Page 74 - The Jazzsipper Novel

73

THE JAZZ SIPPER

of them would change the other. Would it be Cheryl changing Shelia
to become more upscale, or would it be Shelia changing Cheryl in
becoming more down scale? Vance started smiling and thinking if he
was a betting man he would have to put his money on Cheryl, she
seemed to always get what she wanted. She got him to a degree; it
was Cheryl who orchestrated the whole sending off Regina with the
mock second line thing and inviting Regina’s friends. She even came
up with the idea after the sendoff to get everyone to go into the French
Quarters to hang out and party.

Vance was thinking about how he had over looked Cheryl’s openly
flirtations that night, thinking that he had found something special in
Regina. But weeks later, he had found himself succumbing to Cheryl
advances, after coming to the rationalization that Regina was like all
the rest. They would ask and request certain things of you, but would
not ask or request those same certain things of themselves. Vance
began studying all the people that was sitting around him and began
wondering what their stories were, the young, old, female, male,
black, white, brown and mix. He began thinking to himself every story
had 3 main pieces, a beginning, the middle and an ending. Vance
figured that he was just finishing off his beginning of his story. He
continued to smile inwardly at realizing that each story can be
changed just like with Moses, when Jesus told him to lay his rod down
and he could start anew. Vance thought that’s what he was doing
laying down his rod, his past, his pedigree and starting anew. What a
difference a day could make he thought. He found himself repeating
what the church pastor was saying when they were leading Babu’s