Austin, Texas

Sue Ellen walked toward the exit of the shopping mall with three bags of new clothes, mostly things she didn't really need, but she thought JR would enjoy seeing her wear, she liked to please him visually. Although she'd bought a few unnecessary things, she had also done some shopping that she needed and she was sure JR would love; she'd spent all afternoon trying on various nightgowns, trying to find just the right ones for her honeymoon, and a very special one for her wedding night. She wanted everything to be perfect for when they finally were married and finally free to do everything they'd waited for; that kind of anticipation and expectation called for the best of the best and she didn't want him to be disappointed. Her attention was on the door as she walked, but three brightly coloured posters in the window of a travel agency distracted her; it was driving her crazy not knowing where they were going on their honeymoon. Purchasing clothes and accessories to bring with her was a nightmare when she didn't know the climate or social customs of their honeymoon destination, and letting go of control of something so important was a little unnerving. She'd been so heavily involved in wedding planning and getting all of the details just right that it scared her a little bit that she was leaving all of the post-reception details to JR; he'd promised that she would be surprised but she had never really enjoyed surprises very much. She tried to convince herself to just trust him, after all, he'd planned hundreds of dates for them and she'd enjoyed almost every one of them, his judgement and track record were good, and he wanted to have an unforgettable honeymoon just as much as she did. She forced herself to continue walking toward the exit, it wouldn't do her any good to go and look at the various locations that were being advertised, JR was unpredictable and she'd probably never guess their destination.

Dallas, Texas

"Everything is finally coming together the way I wanted it, the way I planned it. JR is finally settling down, hopefully soon we'll have the grandson we've always wanted, a wife and a son does wonders for a man's sense of responsibility. Then there's Bobby, he'll be graduating in May and coming to work with me, exactly the way I envisioned when the boys were younger; and even Lucy, she seems to have settled a little bit since the news of the engagement" Jock congratulated himself, though he wasn't really responsible for any of the events. Miss Ellie listened and agreed, "yes, I'm very pleased about everything too. I knew it would all work itself out"; she had hoped that this day would come sooner and the circumstances would be more welcoming and inviting for Gary to be included in the plan, but that didn't matter anymore, what was happening now was good and that's all that was important. Teresa appeared in the doorway, announcing that Mavis Anderson had arrived, "thank you Teresa" Miss Ellie then turned her attention to Jock, "I'll be back later tonight. The bridal shower ends sometime in the evening" before she stood and left the house with Mavis.

Austin, Texas

Sue Ellen put away the leftover food and started to clean the tables as Patricia looked through the pile of gifts Sue Ellen had received from her friends; a tea set, cashmere blanket, crystal vase, champagne glasses, silver photo frames, kitchenware and bedroom décor items were the most popular gifts. Patricia was pleased with the amount of gifts; anything that Sue Ellen wouldn't use at Southfork would probably end up staying in Austin with her, and Southfork probably already had all of these things, leaving the majority of the presents for she and Kristin to use in their home. "It was a lovely party", the two women sat down to have tea at the end of the night, though Sue Ellen was more tired than Patricia was, she'd done the majority of the post-party clean up while her mother tried to hide her excitement as she examined each gift; she was so transparent when it came to money. "Yes, it was so nice to see my college friends again", she honestly replied, it was true, she had missed the girls she went to college with more than she had realised. The bridal shower had given them the perfect opportunity for a reunion where she was actually happy and excited, unlike previous occasions where something was always just a little wrong in her life.

"Sue Ellen", Patricia knocked on her daughter's bedroom door, it was the day after the bridal shower, a week before the wedding, and Kristin was at a friend's house all afternoon; now seemed like the perfect time to have this conversation. Sue Ellen opened her bedroom door and Patricia invited her downstairs, it wouldn't be very wise to speak of such things in a private space like the bedroom, she wasn't sure that Sue Ellen could be trusted alone with all of the new knowledge she was about to give her. Sue Ellen sat down as her mother looked at her seriously, "my dear, there are a few things you should know…about after the wedding", Sue Ellen blushed as she realised the intended direction of their conversation and that she was going to have to listen to her mother speak about it. An hour later, Sue Ellen walked slowly through the park near her house, still a little shocked by the biological facts her mother had given her and the way she'd spoken about it, as if it were a chore that wives had to do, not something that she was actually expected to enjoy. She'd known all about the 'joy' that came with the physical act, being in college was eye-opening and she'd graduated with a lot more knowledge than she'd started with in freshman year; but the way her mother had described it was anything but joyful, it was so mechanical and unfeeling; now she was just confused. She loved JR, and it was incredibly difficult for her to keep telling him no because she had such strong feelings of want, but she'd kept her promise to herself and her mother and she hadn't done anything before marriage. But now that she was finally almost allowed to tell him yes, she was being fed a different message from her mother, that men enjoyed it, and it was a woman's duty to perform, not because she wanted to, but because that was what was expected of her. She shouldn't expect to be wowed or excited by the intimate act, but she should always act like she was, because men did not want to know that they failed at pleasing a woman. It was all very confusing; if it wasn't enjoyable for a woman, then why would all of the girls she went to college with be doing it? A lot of those girls weren't traditional, they were modern women who did things for themselves, not just to please men; it didn't make sense that they'd be doing those things if they didn't enjoy them. As she returned home, she heard Kristin inside the house; any opportunity for further conversation was now gone. She'd have to figure it out on her own, though that was probably best anyway, she knew that her mother wasn't always right, and her sorority sisters were also not always right; it was up to her to make up her own mind about how she felt about it.

To be continued...