Really short story about Jessie's earrings and where they're from.
Earrings
James observed his mother carefully applying the first layer of her burgundy lipstick. She looked at herself in the mirror, reaching for her make-up accessories and eventually setting it with a dusting of powder. His mother was graceful and comely, the least you could expect from a real noblewoman. She opened the porcelain casket where she used to store her precious and unpayable jewellery. Gifts from her attentive and careful husband, souvenirs and small surprises to settle her sometimes quick temper. Her son got a glimpse of the two sparkling emerald green earrings. His father had brought them from a business trip in China. She hardly ever wore them, they would make her ears look so big and bulky, so she said. James had to seize them, his mother wouldn't care if they got lost, but he would be in possession of a present for Jessiebelle, his inamorata. He hid behind the vanity, waiting for his mother to leave the room and welcome her guests. Her son, that little scoundrel, was clever and knew where she kept the key to the casket. The lavender-haired boy picked the lock and pilfered the earrings, certain to impress his future wife with his loot.
This all happened long before James developed a taste for Jessiebelle's behaviour and intentions. She was dominant, almost firghtening. She had clear ideas of their life as a married couple. James had to obey, he wasn't allowed to defy her, he wasn't allowed to voice his opinion. He would be a man with a truly broken will, a shadow of his former self.
James was able to flee just in time and promised himself that the next time he would give his heart to a woman it would last forever and this woman should receive the emerald green earrings. He became cautious and wary, had difficulties to trust anyone and learned to suppress and hold back emotions – until he met Jessie and Meowth, his partners in crime.
The trio had finally passed the ultimate test and were officially called agents of Team Rocket. Many adventures had gone by, they experienced losses and desperation, but nothing had torn them apart. They shared a deep and loyal friendship, support and encouragment. On Jessie's birthday, Meowth and James went into a huddle to find the perfect gift. She was delicate, fashion-conscious and sophisticated. She wouldn't be content with a simple cake and a shabby greeting card, but James had an ace up his sleeve.
He knew Jessie when she had no one to talk to, she had passed secrets on to him. She had told him about her past, her dreadful childhood at the orphanage and the fact that he was the first man who had never left her in the lurch. Jessie had said goodbye so many times, men exploiting her and her benevolence that she became coldhearted and disagreeable. James thought back to his promise. They were close in every way. No one could tell him where or when he would fall in love again, but he assumed that it had already happened. He fished a cardboard box out of his rucksack, placed the earrings in it and wrapped a bow around the box.
Jessie was sitting on the yellowed mattress, convinced that her team mates had completely forgotten about her birthday. James took a seat next to her.
„Here, for you," his voice trembled, he was nervous, not knowing how she would react and if it was an appropriate gift for a colleague. She untied the bow and opened the small box in front of her, looking quite surprised while rolling the jewellery inbetween her fingers.
„James, they are wonderful," she raved about his present, putting them on immediately.
He could see a faint smile on her face. „Where did you get them from?" she wondered, admiring herself in her hand-mirror. „From my first robbery," he grinned widely, hoping to deeply impress her. „You stole them for me? You endangered yourself for me?" she asked. James nodded. „I think you're the right person to wear them."
THE END