"The only kindness you can offer is divorce?" Pamela repeated J.R.'s last remark, her tone remarkably more cynical. "Well, how generous of the," she mocked.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" J.R. became visibly irritated.
"Divorce is not a kindness, J.R.." Any sentimental value the conversation breached had quickly faded and the innate animosity between the pair arose, as always. "Or perhaps you've forgotten the first time you divorced Sue Ellen?" To call the situation a mess would have been an understatement. Had it not been for Miss Ellie's influence, J.R. would have undoubtedly thrown Sue Ellen to the mercy of the court for her considerable shortcomings – her affairs, her alcoholism, specifically the weeks prior to John Ross' birth. "A custody battle like the last will be all the incentive Sue Ellen needs to trample over her sobriety."
Exasperated, J.R. audibly huffed. "Well, what would you have me do? Stay married?" The Burton-Taylor dynamic they shared retained J.R.'s interest but the strain on Sue Ellen's physical, mental and emotional health had become far too apparent.
"No, I think you should divorce Sue Ellen." Pamela answered, bluntly. "But only if you intend to stay divorced." Before J.R. could protest, Pamela raised his hand to cut him off, "How many times have you toyed with her emotions for no one's benefit but your own?" The kind of spell J.R. cast on Sue Ellen made any rational decisions on her part impossible. "The only reason you married Sue Ellen the second time was for John Ross' shares of the company after your father died." She shuddered, instantly reminded of Bobby, and the reckless battle for Ewing Oil that had, consequently, destroyed countless lives. It had been the root cause of so much pain; the destruction her marriage to Bobby, J.R.'s to Sue Ellen, Miss Ellie's nervous breakdown, Mickey's death. Still, she held a fraction of resentment in her heart to the company Jock had created and forced upon his sons as his legacy to the world.
"Now, hold on just a minute!" He passionately declared, in blatant dispute of her accusation. He had always known that Pamela would forever suspect the worst of his intentions but her self-righteous pedestal often became unbearable. "Contrary to popular belief, I am not completely heartless. I married Sue Ellen because I loved her." In actuality, there was a little truth in what Pamela had said; the addition of John Ross' shares were further incentive to remarry Sue Ellen but certainly not the entire rationalisation behind the act.
"And yet, you cheated on her?" Pamela remarked, quizzically.
"You're not exactly a paragon of virtue, darlin'," J.R. bristled, "Or perhaps you've forgotten your little dalliance in the south of France with Mark Grayson?" Immediately infuriated, Pamela's mouth snapped open to retaliate but J.R. delivered a harsher blow, received much closer to home. "Not pleasant when others pry into your personal life, is it?"
Quietened, in appreciation of his point, Pamela still remained sour. "For your information, Mark and I were never anything more than friends, until Bobby and I divorced."
Although J.R. had never been a cheerleader for Bobby and Pam's marriage, he remained defensive of the Ewing territory. "I'm sure he could hardly contain himself," J.R. muttered. "Hell, the ink on the divorce papers probably hadn't even dried, before he made his move."
"Knock it off, J.R.," Pamela disdainfully ordered.
"Well, it just doesn't seem fair to me." J.R. defensively retorted, "How quickly you rebounded off with another man and left my brother with a broken heart. Then, when he finally does settle down with the woman for him, his life's cut short." Pamela rolled her eyes, out of irritation. From the first of many reappearances Jenna made into Bobby's life, J.R. made his preference between the two women unmistakable. "Lord only knows the difference in his life had Jenna not run out on him the first time. The two of them would have been happily married with children of their own." As always, J.R. made the low-blow reference to the fact that Bobby's only child had been adopted into the family.
The mention of children riled Pamela, "Children aren't the basis for a marriage, J.R.. If you had the brain cells to reconcile that, maybe yours would be in better stead." Her mind floated away, back to yesteryear once more. "Besides, Bobby didn't really love Jenna."
"Bobby tell you that, did he?" J.R. snorted. She subtly nodded her head, in confirmation. Initially, J.R. had dismissed her remark but his instincts zoned in on the confidence behind her statement. He studied the fondness in her expression and the longing in her eyes and stumbled upon a realisation of his own. "I don't believe it," J.R. confessed, in an exasperated kind of astonishment at the assumption he had perceived.
Snapped back into reality, Pamela shook a little, "What?"
He raised his head to the ceiling of the elevator and shook his head, in disbelief. "I always knew my brother was gullible but I didn't think he was stupid." Further confused, Pamela scowled at J.R., who scoffed. "Mama said Bobby wasn't at home the night before he died. He wasn't at the office either." Aware of the revelation J.R. had stumbled upon, Pamela felt the heat rise in her cheeks and tenderly raised one hand to conceal any redness that had appeared. "He was with you, wasn't he?" Too ashamed to actually admit her crime of passion, Pamela bowed her head to avoid J.R.'s hypocritical display of abhorrence. "Well, no wonder that crazy sister of yours ran him down. I probably would have done the same, if only to knock some sense into him." J.R. muttered the final sentence under his breath. His and Katherine's tireless efforts to end Bobby's marriage had all been for naught. Ironically, Bobby wasn't the only member of the Ewing family that retreated to the comfort of familiarity; Lucy's remarriage to Mitch the most recent example. "Well, whatever ideas you had in that pretty little head of yours, I wouldn't be too beside yourself, if I were you. Bobby would have come to his senses, eventually. You proved you didn't have the capability to be a Ewing wife when you walked out on him."
"How dare you?" Pamela's eyes bore holes into his chest. The arrogance J.R. smothered himself in never failed to revolt Pamela. "I didn't have the capability to be a Ewing wife?" Incredulous, she repeated his maliciously-worded accusation. "If that's so, then why did Bobby ask me to marry him a second time?" The confirmation that Bobby and Pamela had, in fact, reconciled hours before his demise rattled J.R.'s core. His and Katherine's devious collaboration to separate Bobby and Pamela had been a pointless effort. Furthermore, his heartless scheme possibly only fuelled the obsession Katherine had quite clearly fallen into in the months before her murderous crime of passion. "I'm sure you're disappointed, after the lengths you and Katherine went to, to keep us apart." His eyes flashed toward her in shock, his involvement in her divorce revealed. "What's the matter, J.R.? Or didn't you think I would find out all the ways you manipulated her?" After the body identification, Pamela had been provided with Katherine's effects, which included items discovered in her nearby hotel suite and her diary proved a most enlightening read. "She kept quite a detailed account of your little dalliances. How the two of you planned to separate Bobby and I, all in an effort to keep this company for yourself." If she weren't so sickened by the lengths both J.R. and Katherine had gone to for their devoted causes, she would have almost admired them. What caused her the most discomfort was Katherine's descriptive record of their sexual encounter; how she loathed herself, not for the act itself but for the pleasure she found in him.
"Listen, honey, you put the final nail in the coffin when you ran off to the south of France with Mark Grayson." As usual, J.R. absolved himself of responsibility for the consequences his actions had caused. "Even a man like Bobby has his limits, you know?"
"What about women like Mandy?" The mention of his mistress was like a red flag to a bull; exactly the kind of reaction Pamela had anticipated. "Given what the entire office could hear this afternoon, she's certainly reached her limit." Disgruntled, J.R. shifted his body and did his level-headed best not to rise to her latest attack. "Do you ever plan to make an honest woman of her, J.R.?" While, personally, Pamela had no dislike for Mandy, her involvement with J.R. did little to endear her to Pamela's heart and her friendship with Sue Ellen came first and foremost. "From what I could tell, her patience has worn pretty thin."
His tone became one of calm authority and J.R. cleared his throat, "I am under no obligation to explain myself to you, even if my brother did have the poor judgement to make us partners in this company."
The pettiness in their conversation had started to become just as intolerable for Pamela, as it had evidently been for J.R. and she wrapped her coat around her waist a little tighter for extra warmth. "You know, J.R., you and I could go back and forth like this hours but I don't particularly care to do so. Security should be here in a few hours, so let's just try and make the best of this, shall we?" Relieved, J.R. remained expressionless in response and watched as Pamela shut her eyes, in an attempt to rest for the remaining hours of their imprisonment.
The sudden rattle and jerk of the elevator disrupted J.R. and Pamela from the slumber neither realised they had fallen into. "It's fixed," Pamela stated the obvious, as she did her best to make herself semi-presentable.
"About time too," J.R. growled. Their inescapable predicament put a whole new twist on the phrase 'late night at the office' and he didn't appreciate the irony. The ache of an uncomfortable position hindered J.R.'s back as Pamela softly rolled her neck from side to side. "I trust you'll cancel our lunch date with Mr Ackerman?" J.R. checked. After what they had endured, all J.R. desired was a hearty Southfork breakfast and a proper night's rest in his own bed. Any work or appointments could be rescheduled; besides, there was a little point in owning the company if he couldn't step away from the office at his own pleasure.
Eventually, the elevator grounded itself at the reception floor and J.R. rose to his feet. Without hesitation, the second the doors slid open, he marched from the elevator toward the unsuspecting member of security, who had made his first appearance of the day, only to make the discovery of J.R. and Pamela on the CCTV monitors. Rather surprised at J.R. and Pamela's dishevelled appearances, he cocked his head, "Good morning, Mr Ewing –"
A look of disgust sprung across J.R.'s face as he overlooked the man, "You're fired."
Calm and collected, J.R. scooped his Stetson onto his head and departed the building, while Pamela shot the member of security a sympathetic look. If she weren't quite so exhausted, she would have defended the bewildered employee. "Good morning, Will. Would you have your head of security call me later this afternoon, please? Thank you." She didn't provide the man a second to respond before she bottled from the office and in the direction of her home.
