Leo's "Legocy"

By Karen Robertson

What is life for an eighteen-year-old paraplegic, especially when it seems the world is out to get him? Leo Larchmont, crippled in an auto accident that took his parents' lives, dreams of opening a LEGO® shop, but bullies, cannabis dealers, and the city council stand in his way.

 

In a wheelchair from the age of fourteen, Leo searches for ways to outsmart his adversaries, derail corruption, and win over those out to crush him.  Perhaps his assertive grandmother, AKA Gambo, and a feisty red-headed girl named Abby can join forces to overcome the money-hungry thugs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BKR PUBLISHING
• Release date: Mar 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201212254

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Copyright © 2022 by Karen Robertson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address: [e-mail]

FIRST EDITION

BKR Publishing

www.SayItWithHumor.com

This is a work of fiction. The story and characters are fictitious. Certain long-standing institutions, agencies, and public offices are mentioned, but all characters are fictitious. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is entirely coincidental.

The opinions expressed are those of the characters in the story and should not be confused with the author’s opinions.

No resemblance to actual events, locales, entities, should be inferred at all.

Disclaimer:  All references in this book to LEGO®, the LEGO® Group, and/or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, etc. should not be construed as an endorsement, association with, or sponsorship by the LEGO® Group of this work.  They did not sponsor or approve it in any way.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my grandson Les Paul Fountain, who taught me everything I know about LEGO and the used LEGO sales business.

CHAPTER 1

O h no, Leo, what happened ? You're bleeding! She rushed toward her grandson as he wheeled himself into the room. His brow furrowed, and his lips tightened as he bumped into furniture with his wheelchair, trying to clear the door and nearly running into his grandmother.

It's o-o-okay, Gambo. I'll l-l-live, he said, louder than he meant to, but he wanted to say it without stuttering.

You'll live alright, but who did this to you? Kneeling at his side, she pushed his hair away from his forehead and saw the open wound. This is not okay. I'll get a cloth to stop the bleeding, and we'll go to urgent care. I want to know who did this to you, she called back over her shoulder as she headed into the kitchen for a cloth.

Leo had been picked on and bullied before, but not this bad. He often felt threatened and fearful as a kid, but he thought that would change when he graduated from high school and started working with adults.

C-c-can we just get going?

Gambo called from the kitchen, Why would anyone rough up a defenseless kid in a wheelchair? It just doesn't make sense, and it isn't fair. She exited the kitchen empty-handed and opened the door to the hall closet.

Leo tapped his foot impatiently on the wheelchair footplates as Gambo searched through jackets and sweaters. He felt blood dripping off his cheek, and he hoped she was getting something to cover the wound. He saw her grab her sweater out of the closet and then put it back. He could tell she was more flustered than he was by the way she was running around in circles and accomplishing nothing.

If you're looking for your car keys, you probably left them in your sweater pocket, and weren't you going to bring me a cloth?

She went back to the closet, retrieved the keys from the sweater pocket she had skipped, and headed for the bathroom. Leo could hear her digging in the medicine cabinet. She rounded the corner, shaking her head, and left the apartment through the kitchen door.

He knew she was going to get the car from the carport and drive out in front so he could make the transition from his wheelchair to the car easily. Meanwhile, he went to the kitchen and picked up the wet towel she left lying on the counter. He heard the car stop in front of the apartment and headed for the door, wiping his temple with the cloth. He didn't want Gambo to see his tears of anger, and now they were mixed with blood.

Honestly, Gambo, it isn't that b-b-big a deal, he said, as she helped him transfer into the car. The same b-b-bunch of guys attacked me before. They saw me l-l-leaving the casino and started taunting me.

Gambo folded his wheelchair and placed it in the trunk. Leo had time to rethink the incident as she rounded the car and slid into the driver's seat.

I probably said some things I sh-sh-shouldn't have when they called me LEGO Legs. B-b-before I could get away, they were smacking me around, and they stole the t-t-tips I got today. I was saving up to buy another LEGO set to add to my inventory. That's the part that m-m-makes me the maddest. It would have been worth at least fifty dollars if I sold it by pieces. They’ll probably use the money to buy beer or marijuana. They’re nothing but no-good hoodlums!

How did you get home? Gambo had forgotten to ask.

One of the valet guys loaded up my wheelchair and gave me a ride.

Leo Larchmont was an eighteen-year-old paraplegic. In school, every teacher asked him if his real name was Leon, Leonard, Leland, or Leonardo. No, it's just Leo, he'd explain. His eyes were azure blue, but they were obscured by his thick horn-rimmed glasses and uncombed, tousled brown hair. He liked it that way. But he was a clean freak about his clothes and loved wearing T-shirts that made a statement or a commitment to one of his hobbies like LEGO, Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings. His height was deceiving because he either sat in his wheelchair or lay in bed. If he could have stood up on his own power, he would have been six feet tall.

Leo knew Gambo worried when he got the job at the fancy new Cactus Inn Casino. When they moved to Freeberg, the name fit it perfectly: a berg where living was pretty free and easy. But in two years, the freeway had connected the town to other suburbs, and it had grown exponentially into a thriving, bustling city. The nearby Indian tribe had built a casino and offered many employment opportunities. Leo applied for the valet coordinator position, and to Gambo's surprise and concerns, they hired him. The maintenance department fashioned an elevated seat so he could heft himself up from his wheelchair and sit at the kiosk comfortably. They called it aptly Leo's perch. He managed the keys and coordinated the valet drivers. The job took concentration and organizational skills, which were Leo's forte.

The drive to urgent care gave him time to talk about the incident. Those guys used to put gum on my wheels and p-p-pour juice down my back in the cafeteria. They're too darned lazy to work, so they steal from those who do, like me.

Do you know their names?

Yeah. The one who hit me is Cleveland and the other two are Vince and Brian. The first two were always in trouble for weed or stealing. Brian’s a quiet kid and just tags along with those two jerks. He has a car, so the other two are glad to have him as a follower.

Gambo looked like she was gritting her teeth. I feel like calling the police about this, but first, let's try solving it ourselves. Any ideas? Leo knew she was like a bulldog with a bone when there was a problem. Once she got mad about something, she wouldn't let it go. She almost always included him in her schemes because his ideas were usually more sensible than hers. At least, he thought so.

Leo kept his eye on Gambo because her driving wasn't that great when

she was distracted. At her best, Leo wondered how she ever got a license.

I need a plan to d-d-defend myself, or I'll never save enough money to open a LEGO shop. At least they haven't pulled any weapons. Leo gazed out the window, still holding the cloth to his temple. Maybe I should carry a nightstick or a baseball bat.

Or a cane that turns into a poison dart gun, Gambo joked, and Leo laughed. His anger lessened when Gambo turned negatives into funny comments.

Leo had led a sheltered life with missionary parents and grew up being called preacher's kid. Missionaries lived on love offerings, and sometimes the love was lacking, and they didn't have a lot of money for extras. Their ministry took them to areas where there were no churches, and they held services for people in the surrounding areas. Leo often stayed with Gambo while they were on the road.

One trip traversed the nation from California to Tennessee with many stops along the way. His parents felt it would be beneficial for Leo to see the country, so they took him along. While traveling from one place to another on a mountain road, a truck came over the double line and hit them head-on. Leo's mother died instantly while his father was in the hospital for several days before succumbing to his injuries.

Leo lay in a coma from the time of the accident until after both parents were gone. When he became conscious, he was transferred to a convalescent hospital and then on to rehab, where he fought the physical therapists and resisted their help. Angry and alone, he ended up in a wheelchair at fourteen years old, told that he would never walk again.  

The accident left Leo with minor brain damage that caused his right hand to shake a bit, and he struggled with stuttering and a squeaky voice whenever he most wanted to be heard. Under pressure, it grew worse, but alone with Gambo, it was hardly noticeable. A broken heart was his worst injury, and even Gambo and her good humor couldn't mend that.

Leo couldn’t confront the bullies. Their strength was in numbers. Three against one, with the one seated in a wheelchair. He didn’t want to inflict any serious injury to anybody. He just wanted them to leave him alone, maybe hurt them without inflicting permanent damage.

Gambo almost shouted, I've got it! How about mace?

Hey, that could work! Leo knew Gambo carried mace for her safety, but he’d never heard of her using it.

We'll check with the police to make sure it's legal for you to carry it, and that should do the trick. It will also let the officers in our area know you've been harassed. That may help, too.

Don't bother. I'll Google it, Leo said as he pulled out his cell phone.

Gambo was a spitfire grandma, and Leo knew the wheels in her head would work overtime to seek a plan to help him. When he was a toddler, his parents introduced his grandmother as Grandma, but Gambo was his childish pronunciation. As he grew older, he realized what a strong personality she had and how similar she was to Rambo—a warrior for justice, God's Warrior Angel—and the name Gambo stuck. She would help him put a stop to the bullies' harassment. It had become more serious than innocent kids' play.

They arrived at urgent care, and Gambo pulled the car into a handicapped parking place. A couple of people were ahead of them, but it wasn't long before they were in a private examination room.

I think this is silly. By now, the blood had soaked through the cloth Leo held. Having time to talk it out and come up with a possible solution had calmed him.

So, what have we here, the physician's assistant said as she entered. Looks like someone used you for batting practice.

It was a fist with some sort of ring, I think.

Gambo spoke up. He may have other bruises on his arms and shoulders, too. I didn't check. These boys have done this before—but not this bad.

Well, we can butterfly this cut because the edges aren't jagged. Let me clean it out a bit, and we'll get you back on the road.

After Leo's parents died and he refused to continue rehab treatments, Gambo took him to live with her. Their relationship was solid, and despite their crowded living space, they were happy to have each other. She slept on the hide-a-bed in the living room, and he had the bedroom with his LEGO collection.

He received some Social Security, but as soon as he graduated from high school, he knew he wanted to earn some income to help Gambo with expenses. His job at the casino was within rolling distance and near a shopping center, so Leo could do some grocery shopping and roll to work independently. Gambo drove him whenever she was available.

Gambo, named Elouise Turnbolt, AKA Ellie to her friends and family, had a beautiful singing voice. She sang in the church choir when she was only nine, and by the time she was a teenager, the director groomed her for solos. Her parents and classmates encouraged her, so she took every opportunity to sing at school, church, or civic organizations. The choir director liked her and negotiated several engagements singing at funerals and weddings in other churches in neighboring cities. He accompanied her on road trips to other venues, but when he wanted her to perform privately—not singing but more intimately—she told her parents about his advances. Rather than take a chance of their daughter being involved in a scandal, they immediately left the church and cut Ellie's singing career short by forbidding her to sing outside the home. It was so upsetting to Ellie, she didn't go back to church or sing for an audience for many years.

Ellie married a comedian named Lind, had a daughter, Beth—not Elizabeth or Betty, but Beth—Leo's mom. Whenever Lind was on the road, Ellie stayed at home to care for Beth. When Beth left home and enrolled in college, Ellie started singing on stage to open for her husband's comedy act, and they entertained for churches and some company picnics. One night they were performing in a small town, and the showroom was packed. Lind was thrilled at the turnout, and the audience rewarded them with lots of raucous laughter and clapping. When the show was over, the crowd hung around, wanting to fawn over the performers. Lind didn't feel well and asked the stage manager to bring him a glass of water. Without warning, he fell to the floor and was unresponsive. Ellie tried to do CPR but to no avail. Lind was dead. Again, the light went out for Ellie—no more laughter, no more singing, no more joy.

Ellie's daughter, Beth, sang on the worship team in a local church between missionary trips. Ellie, however, refused to go near a church and started singing blues in nightclubs and bars to make ends meet. Lind hadn't reached a level of stardom that afforded any luxury, and he didn't leave Ellie with anything but a broken heart and broken dreams.

True to her word, Gambo stopped on the way home to purchase mace. She returned to the car and threw a small bag in Leo's lap.

They didn't have mace, but this might work, she said as she guffawed.

You gotta be kidding me. That thing's pink! No way I'm gonna carry some pink alarm buzzer. I'll wait until you can get me some real mace. Leo didn't think much of her joke.

I'm not giving up that easily. She stopped at a sporting goods store, and when she came out, she had the mace. As always, she found a solution and acted on it. Meanwhile, Leo Googled the age restriction and found that anyone over eighteen could carry mace in California, so he happily accepted the canister. He turned it over with his long fingers and pretended to be shooting someone with it.

Wow! I suddenly feel powerful. They better not mess with me now, huh?

Gambo immediately cautioned him, Now, don't show that to anyone, and don't use it unless it is absolutely necessary. And for heaven's sake, don't accidentally point it toward yourself.

CHAPTER 2

When Leo lost his parents and needed a home, Gambo stepped up without hesitation. She was crazy about Leo, and he idolized her for her grit and courage. Even though silver-haired and seventy, her schedule was packed, and she tried hard to keep up with the times. Never without her cell phone, she subscribed to Zoom to communicate with friends and family and used Google to learn anything she needed to know. She wore her silver hair short, and everyone told her she looked like Jamie Lee Curtis. Her daily schedule included volunteering at a homeless shelter and checking up on friends by email and phone. Singing at night wasn't ideal because it meant leaving Leo in the apartment alone, but it was a source of income she needed to support them.

Upon graduation, Leo started his own LEGO business, selling used pieces and sets on the internet at BrickLink.com. He did it quietly, but his ultimate dream was to have a LEGO shop in the retail center nearby. Leo could go there in his wheelchair and had recently spotted a toy shop that would be ideal. His dreams of working at LEGOLAND® went up in smoke when he discovered he wouldn't ever be able to drive, and it was too far away.

Gambo went off to work after stopping by the apartment to change her clothes, grab a snack, and remind Leo she'd be home late. He was used to staying alone and was always busy doing something.

His plan didn't have anything to do with the bullies or the mace. It was way more important, and he could