Jonathon lives on the lower east side of town. His apartment is on the second floor in a dull gray gothic styled building. Downstairs is a restaurant. The restaurant is a four star French restaurant and one of the ritziest in town.

Jonathon hates living in "The Chateau", as the building is called, but he hates living here the least. He also hates the lower East side, as a matter of fact he hates the whole town. The only reason he stays in the town is because he would hate to leave the town more than he hates the town itself. There is also another reason. Her name is Lisa.

Jonathon is an artist. As a matter of fact he is very good and makes a good living selling his art, not that he needs to. His parents are rich and gave him a hefty amount of money when he graduated from college. Jonathon became an artist because he hates the wealth and luxury that he would have received had he stayed in the family business. He wanted to be a starving artist and experience what it was like to be poor and hungry, living on his art alone; but he is very good and he not only makes enough money to get by on but he makes more than what he would have made if he had stayed in the family business.

So Jonathon hates the prestige and prosperity that his art brings him. Not that he hates his art or being an artist, just the things that being an artist and a very good one brings with it. Another thing that Jonathon hates about being an artist is other artist. He finds most artists supercilious, superficial, superfluous and utterly hopeless. Artists were always talking about the shape of nature or color-scheme or something else "artsy". Jonathon hates "artsy" talk.

There is one thing or rather one person that Jonathon does like. Her name is Lisa. She is a dancer and unlike anything or anyone he has ever known. She is kind and gentle, always doing something for someone else. She is smart and pretty too. She is tall but not too tall, slender but not skinny, has long wavy black hair, slanted almond eyes and high cheek bones and an English accent - the perfect combination of her English and Japanese parents.

Jonathon likes Lisa but Lisa does not feel the same way towards him. Lisa likes him as a friend, but Jonathon wants to be more than just her friend.
Jonathon is meeting Lisa for lunch in the restaurant on the ground floor of his apartment building. He hates to eat here and it shows. He orders a glass of white wine and waits for Lisa. He has made up his mind to ask her out again today.
Shortly, in comes Lisa. It is a typical fall day: overcast and chilly.

Their conversations usually went on like this for about five minutes or so then they would wait for the food to arrive. It is the same way today. After the food arrives and they start eating Jonathon resumes the conversation.

Lisa is determined to keep this "date" from getting out of control. She still can't think of it as a date. To her it is still a "date", just two friends going out. She just can not think of Jonathon in that way. Jonathon is okay, yes he is obsessively pessimistic and professes to hate everything in the universe, but that is just the way he is. That didn't affect the way she felt about him or this "date". He doesn't mean anything by it, he is just...

The ride to the gallery is strangely quite. Lisa and Jonathon make small talk but do not really say anything. When they reach the gallery Jonathon opens the car door for Lisa and escorts her inside.

Lisa is still determined to keep this "date" from getting out of hand. She had after all only come on this "date" as a favor to Jonathon and to prove that they could never be boyfriend and girlfriend. If anyone should ask, though she seriously doubted that anyone would, if they were on a date, she would simply explain that they were just out together; not dating. They had been out together before and if Jonathon wanted to think of it as a date this time, fine, but Lisa was determined it would not end up one.

Lisa turns to look at the statue. It is sort of small, about the size of an average desk lamp, and made out of clay. Lisa stands there staring at it. It is not the beauty or shape of the statue that causes her to stare. It is what the statue is that captivates her attention. It is a model of a ballerina under a tree.

Her mind races back to the day that she had first met Jonathon. She had only been in the city for a short while and had already found that the men here were the same as the men in the town she had come from. Shallow and sex hungry. She had come to the city in hopes of making a name for herself. In the town that she had come from, the same town she was born in, she was already known as one of the finest dancers they had ever seen. That was why her dance teacher and long time mentor had sent her to this city. He had given her the address of a friend of his who owed him a favor, some free advice and sent her away. Now she was at an art festival in the hopes of getting discovered.

She had been passing by the booths of many artist admiring their work when she came by the booth where an artist was selling some of his paintings. She noticed his talent immediately and was especially impressed by a painting showing a park scene with what could have been either a stage or the base of a fountain in the middle. The thing that impressed or rather intrigued her most was that there was a large blank area just above the stage, or fountain base.

When she asked the artist why he had left a big blank area in the middle of his painting he told her it represented the lack of beauty left in the park. He then said that he hated the picture anyway and would be delighted to get it off of his hands. Lisa liked it and was going to buy it until she looked at the price, it cost 1400 dollars and was one of many with expensive price tags; she decided to move on.

When she had come back near the end of the festival she passed by the booth again. She saw that many of the paintings had been sold. She stopped to see if the one of the park was still there.

They arrive at the diner and take a booth away from the door. Lisa is still thinking about what it is that makes Jonathon so different; for some reason it means a lot that she find out. Why didn't he turn her off like most of the other guys she knew. Most of the other guys wanted her. So did Jonathon. She knew why the other guys wanted her. Why did Jonathon?

Does he really mean that? Lisa thinks. Yes, I think he does. This isn't making any sense. This date is getting out of hand. I'm starting to get confused. He's not supposed to be confusing me. I can handle this. This date will not get out of control.

Lisa was more determined than ever that this date would not get out of control; except now she was less sure. She was just going to try to avoid the subject. Avoid any talk about boyfriends, love, dating, anything that might cause things to get out of hand. She said to herself. Just get this date over with as quickly as possible.

He had given up trying to make this date a success. Lisa was beginning to act strangely and he wasn't feeling up to trying any further tonight. He had at least confirmed that Lisa did care for him. He hoped that he could get a second date, but now wasn't the time to ask for one.

Lisa was a bit surprised by Jonathon's apparent unconcern with her wanting to go home. "Maybe he's finally figured out that we can never be," she thought. "Or maybe he thinks that I really enjoyed this evening. I can't let him think that. But maybe he doesn't. Stop! I'm letting him confuse me again. I'll just go home, and whatever Jonathon thinks, he thinks."

The drive back to Lisa's house is as quiet as the drive from her house was. There is a difference, though, in the kind of quiet. This quiet is a more thoughtful silence, a more meditative, reflective silence; a silence that reflects the events of the evening.

Jonathon puts down the phone. He walks over to the canvas resting on the wall. The blank canvas stares back at him. "Why can't I figure her out," he asks himself. He paces the room passing back and forth in front of the empty canvas. "I can't think in here. I hate this place. I need to get out find some place to clear my head, some place to get inspired".

Pedro Gonzuelas walks in from upstairs. Jonathon sees Pedro and is reminded of last night and Lisa. He again wonders what it was about Pedro that Lisa didn't like.

I still remember the first time I saw her she wanted to buy one of my paintings. Boy, did I hate her. Another typical "artsy" woman. How could I ever think of her as typical? She came back and I hadn't sold the painting. I still am not quite sure why I didn't try to sell that painting.

Jonathon smiles as he thinks of the excuse he used to explain why there was a blank area in the middle of the canvas. It actually was set apart for a highly priced portrait of the buyer. He just didn't realize how much he would have to pay.

Lisa listens to Urick's words with half an ear, in a vain attempt to keep them out. He is continuously acting as a surrogate father to one of the dancers. The only problem is, that what he says usually makes sense and is something she usually doesn't want to hear.

The times Lisa had been sure were too numerous to count. How many times had she seen the "perfect" guy. Now it seems she is the "perfect" girl. "Maybe I'm scared I can't live up to his expectations. Maybe I don't care. Maybe I don't want to be hurt again."

The sound of a ringing doorbell brings Jonathon out of his daydreaming. He wonders who it could be, ringing his bell in the middle of the afternoon. He sincerely hopes it isn't one of those door to door salesmen. He hates door to door salesmen.

Lisa hears the lock turn and the door opens. Jonathon's apartment is spacious and open. And on one side of what most people would call a living room, but what Jonathon called his studio, was the materials Jonathon used to create his artwork.

Lisa takes a deep breath. She reviews all the things she plans to say to Jonathon. All the reasons are neatly lined up and the words of encouragement and sympathy are at the tip of her tongue. She knows what each of Jonathon's responses will be and how to counter them all. Instead of using what she had prepared in her mind, she speaks the truth.