Page 21 - The Jazzsipper Audible Audition

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THE JAZZ SIPPER

with him. But his Aunt Jessie was not having any of that, through her old
contacts she was able to get in touch with him and relay a sincere message,
she told him where ever she see him at, that is where he would take his last
breath, and he knew she meant it, so he drop the petition, and never contacted
Vance again.

The last time Vance heard about him, was some years back from a family
friend that stated he had passed from cirrhosis of the liver. That was that,
Vance thought any man can help conceive a baby, but it takes a real man to
help raise a child.

Vance wished that things between his mother and Ben had worked out. Ben
was his mother’s longtime boyfriend, he taught Vance about life lessons and
street smarts. He showed Vance how to fight but not how to win, but how to
live. Ben said, “Speed was everything, he showed him how his speed could
neutralize his opponents speed. Ben would say “the quickest way to any
distance was a straight line.” So, when you are fighting he said throw nothing
but straight lines, and throw them as fast as you can, and as hard as you can,
no matter the size of your opponent they will fall. Vance relied on that advice
on many occasions, and so far it had not failed him.

Ben taught him all about gambling, particular how to shoot dice, and Ben
said that the best position in gambling, besides not gambling at all, is to be
the houseman. The houseman get a cut off every bet. The houseman run the
games, he is the person that act as the referee of the game or the bookie.

Ben also taught Vance how street con games worked; he would say that the
key was greed, never let greed control your actions. Because if you did let