Jesse looked stunned. I just couldn't believe the bad timing.
He looked at me next. "And you are?"
Jesse and I spoke at once:
"I'm her business partner, sir."
"He's none of your concern, and neither am I."
Meowth took the opportunity to sneak off.
Jesse father looked hurt by what she had said. I tried to keep in mind that he must be a good actor.
Jesse stared at her father angrily. "Did you follow me to this resort?"
"No, no, dear, this was a mere coincidence. Giovanni's mother didn't want me to have contact with you, and neither does Giovanni."
"So you're going to tell me Giovanni made you leave me!"
Her father looked ashamed.
"No, I left because I just wasn't ... domestic enough to take care of a home and a child by myself. But once I was gone, Team Rocket made me cut all ties. They didn't want any other kind of criminal associating with you."
He laughed. We didn't.
"I recognized you though. Some of the people you stayed with as a child felt a bit sorry for me, and sent pictures. You look like your mother, anyway."
"Don't you dare mention my mother! After you conned her!"
Jesse's father shook his head. "I never conned your dear mother, Jesse. She loved me in spite of knowing what I was, and I loved her even though Team Rocket was her life, not me. She even chose Team Rocket over her own child."
"Shut up!" Jesse yelled. "Why are you here, anyway?"
"Oh, just picking up customers for my "Dream Vacation" idea..."
"That's not what I meant! I meant why are you here talking to me?"
"After all these years I didn't think it could do any harm. I'm proud of you, Jesse, you've grown into a fine young woman. Anyway, I thought you might want to invest in my little scheme..."
Jesse was so furious she could barely speak. "Don't... ever... get... near... me... again!"
Her father backed away. "Very well, then, Jesse, if that's how you feel about it." He back away and headed down the path.
Jesse began to cry. I put my hand on her shoulder and felt helpless.
"You don't know what it's like," she said finally, "to have a father like that."
I do know what it's like to have a rotten father. But my father just is what he is, he doesn't try and he never did. So I just stayed silent and put my arms around her so she could cry on my shoulder.
Jesse lifted her face after a while and looked into my eyes for a bit. "You must think I'm totally weak and ridiculous," she said.
"Don't be silly, Jesse, I love you..." Then I stopped, frightened at what I had said. I considered backpedaling, saying something like "I mean as a friend." But that would be a lie and I could tell that Jesse would know that.
She backed away and tossed her head. "Great time to bring something like that up, James."