When Corinne Gladwell first entered Summer White’s home to work as a home health aide, she was annoyed.
“I prefer to work with my clients one-on-one. When there are children around, it’s harder to get things done.”
White, a 43-year-old paraplegic who requires assistance with both personal and household tasks, picked up on the fact that Gladwell was uneasy. But they did not know why. After all, their care is not that complicated, and Gladwell quickly proved to be very reliable, which more than made up for the fact that she always seemed to be looking around corners for something … or someone. After a few weeks, however, Gladwell got up the courage to ask her question.
“How come I never see the kids?” she inquired. “Are they away or something?”
White was puzzled. “What kids?”
“The kids who live here,” Gladwell said, confused.
“I don’t have kids!” White replied.
Gladwell grew even more confused. “Then what’s with all the toys?”
By “toys,” she was referring to the LEGOs, which took up four bookshelves on the walls of the living room — LEGOs of every shape, size and color, from Star Wars to row houses. On the dining room table stood a half-completed Ferris wheel. In the bedroom there was a lamp made of the colorful plastic bricks, and kitchen utensils stood in a container made of them as well. There were also tiny vehicles on every surface, and these had the unfortunate habit of rolling off tables and being crushed under White’s power chair.
White was more than a little piqued, and more than a little embarrassed. “They’re … mine …” they said.
Gladwell gave White a long look. “All of them?”
“All of them,” White affirmed.
White loved LEGOs. The worlds they created were happy, fun and, unlike the real world, completely accessible. And since their friends tended to be similarly minded geeks, the collection had never been questioned before. Now, Gladwell and White looked around at the LEGO-themed wallpaper and crocheted brick blanket before they both took deep breaths.
“All right then,” Gladwell said at last. “But what about those Webkinz?”