Page 66 - The Jazzsipper Novel

65

THE JAZZ SIPPER

theirs. That’s when the confusion would start; they would eventually depart
ways via it through violence, going to jail, etc.

Vance had known Peaty for a long time, he and Babu use to go
boosting with him back in the day to make money. Peaty probably had a
heroin drug habit about $200.00 to $400.00 dollars a day or more. And
Vance could not remember a time when he did not make the money to
support his habit or a day when he was not well dressed. Peaty was from
out of the 7th ward but he was well known throughout the city. He stole
expensive clothes and sold them daily throughout the city to the local
neighborhood corner bar owners and bar maids. New Orleans had more
corner bars and local taverns per capita than any other major city. The
corner bars were part of the social fabric of the Crescent City and the
underground economic heartbeat. Peaty was known at most of them, he
would sell his boosted wears to them. Some bar owners and bar maids
kept the clothes and accessories for personal use, for family and for
friends. Others were opportunist, who resold the goods and made nice
returns on their investments. Peaty was banned from a lot of upscale
clothing stores and upscale boutiques in the city. He would take trips to
other cities during the week to get the wares for his business that was how
he had been supporting his drug habit for the past twenty years.

Vance remembered when he and Babu asked Peaty about the dope
game and how Peaty broke the whole heroin game down to him and Babu.
He said the drug was known as Boy, Smack, Tar, Scag and H. He also said
that there was heavy weight money to be made in the heroin game, because
the average heroin addict spent between $150 and $200 per day to maintain
their addiction. It did not take Vance long too see the upside, the city was filled