Shorty headed towards the elevator that would take her to the lobby. No trace of the celebrity or her people anywhere. It was an exciting morning to say the least. She knew as time went on, she would forget about today, the Americans, meeting Sulli. She might even forget about it completely if not for a couple great pictures on her cell phone. Shorty made a mental note to back up her iPhone when she got home.

Once the elevator doors opened to the lobby she stepped out. All of a sudden she was very nervous. She wanted to find the guard, but didn't want to appear she was actually there looking for him. Finally she saw him across the lobby. He was assisting an elderly couple with directions. Shorty waited for him to finish and gave him her standard smile when he turned around. He smiled back and made his way over to her.

"How did things go with the Idol and the American boy?" he said.

Shorty was happy to fill him in with the details but wondered if maybe they could chat over coffee. She boldly asked if he could take a break? The guard looked at the floor as if the answer could be found among the tile. He then looked at his watch and said he could take a break and suggested they go for coffee in the cafeteria.

Shorty replied, "I could really use a coffee right now. I can fill you in on the entire thing, it was amazing."

She then apologized for creating such havoc. Normally she should have cleared something like this with him, but it all happened so fast and with the walk to the bus station last night, she forgot to even mention it.

"I am so glad I called early this morning to give the administration a heads up on the idol appearance. I don't usually skip going through the necessary channels, but this situation took off rather quickly." she admitted while looking at the ground.

This was her way of apologizing and at the same time, showing that she didn't feel too bad that it all took place. She was not one to cause trouble and she does know they offer her a lot of leeway when it comes to protocol and customs. Of course the longer she lives here, the less she will be able to use that excuse. One of these days, someone might not be so understanding.

The guard showed her to a table by a window and said he would be right back with the drinks.

"You like cafe Americano, right?" as he smiled at her again.

Shorty answered, "yes, that would be great."

On that response he turned and walked away. Shorty looked out the window and started to think about the conversation she would soon be having. Suddenly she had a few paralyzing thoughts. What are we going to talk about. It's going to be awkward just like last night. How does he know what coffee I drink? She was jolted back to reality when the guard walked up and sat the drinks down on the table.

"Something interesting outside?" he said.

Shorty looked up and said, "no just daydreaming a bit."

The guard sat in the chair across from her. They sipped their coffee's and there were a few minutes of silence.

Then he asked about the Idol, "the young lady seemed to be very gracious with her fans in the lobby. She smiled as if someone was giving her a queue to do so. I'm not saying she wasn't sincere, I just think that even though she was not on a stage it still seemed like a show."

Short quickly went to her defense, thinking he was under a false impression of the young lady.

"I don't agree, she seemed very sincere and had quite a warm personality. She spoke to the boy and his parents as if she was really concerned and happy he was doing well. Those kids are practically the same age, and for the time I spent with her-she came off as very genuine. I will even admit that it surprised me a little."

Shorty could understand his impression of Sulli, and was sure most people looking at idol stars like her, felt the same way. This was the first time she had met someone so famous in such a close setting, she may have been a bit star struck. But she was hardly ever wrong about people and she trusted her instincts. Her first impression of Sulli was good. Like her first impression of the guard.

She went on to explain, "remember the first time we met?"

He was taking a sip of coffee, so he tried not to choke when asked such a pointed question.

"I do, I do, really. It was your first day on the job. You came in so timidly, you looked afraid and unsure of yourself. This was my impression of you but I later realized I was wrong," he said.

"You were wrong?" she questioned.

"Yes, you were just being incredibly respectful and I took it as fear, but it was not. I gave you your I.D. badge and parking permit and you hardly looked me in the eye." he admitted.

She interrupted, "I was nervous, and I had some NEW JOB angst, but I wasn't afraid. I have never been afraid here. I was very comfortable at the other hospital and so I knew I would be comfortable here, it just took a little time."

Shorty hated admitting she was afraid of anything. She was never a fearful person. That's to say she was not overly confident, not in a way that annoyed people. She let things frighten her when she was younger and she overcame that struggle.

"I was frightened once when I was younger. I had a cousin who was always kind of mean, and she locked me in the attic of my grandmothers farmhouse. We had been playing in there and when the cousin found out I thought the attic was a little creepy, she pretended to go get something to drink and locked me in."

The guard had a sad look on his face and asked, "what did you do?"

"My mother had gone shopping but my dad was working in the barn. It took some doing but I finally opened a window and yelled for help. I could see my cousin down there riding her bike like nothing was wrong. My father finally heard me and came up to the house. He ran up to the attic and rescued me. He said my cousin was an unhappy little girl and that's why she does mean things. I should forgive her even if she did make me angry."

The guard said, "I bet you really wanted to hit her or something? You didn't just let her get away with it-did you?"

Shorty continued, "I wanted to be angry with her. I wanted to get back at her, but when I looked at her I remembered those words from my father. She was unhappy and that is why she is mean. From then on tried to not be afraid, I tried to be forgiving whenever I could and understanding. It seemed to work, it made life easier. So now I smile at people-ALWAYS, just in case they haven't seen anyone be happy. Maybe it will rub off."

"Like the way you always smiled at me?" he wondered out loud.

"Actually I did at first, but then I just liked smiling at you. I knew one day you would smile back. Until then I just assumed you always were having a bad day, or you weren't allowed to smile, " she chuckled.

"I do try and be serious. It's a serious job. I never know who might walk through that door. You don't know this but one day a man with a gun walked in, he was angry, he had lost his brother in an accident. His brother was brought to our emergency room and his injuries were too severe and he died. The man with the gun was angry. I had to stop him and also defuse the situation or more people could die. Usually I help point people in the right direction or assist law enforcement when it's called for, but sometimes my job is a little scary," he said quietly.

Shorty sat quiet for a minute as she thought about his words. She didn't want to make a silly comment about the story he just shared. She wanted to say thank you, but that of course sounded silly.

"I know your job is not all directions and checking badges. You are important. It wouldn't be right to smile at those who may have a gun. Best to smile at those you KNOW don't have one," she said.

"You don't have a gun do you? I mean you could tell me if you did, " he said with a slight smirk.

"No, I don't have a gun," she confirmed.

"Would you like to have dinner with me? Maybe tonight," he said quickly.

Shorty was completely caught off guard and she almost didn't know how to answer.

Finally she said, "I was going shopping for a gun, but I can put that off for another night."

They smiled at each other and finished their coffee as plans were made for the evening.