Page 127 - The Jazzsipper Novel

126

THE JAZZ SIPPER

and Aunt Jessie. Vance smiled and said score Regina one and Vance zero,
they both just laughed. As Vance was walking back up to ICU he thought to
himself how good it felt to laugh. When Vance made it into the waiting room
of the ICU, Mr. Ramous came up to him and said good news. Vance, your
Uncle regained consciousness a little while ago and they let your Aunt Jessie
go in to be with him for a while. All Vance could do was to say thanks to God
out loud over and over. He was truly thankful, he could not imagine Uncle
Frank not being around for him and especially for Aunt Jessie. Vance began
thinking about Thelonious Monk’s album Straight, No Chaser that was
released in 1967; it was first recorded on Monk's Blue Note Sessions in 1951.
That’s how Uncle Frank’s advice had always been straight, with no chaser.
Vance could hear the cut so clear over and over, all the while envisioning
Monk sitting at the piano. Vance was thinking about something his Uncle
Frank told him when Vance first went to live them. Vance was telling Uncle
Frank that he was going to knock out anybody that messed with him. And,
Uncle Frank told Vance that to knock somebody out you have to get close
enough to be knocked out yourself, never under estimate your opponent or
any situation. Because when you do that, you give them or the situation the
advantage.

Vance suddenly heard the ICU waiting room door open, it was Regina.
Three hours had pass since Vance had last seen her. Vance smiled and
thought to himself that tonight would definitely be a beginning of milestones
in his life. A series of important events were about to take place in his life.