During our sojourn in Paris,my wife and I were put up in a room on the fifteenth floor of the Paris Pen ta Hotel.It was a very centrally located hotel,tailored to suit the pocket of the economy minded traveler.The place was full of tourists,most of them from across the channel:Great Britain.
The next morning we got ready to go down to the coffee shop in the foyer to have our rather boring continental breakfast;and later to catch the coach which would take us on a tour of Paris.Coming out of our room we joined a large group of people of various nationalities who were waiting for the lift.After about a minute or so the lift door opened.It was quite a large lift,and about twenty of us got into it.The doors closed and the downward journey started. It must have taken about thirty seconds to reach the lobby. However,an incident that took place in that short span of time,is permanently etched in my memory . As The lift started moving downwards,all the passengers assumed that particular stance that people normally take while travelling in the lift blank--expressions on upturned faces ,with eyes fixed on the changing numbers indicating the floors being crossed.There was silence in the lift except for the people in soft music. We must have been halfway down when a mild giggle originated from one corner of the lift.It was a female voice . Nobody took serous note of this and all were preoccupied with their own thoughts.
A couple of seconds later the giggle not only continued but also became louder.Still everyone refrained from looking in the direction of the origin of the giggle and at its perpetrator.Very soon this rather silly laughter became highly audible for anyone to just ignore it.
Some heads turned,and a few eyes strained to get a glimpse of the lady responsible for this chortle.I was no exception.It was an elegantly dressed young lady with exquisite blue eyes.She was trying her best to suppress her giggle.
A few seconds later,the lady was giggling uncontrollably and it soon became infectious.Almost everyone in the lift was by then bitten by the giggle bug!For those few movements,the closed atmosphere in the elevator was unreal chuckling loudly.We were brought down to earth when the lift came to a halt at the lobby,and the doors opened.
As the lift full of giggling people tickled pink stepped out on to the lobby,One of the co passengers asked the genial culprit,'What was so funny dear?' The Giggly lady laughingly answered,'Oh! nothing really.I just got the giggles.'Most of the English speaking people in the lift were most amused to hear the inane reason for the blue eyed lady's mirthful titter.
I still never fails to tickle me whenever i recall the affable lady in the lift who 'Got the giggles' for no apperant reason,and made those thirty seconds unforgettable .
