[[A very small chart]]
Just to clear things up:
A few: anywhere from 2 to 5
A handful: anywhere from 2 to 5
Several: anywhere from 2 to 5
A couple: 2 (but sometimes up to 5

{{Title text: If things are too quiet, try asking a couple of friends whether "a couple" should always mean "two". As with the question of how many spaces should go after a period, it can turn acrimonious surprisingly fast unless all three of them agree.}}