How many times in your life has a negative experience led to a wonderful adventure or meeting exceptionally good people under adverse conditions?

While sitting in Gilma's Hair Fanta-z, waiting my turn for a haircut, I was embarrassed by a woman who shouted out loud that I was a "stranger" and intimated that I meant harm to her child. I kept my mouth shut as I recognized the anger and the venom in the clear blue eyes of the woman.

When the woman and her brood left the shop, all the people in the place were extremely solicitous. They spoke kindly to me even though most of the expressions were in Spanish. It was very comforting to me. They thought the lady was "rude!"

Then I meet Gilma Mendez. She is a warm, bright, kind and intuitive person. She is also a brilliant capitalist. She has owned a pizza place on Broadway in Hicksville and this shop at 109 Broadway (which used to be John's Barber Shop) is her second hair cutting establishment.

Her place of birth is El Salvador and her husband David is a native of Costa Rica. When David learned of my scolding, he was angry. He said, "I am an immigrant in the US and I have been hurt many times. I do not like to see anyone get pushed around." David drives a truck for a brewery and I felt immediately that he would be an excellent friend and comrade. Gilma and David met and married in the USA.

A barbershop has always been a place of easy feeling and relaxation for me. Read the magazines, wait your turn and let Maria cut your hair. Maria is from Santo Domingo. She is an attractive blond and my frizzy, wild hair is manageable for the longest time after she cuts it.

Gilma runs the shop with a relaxed, firm hand and the Spanish music adds to the atmosphere. During my last haircut Kaylee (Gilma's daughter) sang and danced to the Latin rhythms. She was very graceful for a 4 1/2 year old and her swinging arms, dancing feet and breathy singing kept me entertained while Maria worked her magic with the scissors.

"Go visit Gilma's Hair Fanta-z." It is right down the block from St. Ignatius Church. My sons Adam and Gregg played CYO basketball at St. Ignatius. The Town of Hicksville is undergoing an international transformation.

The New York City municipal employees of Italian, Irish and Slavic ethnicity are being joined by Spanish and Indian peoples. They are the new restaurant owners and storekeepers along Broadway, the Delco Mall and Mid-Island Center. Other groups have also entered Hicksville. An Afghan restaurant, Japanese and Chinese food are now easily obtained. They are even redoing the Empire Diner, with its Greek style of cooking.

This is not an advertisement or a commercial for Gilma's. This is a free thank you to a nice group of people who treated me kindly.