Love and Hiccups

Chapter 1

It had become the highlight of my day. Every morning when I’d get into the elevator in my building on my way to work, she would appear, bringing along with her an enchanting siren-song with a charm I was completely unable to resist.

“Hold that door for me — *HICCUP!* — if you would!”

Those were the first words I’d ever heard her speak as she came bouncing along toward the elevator doors, her crimson curls bobbing along in the breeze behind her, hey keys jingling in her purse. She was short and plump but she could move quickly.

She was out of breath as she entered the elevator car, apparently both from the exertion of running and from the case of hiccups she was contending with. “Thank you — *HIC!*” she said as she placed a hand against the wall of the small metal box we both found ourselves standing in. “I haven’t had to — *HICCUP!* — run like that in a while, and I’m afraid I’m — *HIC!* — just a bit out of shape.”

“That’s quite alright,” I said to her. “You must be new in the building, I haven’t seen you here before.”

“I just moved in — *HIC* — last week,” she said as she extended a hand cordially, “my name is — *HICCUP!* — “

“Your name is ‘hiccup’?” I teased playfully.

“Rosalie!” she giggled, “I have to apologize, I’ve had these — *HIC!* — darn hiccups all morning, I just can’t seem to get — *HICCUP!* — rid of them!”

“Don’t you hate it when that happens?” I quipped, but the truth was that I didn’t mind it at all. There was just something about an attractive woman with the hiccups that just got my juices flowing, especially if that woman happened to have a few extra pounds on her. Rosalie looked like she had more than a few extra pounds she was carrying around, and she seemed to be carrying them in all the right places.

“You know what happens?” she said. “Every morning I — *HIC!* — end up sleeping in, pushing the — *HUP!* — snooze alarm on my phone, again and again. So then I’m — *HICCUP!* — running late, and I up eating my breakfast — *HICCUP!* — really fast, — *HICCUP!* — and of course, when I eat fast I end up — *HIC!* — eating too much, leaving me — *HICCUP!* — wobbling around with a — *HIC!* — stuffed belly and a — *HIC!* — an incurable case of the hiccups!”

“Ah, I see,” I replied calmly. Just then the doors opened up as we had arrived at the first floor lobby of our apartment building.

“Anyway — *HICCUP!* — I have to run,” she said, “I have so much to do today, and I’m — *HIC!* — running late!”

“Yes, I understand,” I said as we both stepped out of the elevator and made our way toward the doorway, “I’m on my way to work myself. It was very nice to meet you, Rosalie. Welcome to the building.”

“Thank you, it’s nice meeting — *HICCUP!* — you as well,” said Rosalie as she stopped then and turned on her heels. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I don’t think I — *HICCUP!* — got your name.”

“It’s Tom,” I said.

“It’s nice to meet you, Tom,” she replied as she turned around and pushed her way through the front door, “I’ll see you around the — *HICCUP!* — building.”

“See you around,” as I followed her out and made my way toward my car.

And see her around I did.