Reclaiming Her Canvas

Charise, a talented young artist, is showing her canvas paintings at the local gallery. She strikes up a conversation with Emilio, a handsome and charming young man who is admiring her work. About the same age as Charise, Emilio is a best-selling fantasy author, and his charisma sparks an instant magnetic connection that leads to a first date.

Their date at the local sushi bar goes even better than Charise could have ever hoped. She feels at ease with him in a way she has never felt with any other guy. This leads to a second and third equally successful date, and after the fourth, Emilio asks Charise to go steady as his girlfriend.

Charise is flattered, yet uncertain; while she likes Emilio, she has never had a boyfriend before. She feels she doesn’t know him well enough at this point to make that sort of commitment. 

When in doubt, Charise knows she can always ask Mom. Her mother advises her to go with her heart. If she feels uneasy or isn’t ready for a steady relationship, she should say no. If she feels ready to get out of her comfort zone and explore the possibilities of a relationship, then perhaps now is the right time.

Charise considers her mother’s advice and goes for it. The next day they become a steady pair, and they hold hands and kiss and make love eyes at each other like all couples do. Her heart flutters when she is with him, and she hopes his heart flutters around her too. 

Although Charise has not gained the same professional success in her field as Emilio, he encourages and compliments her artistic talent. Meanwhile, Charise falls deeper into Emilio’s arms and his fictional fantasy world—enamored by the stories of his vivid imagination.

The next few months, Charise loses herself in Emilio’s books, enthralled by his tales of dragons, castles, knights, wizards, and fairies. She is dismayed by the villagers oppressed, damsels in distress, and the beautiful princess held captive by an evil Lord. She is thrilled when the brave and noble prince rides in on his valiant steed to rescue her and save the day. She imagines she looks a lot like the princess and the prince looks a lot like Emilio.

She is equally enthralled—even a little intimidated—by his lofty professional achievements as a best-selling author. He has already gained the success in his literary career that she could only dream of for her own art career—a career she has put on hold for now. 

As she reads his books, she notices a familiarity in some of Emilio’s stories to stories from other authors she has read in the past. Whether a coincidence or her imagination, she is unsure, but it unsettles her.

Charise pushes her concerns aside, but the more she reads, the more questions arise. Her curiosity finally gets the better of her, and she decides it’s time to conduct some online research into Emilio’s career.

What she finds is troubling. She discovers that another author in the fantasy genre has alleged Emilio has plagiarized her work and she is suing him. Because of the lawsuit, Emilio’s publisher has cancelled his contract and has withdrawn his books from distribution.

The next time they’re together, Charise asks Emilio about what she learned, and he denies it. He accuses her of not trusting him, says she is insecure, and says she is jealous that he is more successful than she is. Charise refuses to accept his denials as a valid answer for her concerns and continues to press him.

He finally admits that he may have ‌borrowed ideas from other authors, but it is a transformative use for derivative work—not plagiarism. He says his books are still on the market, and his publisher hasn’t dropped him, and that they only want to renegotiate his contract.

Her heart sinks; she wants to believe him, but in her heart, she knows Emilio is lying. He has broken her trust in him. Once a liar, always a liar, Mom says. She realizes that knowing the truth—no matter how disruptive and gut-wrenching—is far better than being in the dark about the dishonesty of someone so important in her life. 

With Emilio’s admission, the mistrust Charise now feels about Emilio is too great to overcome. The next day—after much anguish and tears—she calls to break up with him.

He cries, and says he’s sorry. He says he didn’t lie; it’s all a misunderstanding, and she doesn’t have all the facts. He begs her for forgiveness, pleads for a second chance, but Charise is firm in her decision. She says no; it is final, and goodbye.

For a few days afterwards, Charise is sad. But despite the failure, she knows she made the right decision to discontinue a relationship built on lies. She knows she doesn’t need a man or anyone else in her life to prop up her sense of confidence and self-worth.

And so, Charise, the talented young artist who got sidetracked somewhere along the way, finds herself alone, but filled with renewed hope for the future. Motivated by Emilio’s success—even if by dubious means—she feels a newfound confidence in her abilities that has reignited her passion for art. 

She decides it’s time to reclaim her canvas. With new goals and fresh resolve to propel her to greater achievement, she knows it’s just a matter of time until she succeeds in art and life. And maybe someday, even love.