The Tenor Tuner

By Etienne

Josh Carpenter is gay, and blind since birth. He’s about to graduate from college, and is already an extremely competent piano tuner. He and his best friend Norman Simms encounter a pair of twins while walking on the beach, and their lives are changed forever, and for the better.

They eventually set up housekeeping with the twins, and begin to live a full life, calling themselves the four gay musketeers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Jun 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781370711918

Etienne

Etienne lives in central Florida, very near the hamlet in which he grew up. He always wanted to write but didn't find his muse until a few years ago, when he started posting stories online. These days he spends most of his time battling with her, as she is a capricious bitch who, when she isn't hiding from him, often rides him mercilessly, digging her spurs into his sides and forcing the flow of words from a trickle to a flood.

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Copyright © 2011, 2016, 2020 by Etienne

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Wherever possible, the syntax and spelling in this book follows guidelines set forth in The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th Edition, and in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.

Cover Art © 2016, 2020 by Gerald Lopez

Acknowledgments

This story began several years ago, when I received an e-mail from a fan in one of my favorite southeastern cities.  He wrote to tell me that he was born blind, and really lamented the lack of stories about gay men such as himself.  I wrote back and said that I couldn’t possibly undertake such a task without help, and he agreed to be my adviser as to all things concerning the blind.  So, thank you, my young friend—this story would not have been possible without your advice.

To my long-suffering editor Jim Kennedy, what can I say, but thanks.

To my partner of many years, thanks as always for your support and encouragement.

Dedication

The story is dedicated to all of the men and women out there who deal on a daily basis with a problem the sighted cannot possibly fathom.

Author’s Notes

Many people have written to inquire if the places described in the Avondale stories are real, and I'm happy to say that most of them are. Avondale is a very real neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida, situated between Roosevelt Boulevard (US-17) and the St. Johns River. It is bounded on the northeast by McDuff Avenue which separates it from the neighborhood known as Riverside, and on the southwest by Fishweir Creek.

After the great fire of 1901 leveled much of downtown Jacksonville, destroying over two thousand buildings and leaving nearly ten thousand people homeless, the Springfield neighborhood immediately north of downtown was developed. Then the city began to move west and south along the St. Johns River, and first Riverside then Avondale were born. Said to be the first planned community in Florida, Avondale was developed in the nineteen twenties.

The restaurants frequented by our guys are very real, and pretty much as described in the stories:

The Derby House, sometimes referred to as Gorgi’s Derby House was a popular restaurant for several decades, until it closed circa 2011, give or take a year or so. It was the kind of neighborhood hangout where people seated themselves. After its closure, the building was remodeled, enlarged a bit, and a new restaurant emerged, known as The Derby on Park.

Biscottis, which opened in the fall of 1993, is a very popular restaurant located in the Avondale shopping area.

The Pizza Italian in Five Points, was opened by a Greek immigrant in the spring of 1976, and he dished out good pizza, wonderful lasagna, and the best meatball subs in town for just over forty-one years. Sadly, the restaurant closed in 2017, due to the owner’s age and health problems.

Richard's Sandwich Shop in Five Points, for some thirty years offered the best Camel Riders* in town.  After more than thirty years in business, the owner sold the property and retired in 2016.

The Goal Post Sandwich Shop is located across the street from the complex that houses The Loop, and has been a fixture in the neighborhood for a very long time.

The Cool Moose Café has been serving breakfast and lunch to neighborhood residents for some twenty years.

The Loop Pizza Grill, home of the best grilled chicken sandwich in town and locally referred to simply as The Loop, began in Jacksonville in the late eighties, and has grown to several locations around town. The Avondale location, situated on Fishweir Creek, was popular for its deck, where one could sit and watch sea birds foraging in the tidal estuary while eating. Unfortunately, the entire complex was razed by developers in 2017, and replaced by apartments. The Loop moved to another location nearby, but that location, sadly, lacks a deck on the water.

*THE TERM Camel Rider might sound like a pejorative to some in today's politically correct society, but in Jacksonville—which has one of the largest Middle Eastern communities on the East Coast—it's the name of a sandwich offered at the numerous sandwich shops around town operated by people whose ancestors fled the economic decline and religious persecution of the Ottoman Empire. Predominately Christian, they came from Syria, Lebanon, and other parts of the Middle East and settled in Jacksonville during the early twentieth century and shortly before.

All of the sandwich shops offer sandwiches in a pocket of pita bread, and these sandwiches are called riders. The Camel Rider is a pita pocket stuffed with lettuce, slices of tomato, cheese, and cold cuts, with a bit of mustard and a dash of olive oil. The camel rider is a very simple, but amazingly satisfying sandwich.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

About the author

Contact the author

Other books by Etienne

The Tenor Tuner

(An Avondale Story)

Revised edition

Etienne

Chapter 1

IT WAS FRIDAY morning, the last class of the spring term was behind me, and I would graduate in a few days. I’d already signed up for a summer term to begin working on my master’s and was, at the moment, looking forward to a day of creative loafing. Sally, my roommate, was at work, and I had the apartment all to myself. The harsh sound of the doorbell interrupted my reverie.

It’s open, I said in a loud voice, wondering who would be at my door on a Friday morning.

I heard the door open and a familiar voice say, It’s just me.

Hi, Norm, I said to my best friend, Norman Simms, and when I heard the door close behind him I added, What’s up?

Not a lot. I’m headed out to the beach, and I’m going to take you with me.

After what happened last time, I shouldn’t think you’d want me along.

So you tripped over a curb and skinned your knee. It was my fault for not warning you.

It was actually my fault for allowing you to talk me into leaving my cane in the car. You can’t be expected to see every little thing that pops up in front of my feet and warn me in time.

Enough of that, Josh. Get your ass into your bedroom and out of those clothes. I want to see you in those Speedos I bought you for your birthday—right now.

Okay, I said. I guess a little sun wouldn’t hurt.

No, it wouldn’t. You need to get rid of that Yankee pallor.

I’ve got all summer to do that.

Yeah… starting right now. Now, get out of that chair, or I’ll have to get physical.

You think you’re man enough?

Don’t start. You and I both know there’s no chemistry there.

He was right. Being gay and best friends, we’d tried once upon a time to get it on, but as he put it, there just was no chemistry. I made my way into my bedroom, found the appropriate drawer, and retrieved the Speedos.

The tags are still on them, he said accusingly. You haven’t even worn them yet.

I was waiting for the right opportunity.

Give them to me.

I handed him the Speedos. After a minute, he handed them back.

There. Tags are all gone. Now, let’s see what you look like in them.

I sat down on the edge of my bed, pulled off my shorts and underwear, and pulled the Speedos on. Standing for inspection as I tucked everything in place, I said, Well?

Damn, you’re hot. Black hair, medium height, slim build with broad shoulders. You’ll be turning heads as we walk down the beach, and nobody will even notice me. One thing, though. You need to point your dick either east or west, instead of south—yours is nice-sized; no need to tuck it out of sight.

I have it on good authority that you’re pretty hot-looking yourself. I shifted things around until I was pointing to the right. It was true—Sally had told me more than once that she wished my best friend was straight.

Who told you that, the resident fag hag?

Sally isn’t a fag hag.

Sure she is, but who cares?

Evidently, you do—you call her one often enough.

Never to her face.

True.

Now pull those shorts on over your Speedos, grab a towel and your keys, and we’re out of here.

I found my wallet, keys, sunglasses, and a towel, in that order, and after grabbing my