The Nice Thing About Strangers
Creative Non-Fiction Short Stories. :) Travel, Oldsters, Love, and Compassion.
How To Get Rid of the Hiccups
She has the hiccups. Her husband wears a golf cap. They are extremely slow in shuffling to their Buick. The snow has turned to patches of slush, some just puddles and some quite slick. He takes her arm and they speak very quietly, but her hiccups are loud, involuntary, and they ricochet off the surrounding buildings. She mutters in her embarrassment.
They reach the passenger door and he tells her something as she lowers herself into the car. She giggles at his words, her face breaking into a gaze of love. He smiles as he closes the door, pleased that he can still make her laugh. He adjusts the cap on his head while moving carefully to the driver’s side. He opens his door and she greets him with a loud HIC!
He’s laughing so hard that he can’t get behind the wheel, and she’s volleying the laughter right back at him. Resting his arm on the top of the car, the door wide open, he tries to settle down, but they can’t quite stop. As the chilly day blows around them, the parking lot echoes with a joyous older couple cracking up.
–Colorado.
Grandpa and Grandma with my sister.
Again a bit later. 🙂 Love.
The Nice Thing About Strangers 
i love this so much. ) beth
I’m so glad that you did too. As someone who hates getting the hiccups, and who is a sucker for an oldster love story, catching this couple was a total gift! 🙂
Have a nice week, Beth!
Paige
Life can be so wonderful…
Ja, stimmt, oder? 🙂
Lovely observation, as ever, Paige
Thank you, Sue! I really appreciate that you stop through to read the stories. 🙂
Paige
But the stories are so well told…and I always believe in reading the words that someone has put together, and I would like to think some people read mine! 🙂
I never thought of episode of hiccups as “touching moment”, but you just made it so. Very nice.
Al, thanks! I’d never thought it would be sweet either. I know her embarrassment, as I just hate to get the hiccups.
I had a psychology teacher in high school who said he had willed himself never to get them. I must not have the same will. 🙂
Thanks again,
Paige
What wonderful observation of a brief moment in someone’s life! Keep it up.
Thank you so much, Caroline! 🙂 You regularly make my day.
Paige
Somehow you have managed to make the hiccups sound really romantic. I very much enjoyed this.
Haha, thanks! They did the work, thankfully. I just had to listen. 🙂
Thanks, Elkee–
Paige
Such a sweet post with a great heart warming story, too! smiles, robin
Thank you, Robin! 🙂 Heart-warming stories are my favorites, especially with the elderly. Thanks for stopping in to read it!
Paige
How on earth did I miss this one??? – I must be getting old and silly.
Just love it. But then, you know how I feel about your writing.
This one is probably one of my favorite moments of the month, both on the blog and in any given parking lot!
Silly is underrated, my friend.
Paige
Reblogged this on The Nice Thing About Strangers and commented:
I have an epic set of oldster stories this week, but I wanted to start with a flashback to a tale from last year that still makes me grin. 🙂 #ThemeWeek!
Just lovely 🙂
Reblogged this on A Selection of Recollections and commented:
I’d just like to reblog this because it made me happy. Hope it does to you too 🙂
Thank you, Diana! 🙂
All my best,
Paige
I really enjoyed this Paige. I will be the first to admit that I take things too seriously sometimes. It is refreshing to see examples of people letting the “inconveniences” of a day turn into an opportunity to laugh and love – thanks for sharing and best wishes for an inspired day 🙂
Thank you, Dave! I need to get out among the oldsters more often, because they give me a lot of life and inspiration. 🙂
All my best,
Paige
My grandparents had the same hairstyles! That could be my family.
Love and miss them so much! 🙂 How about that couch, eh?
Paige
❤ Lovely.