A Florida Cut

I needed a haircut, but where do I go down here in Florida and place my head in the hands of a barber that doesn’t know me and hasn’t seen me before? For about three decades I’ve been going to the same barber on Central Avenue in Lawrence. Not that it matters that much anymore, but once I walked into what looked like a very stylish place in Boynton Beach, I wasn’t sure what I would look like at the end of the process.

All I needed was a haircut for a head of hair that had grown unusually long because when I was back home in New York, whenever I thought it would be a good time for a haircut, the shop that I usually go to was closed.

So, I walked into this place that I found online and while I was waiting for my turn (there were just two people ahead of me) I noticed everyone’s hair color, including the barbers and customers, was black or brown. That is, except for my head of hair. I took particular notice once I was in the barber chair that my hair was white. Or at least in that shop’s lighting and with all the mirrors configured as they were: my head of hair was just plain white.

I didn’t want or need a nouveau stylish haircut, just a regular everyday haircut. Before we began, I told the barber (Tony) to leave my sideburns or payos the way he found them and I’m glad I said that because his next words were in the form of a question as: “You don’t want them shaved off?”

I could see and hear that he never heard of anything like that, though I thought that could not be possible. But then again, here I was sitting for all practical purposes in Middle America, not the place or time to begin a dissertation on payos. Anyway, I’m sure he would have had no idea what I was talking about.

Anyway, I took my chances, and I think he did a pretty decent job. I mean, nothing wild or crazy. There was one point where he turned the chair around with my back to the mirror and I could not see what he was doing. I was just momentarily concerned, but I was able to discern that he was being conservative with his scissors, exactly what a customer with a head of white hair would expect.

It turned out just fine, and I left the shop pleased with my choice. The search for “a barber shop near me” worked out well. Look at it this way, next time I’m in town and need a haircut, they might just remember me. I tipped him well. If he doesn’t remember my face or my hair maybe he will remember that. 

Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter