Page 42 - The Jazzsipper Novel

41

THE JAZZ SIPPER

they arrived at Aunt Jessie’s, Regina began to calm down and relax. She
asked Vance if he had every shot anyone before, Vance simply replied if I tell
you I will have to shoot you. Vance then smiled, never admitting to her if he
had or had not. Ben had told him years before that many men had gave up
damaging information against themselves in the heat of passion, but never do
that because it could come back to haunt you. Ben went on to say the less
someone knew of what you did, the less they could give someone information
about you under pressure.

To Regina’s surprise, the lunch went well, better than she expected. Her
dad and Vance seemed to hit it off especially when the topic was about Jazz.
Vance was like a walking Jazz Encyclopedia. Her dad was a true connoisseur
of Jazz himself. Regina remembered her dad saying, that Jazz made him feel
even prouder to be a black man; it was something that was created by black
men without any direct input from white folks. It was black folks at their purest
form. Yes, white folks had influenced it to a degree and there were great white
jazz musicians but, that was through chance and indirectly by being part of
the same musical society.

When the train conductor asked her if she needed another pillow he scared
her for moment, Regina replied no thanks, but asked him what time it was.
The conductor told her it was 11:30 pm. Regina was on her way to New York
City, she had taken the Amtrak Train named The Crescent originating in New
York City at Penn Station, with stops in Philadelphia PA, Baltimore MD,
Washington DC, Charlotte NC, Atlanta GA, Birmingham AL, Meridian MS, and
small towns along the way. Her sendoff was classic New Orleans, a group of
her friends and Vance surprised her with a mock Second Line, they even had
some of the guys from Vance High School Band come with their instruments.