nice nothing

I get a real "high" from a good crossword puzzle.
We're driving in the car to the mall.  "nice nothing" I say to Merv.  "Anything come to mind?  I think it starts with an 'r'".
"Rice?  Nice Rice?  Mind you, I don't even like rice.  And what do they mean by the nothing thing" he says.
After major Rectal Cancer Surgery, he's lying in his hospital bed and I try again.
"You know, it seems to be an 'ri' - what do you think?" Silence.
His favorite nurse "Sam" comes in to change his dressing.  It's like a video.  We see the stoma and the incision and the staples - she cleans it and measures the stoma to make sure she has the right size for the opening, and I'm so impressed with her prowess.  Merv is all smiles.  He's always talking about Sam.  "Where did you train?" he asks.  "Did you ever want to be an operating nurse?"
"Not really.  Not enough responsibility.  Here on this busy ward, I have to do everything.  I love all the rushing about."
As she's picking up her stuff to leave,  I say "Do you know anything about astrology?  Would Leo be something to do with August?
"Oh, yah! That's mine. I was born in August.   And you were talking earlier about that fish?  That's "Nemo" for sure."
"Isn't she just something else!" Merv says?
We were having a desk delivered a couple of weeks ago.  I was stuck with an animal who was the cousin of some animal I'd never heard of. The delivery guy says "You got any letters?  Ends in er?  That would be 'badger' - for sure.  I happen to know that for sure".
Can you believe it?  He was dead right.  And he was so good-looking, this kid.
Anyway, back to nice nothing.
 I look at the 'down' word.  Hmmmmm.  Looks like it has to be another vowel after 'i' !  That's doesn't sound right.
And yet ! ! !   And yet ! ! !
"nice nothing"
"That's it!  I've got it!  It's NEECE!  As in France!  Nice, France.  They want the french word for 'nothing'.  rien!  That's it - rien
What could be more fun than coming up with this word?
I'm thrilled.  Talking a bit loudly.  I know that the other guys in the room don't have the faintest idea what I'm talking about.  I don't care.
Later on, I'm cleaning Merv's dentures and I come out of the little bathroom.  The 90 year old guy says "How come you knew that french word ?"
"I don't know. It just came to me. Like lightening.  It just came to me".