Page 116 - The Jazzsipper Novel

115

THE JAZZ SIPPER

had gone from bad to worst. Vance could only imagine what it was like now
to be living in a city like New Orleans.

The Tidewater area was a microcosm of the U.S.; you had a large military
and college community; which meant their extended families and friends
would follow them. Vance stood firm to stay out of the life, he remembered
Aunt Jessie use to say never step back, unless you are stepping back to
regroup. And always be careful even then because, you may stumble back
into some mess that you had managed to step out of already. Vance would
just smile at her wit and how to the point she always was about life’s lessons.

The letters from Francesca and his letters to her slowed to a snail’s pace.
Vance heard the song "One Love" by a rap group called Whodini, their song
kept everything in perspective. I like to thank you girl for teaching me love.
Becuz all and all, I had a ball. I guess it’s better to have loved and to have
lost. Then to never have loved at all. One love, One love. You’re lucky
just to have just one love. One love, One love. You’re lucky just to have
just one. Vance would listen to the song over and over thinking about how he
really enjoyed his time with Francesca, but his one love was really Regina.
Maybe it was because she had seen him at his worst and at his best. He had
shared things with her that he had not shared with anyone before or since
then. Vance had to credit Regina for helping him to move in the positive
direction he had been heading since he had met her. Vance knew, God had
design it all. He wondered how she had changed; he knew how his life had
changed in the last two plus years. He thought about what Aunt Jessie said
to him when he told her he wanted to see Ben again, she simply asked him,
did he want to remember Ben as he was or did he want to see what he may