Page 73 - The Jazzsipper Novel

72

THE JAZZ SIPPER

Aunt Jessie had a look of sadness on her face, she said Vance sit down we
need to talk to you, and Aunt Jessie said your friend Babu was killed last night.
Vance said, I know, Aunt Jessie looked confused and asked how he knew.
Vance began telling them most of what had happened last night. Then Vance
said that he was going over to Babu’s girlfriend house later to help her figure
out way to give Babu a proper burial. Aunt Jessie told Vance that when his
mother passed she left a small insurance policy which was about $12,000
dollars and she had put it away in the bank for him until he turned 18 years
old. Vance was one month shy of his 18 th birthday and going into the Navy.
Aunt Jessie said it’s there for you to use it anyway you want. Vance and Shelia
put Babu down right; they even had a second line after his funeral.

Vance was finally on his way, he remembered sitting in the New Orleans
Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) for his final processing. The day
he shipped out to basic training and thinking about the life he was leaving in
New Orleans, the good, the bad and the ugly. Vance committed to himself
right then and there; no matter what came at him on this adventure he was
about to go on, he was going to roll with it. Uncle Frank, Aunt Jessie, Cheryl
and Shelia had been there too see him off. After saying his good bye to Uncle
Frank and Aunt Jessie, he, Cheryl and Shelia had time to talk. They laughed
about the past year; Cheryl had really been there for Vance, after Babu was
killed. She was even there for Sheila, making sure she was okay, they had
become fast friends. They had begun talking and hanging together every day
after meeting for the first time.

After they left and Vance was sitting there in the MEPS, he began
to think how different Shelia and Cheryl were; he wondered which one