together to tell my story.

Chapter One

THE BULLIED

(1)

Lawrence Brooke Acansato came out of the Mississippi State Civil Service Bureau in Jackson with a funny but happy grin on his face, his law-school buddy Billy Joe Parnell by his side. He felt like a new person. Indeed he was a new man, even with a new name that he was not ashamed of anymore. The old Leroy Bubba Arkansas was in the past. It took quite a bit of legal work, and with the help and moral support of his law-school buddy, he managed to officially change his name, even his family name. His parents were both dead by then, and he had no siblings. The name change would not affect anybody but was so important to him! What a family he was unfortunate enough to be born into! Arkansas! What a name! It is a state! What idiot would adopt the name of a place as a family name? And the family was not even from Arkansas. Leroy, Lawrence then, was from Mississippi, at least better than Arkansas in his mind. His father was a so-called redneck who deserved the term in every way for naming his only son Leroy Bubba! Lawrence Brooke Acansato, JD, Esq.—a title that he was going to earn in just a few more months when he would be graduating—sounded so much more sophisticated, even with a little foreign touch! Yes. A name is a name. It does make a difference. It gives one confidence. It represents one’s image.

Born to a family of very meager resources in the small border town of Bald Knob, Mississippi, with a population of eight hundred, Leroy was a premature baby. His birth weight was only four pounds, five ounces. He was sick a lot as a baby and toddler. His parents had only elementary school education. His father worked as a janitor at the city hall of the county seat, the town of Magnolia nearby where he attended elementary school. His father also farmed some rented land on the side. Because of his low birth weight, he was much smaller in stature than his peer. He had freckles all over his face, was cross-eyed and wearing thick glasses with rings to correct some other congenital lens problem, and had a pigeon chest. He was not anything one could call a cute kid.

Of course, it was no fault of his or his parents. Nature was just so unfair to him. But life is practical, indifferent, and cruel. Because of all his born shortcomings, he had a problem being accepted by his peer and was always bullied. Elementary school was not a happy experience. Lacking proper education, his father really could not give him any sound guidance. Everything together led to a rather vindictive personality and an inferiority complex. Junior high in Magnolia and high school in Meridian were not much different, only that he was by then a little more mature and could think of his problems more intelligently and less emotionally.

So by the time he graduated from high school, rather than running home and crying to his parents, he vowed to get even with those who bullied not only him but also any so-called weaklings or underdogs, if he ever had the means or the opportunity. Actually, he was a rather intelligent person, ahead and more mature than that of his peer, and academically he always excelled over all of them. And so he was further labeled as a nerd. Nerd or not, that was the part he was better than most of his peer. On graduating from Meridian High, he got accepted into Memphis State University in Tennessee, where he majored in journalism.

In his college years, despite more emotional trauma, he kept himself busy as an assistant to one of his professors in a major research project. The dean of studies and his professor liked his work, and at the end of his senior year, they helped him get a full scholarship for law school at the University of Tennessee. All those boosted his self-esteem quite a bit. The three years of law school passed swiftly by during which he lost both parents. Further advanced education made him a firm believer that the weak and oppressed needed their advocate and that somebody should speak for them or even help to defend them. After getting his name changed, however, it still took quite some effort to request Memphis State University to reissue the certificate for his journalism degree with his new name on, but he did it. With his new image, he landed a job as an employed lawyer at a law firm in Jackson, Mississippi. Now that for the first time in his life he felt like he was somebody, he wanted to totally be somebody. He was glad he finally got rid of that despicable name of his. He remembered his first week as a freshman at Memphis State University.

Creative Writing was a small class of about a dozen students. The first day of class, the professor decided that they would take a free innovative discussion style. He wanted the students to get familiar with one another to begin with. So everyone was to stand up and introduce themselves, giving their names and where they were from.

When it came his turn, he stood up and said timidly, Arkansas. Leroy Bubba Arkansas.

Lerobarber? Is there such a place in Arkansas? And your name? the teacher said.

A little puzzled and frustrated, Leroy replied, My name is Leroy Bubba Arkansas. I am from Bald Knob, Mississippi.

Oh, I am sorry, Mr. Arkansas, the teacher said with a kind of a silly grin. Or perhaps I should just call you LB!

The way he said Mr. Arkansas made it sound like he was in some kind of a bodybuilding pageant. The whole class burst into a big laughter. He was so embarrassed and humiliated that besides being mad, he decided to do something about that silly name.

Goddamn you, Johnny Jones. I’ll pay you back one day! Leroy promised himself.

Johnny Jones was the professor’s name he never forgot.

His history of being bullied and abused was of long standing. He could remember way back in first or second grade. Each incident was so humiliating, some even devastating to his young mind, that he could never forget. And it continued throughout high school. It was better in college, but he could clearly tell that nobody, except a very few, was interested in associating with him. Over time, he had promised himself that one day he would, if he had the power and the means, avenge himself and make those bad people pay for what they did. For even as little as in first and second grade, he was always pushed around by bigger kids. In the same grade, everybody was bigger than he was, so he was the most vulnerable.

There was a new girl from Alabama who moved to town that year and joined Leroy’s class during his second grade. Martha was a big, fat girl. She was much bigger than Leroy, and she was about a year older too. She was an unfortunate victim of a house fire that left her with horrible burn wounds and a very scary scarred face. She was a year behind at school because of the time she had to spend in the hospital for her injury. Because of the tragic event and its sequelae, the girl was left with an inferiority complex and a lot of resentment and bitterness. She had become very mean and abusive and took to bullying. Leroy was the best target.

The elementary school held a twenty-minute recess at 10:00 a.m. every morning, and the children were allowed to bring a snack for the midmorning break. Mom always packed something for Leroy—an apple, some cookies, or a little cheese and cracker and whatnot. Some days she would even let him bring some candy. Leroy was a clumsy little boy. In second grade, he still didn’t know how to tie his shoelaces. He was in trouble one time when his shoelaces got loose and Martha tied it for him then demanding to share Leroy’s candy. Leroy reluctantly did, but very soon, Martha would be waiting for him every morning to search his bag and take his snack. She would push him and deliberately step on his shoes or pull his shoelaces loose. Leroy was afraid of her.

For a whole semester, he hardly got to eat his snack. Mom did not understand why Leroy lost interest in bringing a snack. For little Leroy, it made no difference. He would not get to eat it anyway. When his mom found out, she went to the principal’s office and complained. However, since Martha was of a minority ethnicity and with such a tragic story, the school was reluctant to discipline her. Leroy’s mother just got some beating around the bush, and nothing was really done. The bullying kept on. One time Martha beat Leroy because he did not have any snack in his bag. Daddy got so mad but took it out on his poor son. You deserve it if you are so henpecked!

Leroy did not fully understand what the term meant but knew enough that his daddy was blaming him for it somehow. That made him mad and bitter, and it gave him more resentment toward his daddy.

Different but similar minor situations of bullying kept on. The earliest episode of major bullying Leroy could remember, however, dated back to the fourth grade. What happened was so traumatic to him—both body and soul—that he could never forget. That summer, the week right before school started back, his father’s cousin visited from Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife. They were on their way to New Orleans and were passing through. Uncle Butch worked in the big city, his daddy said, and he was rich.

Bubba boy, I say, Bubba my boy. Yo’re too skinny. Ya ain’t got no meat on yore body! Yore old man ain’t feeding ya well? Gotta exercise to git big and strong lek yore uncle Butch. Ya hear? I’ll baey ya a besketball.

Little Leroy Bubba loved his basketball. The first day he brought his new toy to school, he was so proud. He was the envy of all his little classmates! He had his own basketball! It made him feel like somebody—a feeling he never had. It made him feel so good. In the beginning he was just playing with it, bouncing and passing it around with his little friends in the same grade. They were staying in the elementary school playground. One of them said one afternoon at recess that they should go shoot some goal in the basketball courts. Leroy was too timid to go because the courts were over at the junior high and high school side. But the temptation of shooting a real goal in a real basketball court was so intense that he decided to go. That Friday after school, the two went there. There was a full game going on in one of the two courts. In the remaining court, one side was not occupied, while on the other side, some boys were shooting goal.

C’mon, Leroy! Leroy’s little friend yelled, running first into the chain-link-fence-surrounded court. Leroy followed. For him, it was always following. It would be good if somebody let him follow. He could never lead. There they tried to shoot, but being ten-year-old fourth graders, neither of them, especially Leroy Bubba, was strong or tall enough to throw the ball up to the goal every time. Nonetheless, they had a good time just shooting. But soon enough, another group of boys came by. There were six of them. They all looked like fifteen or sixteen, much bigger boys probably in junior high or just getting in high school. Seeing all the goals occupied and the two little kids in one of them, they headed for Leroy Bubba’s court.

Get away, kids. We are playing here! the tallest and meanest-looking one hollered.

But we are here first! Leroy’s little friend protested.

Oh yeah! It’s ours now. Scram. Go back to your playground. The older and bigger boy sneered. They started yelling at each other. The bigger boy grabbed the fourth grader and gave him a big push. The little boy stumbled, falling hard, and the basketball fell off his hands. One of the big boys grabbed the ball and started shooting while Leroy’s little friend got up from the ground, crying. Leroy had always been timid and never had the courage to confront. But that was his new basketball!

Gimme back my ball! he yelled.

You gonna have to come get it yourself, little jerk!

Leroy, although scared, headed for one of the boys holding his basketball. Before he could even get close, the ball was passed over to another boy. Those boys had apparently been playing, probably in the junior high team. The ball was passed between each one of them effectively that they got Leroy running between them like a clown. To them, it had become a better game than playing a real basketball game! They laughed hard, enjoying every minute of it.

Here, jerk. Come get it.

Leroy, out of breath and angered, rushed at the big boy holding the ball over his head, mimicking and mocking him, while his other fourth-grade friend stood there, still yelling and crying. As Leroy got close to him, the boy passed the ball overhead to one of his comrades. Leroy knew better that time. He did not turn to follow the ball but instead, in his fury, ran with a head butt right into the boy’s midsection. The two fell together. The bigger boy got back to his feet first and, as Leroy got up, punched Leroy right on the nose. Then he went after the ball, grabbed it, and ran over to the gate.

On the other side of the courts, there was a steep slope of pebbles leading down to a deep flowing creek where sewage water drained. The boy threw the basketball toward the creek. The ball rolled quickly down the steep slope into the flowing creek and disappeared downstream. Leroy, with a bleeding nose, still dizzy from the punch, screamed, My ball! My ball! He rushed at the junior high boy, who, at that time, was not caught surprised anymore. Much taller and stronger, with another swing of his fist, he sent poor little Leroy to the ground again. Seeing the kids totally out of steam, just sitting on the ground crying, the big boys started laughing loud and left. Leroy and his little friend, hurt both body and soul, finally got themselves together and cried all the way home.

When Leroy’s daddy saw his bleeding nose and a black eye, he was angry that the boy was in a fight. When he found out Leroy lost the basketball also, he got madder and gave his son a whipping. Leroy’s fury was brought to its limit as