"I like what you've done with the place, mama."
Sue Ellen flashed her son a warm thank you smile. His were the first words anyone had spoken in almost five minutes with the exception of compliments to the chef.
Within a week of her return, J.R. requested her presence for dinner at Southfork. She accepted the invitation on the condition that the venue be her own home instead. Somehow, it felt less daunting than an evening under the curious observation of her former in-laws. As irony would have it, Sue Ellen yearned for a witty remark from Lucy or the frivolous pleasantries over an after-dinner drink.
"Would anyone care for dessert?" Sue Ellen hopefully searched the circular table of full, satisfied stomachs. It was the first time they had sat around the table as a family in years. When her family of three arrived, John Ross had hopped across the threshold with a bottle of non-alcoholic fizz as if it were a weekly occurrence. J.R. and Eleanor appeared equally untroubled, yet Sue Ellen failed to attain their devil-may-care attitude.
"No thank you, darlin'," J.R. placed his napkin onto the empty dinner plate.
"No thank you, mama," John Ross effortlessly replicated his fathers action.
"No thanks," Eleanor neatly folded her napkin and lay it beside her placemat. "Besides, John Ross and I are already late." Her brother briefly scowled, which luckily went unnoticed by both adults, and Eleanor silently pleaded for his aid. "Remember, Wyatt invited us over. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson are having a party to celebrate their thirtieth wedding anniversary," she offered further explanation for the sake of their parents.
John Ross beheld his mothers visceral disappointment. "You don't mind if we duck out early, do you, mama?"
"Of course not," Sue Ellen placidly responded. The small-talk had surpassed an unbearable level and all of the obvious matters had been discussed - school, business, Southfork. She resolved to cut her losses and hope for their family dynamic would feel more natural with the passage of time. "I'll walk you out."
"Can we drive you home on our way, daddy?"
"That's okay, son. I'll find my own way back," J.R. kindly declined the offer as he and Sue Ellen escorted their children onto the drive. "That's as long as your mama doesn't mind my company for a while." Sue Ellen expressed reassurance in the form of a shy smile, her cheeks a faint pink blush. "Back before curfew and mind your sister." J.R. instructed his son, as Sue Ellen wrapped her arms around Eleanor.
"Yes, sir. Thanks for dinner, mama," John Ross leaned forward and pecked his mother on the cheek. He and Eleanor climbed into the Porsche, out of their parents earshot when he muttered underneath his breath, "Did you want to let me know where the hell we're goin'?"
"Party in Addison, you can drop me off. Tyler will drive me home," Eleanor whispered back with a wide, innocent smile and farewell wave to her parents before they sped away from the property.
There was a brief awkward silence before Sue Ellen nervously pursed her lips. "Would you care for a drink? I'm afraid I can't offer you anything stronger than coffee." She preferred not to stock alcohol in the house; it reduced the temptations that still plagued her on the worst of days.
"Ah, I barely touch the stuff anymore."
She eyed him suspiciously. She was certain it was a falsehood to put her at ease. "Well, perhaps I could tempt you to a pot of tea." J.R. stalked Sue Ellen back inside the house and perused the select few photographs of herself and their children that were on display. Years later, and it felt like only yesterday that their family was still intact. His wayward ways had destroyed them once and for all in the battle for WestStar but he was eternally thankful that Sue Ellen still afforded him her friendship, if only for the sake of their children.
"Thank you, honey." J.R. readily accepted the cup of chamomile tea and Sue Ellen noticed that he had loosened his tie and unbuttoned the collar of his shirt in her absence.
She suppressed her amusement when J.R. balked at its bitter taste. "Dinner was a lovely idea."
"Well, I think it's important John Ross and Eleanor see their parents still share some kind of - - bond," he replied. "We may be divorced, darlin', but we'll always be family." They had each done their damndest to escape that truth but, in the end, it was their reality. John Ross and Eleanor's mere existence locked their souls for eternity. "We're all real happy to see you back. Have you decided what you'll do once you're settled?"
"Actually, no," Sue Ellen shook her head, thankful for the deflection. Clayton had provided for her substantially in his will but the lengthy divorce proceedings and lack of a prenuptial agreement resulted in some financial losses, though thankfully no major damage. "I think what I need now - for a while, at least - is just to be still."
"You need any doors opened, you'll let me know," he replied, half-confirmation and half-instruction.
"I will," she smiled wryly. "How about you? Any plans for early retirement?"
J.R. released a hearty chuckle at her jovial remark. "Darlin', our boy has a lot more to learn about the oil business before I can retire." As far as J.R. was concerned, John Ross' academic pursuits were little more than youthful distraction from his real purpose. Oil ran in his blood, an intrinsic part of his body and soul, as it was for J.R. and his father before him.
His reply prompted a deeper level of seriousness within Sue Ellen. She was intimately familiar with all the hopes and dreams J.R. had for their son and acutely aware that the family business held far less of an appeal for John Ross. "What about Eleanor? I thought you were priming her to be your successor."
"Oh, I don't think she's all that serious," he half-heartedly dismissed the prospect.
"You mean, you'd rather not have a young woman at the helm of your daddy's company." Sue Ellen slyly discerned with a delicate roll of her eyes. She had withheld her reservations that their daughter would only be met with disappointment in the end. After all, Ewing Oil had been created by Jock for J.R., and J.R. had nurtured it into Ewing Energies for John Ross.
"Oh, I'm sure she'd be more than capable," J.R. happily conceded. Eleanor had shown promise on her very first day and continued to exceed expectations as she balanced school, extra-curricular classes and her work at the office. "The company is John Ross' birthright, that's all."
"Eleanor's too," Sue Ellen pointedly reminded him. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe she wants it more than John Ross?" The perplexed expression on J.R.'s face answered Sue Ellen's question for her. "I think she does."
"Bobby did too once. He backed down in the end." After years of brotherly battles for their father's company and their mother's ranch, J.R. had triumphed in the war. Bobby had purchased Ray's modest ranch and continued to steward Southfork from a slender distance, while J.R. remained president of the company and lord of the manor.
"Just be careful, J.R.," Sue Ellen warned, her tone friendly yet firm. "I don't want you playing our children off one another like your daddy did you and your brothers; that war cost us all too much the first time around."