Our piano desperately needs tuning! We’re talking, I’m a soprano, and the high notes on our piano are almost too low for me! The other day, in frustration, my hubby yanked out the phone book and began angrily looking up piano tuners. My hubby has always hated the phone book… mainly because of the alphabet! He always gets frustrated and throws the book down and says he can’t find something. I ask him if he was looking in the “p’s” for “Piano”….. he just says… “oh”.
So, staring at the list of piano tuners in the book, neither of us knows who to call. We’ve never heard of “Joe” or “Ed” or “Les”. They could be escaped convicts for all I know! I’m the one that has to let them into my home, with me all alone, what could possibly happen, asks hubby? A whole heckuva lot, if you ask me! The one consolation is that most piano tuners, I have found, are old, retired men who are very nice and incredibly well rested.
Merritt chooses to call “Joe”.
*ring* *ring* *ring* *ring* *ring* *ring* *ring*
(a woman- not a native english speaker- answers) “Hullo?”
“Uh, yes, is Joe Brown there?”
“Whaaaaaat?”
(a little louder and more distinct) “Is Joe Brown There???”
“Whaaaaaaaaat????”
” Joe Brown….. the Peeee-aaaaaa-nnnnooooooo Tooooooo-nnneeerrrrrrrrrrr”
“Hold on” stomp stomp stomp stomp stomp stomp……. door squeeking……….. Man hacking in background…..
(a feeble, old, one and a half foot in the grave, old man answers) “h-h-h-h-e-l-l-l-l-o-o–o?”
“Is this Joe Brown?”
“Whaaaaaaaat???”
“Is THIS J-O-E B-R-O-W-NNNN????”
“Whaaaaaaaattttt?????”
Pause for a moment. Think, do I continue with this phone call, knowing this man can not hear? Can you have a piano tuner who is hard of hearing, let alone one day from death??? Once I had a crown put on a tooth, only to find out later that it was made by a blind man. Like that’s a GOOD thing???? It’s given me troubles ever since!
“Are you Joe Brown, the piano tuner???”
“Oh…… I’m reeeee-tiiiiii-eerrrrrrrrdddd”
We were too emotionallly exhausted after that phone call to try any more numbers. Today, however, I was able to get a nice sounding retired man, who seemed to be able to hear just fine, and was pretty able-bodied as he was planning on going golfing later today. I’ll still look him up on “America’s Most Wanted” just to be on the safe side!
