Dallas, Texas
"Stop arguing and believe me, it's not going to work. Those fields are long-term investments and we're not currently looking for business in that area. We need something with a quick turnaround", JR sighed as he tried to explain to Bobby why he was saying no to his idea, it wasn't a good business move, that's all, but Bobby seemed to think that his older brother was out to get him. "But…" Bobby began to argue but JR cut him off, "no buts. I'm not saying those fields are bad; we could turn a tidy profit from them if we did purchase them, but right now we're just not in the market for something with such a long projected profit potential. We need to make a deal that's going to payoff and benefit Ewing Oil this financial year, not in five or ten years' time", JR knew he was right and their father would back him up if Bobby started to complain, so he had no problem being honest about why Bobby's idea wasn't being taken seriously. Bobby sighed, JR was making sense and he was starting to realise that he still had a lot to learn; he hadn't thought about the need for immediate return on investment, he'd only been thinking about profit in general, his father and brother were more experienced and knowledgeable and he probably should listen to them. "Ok fine, we'll do it your way", he stood and left the office, not wanting to discuss it any further; JR couldn't help but laugh at how childish his brother was acting and he grinned as he realised Bobby's inexperience and petulance were his two big weaknesses. He wasn't stupid, even if JR sometimes made him feel like he was, but he still had a lot to learn. Inadvertently, Bobby had just made JR aware of a deal that he could file away for a later point in time, the land Bobby wanted to buy was a good purchase, just not right now; there was nothing stopping JR from buying it in the future and taking the credit for the deal.
Austin, Texas
"Happy birthday Kristin, these are from JR and me", Sue Ellen handed her sister a small box and watched he face light up in excitement, she knew that anything Sue Ellen bought her was going to be good, she had great taste and she was rich now. "Thank you Sue Ellen", Kristin gasped and thanked her sister as she revealed the silver diamond necklace and matching earrings; she was only just ten years old, but she acted much older and already appreciated the finer things in life, Patricia had managed to train her youngest daughter to seek wealth much earlier than she had Sue Ellen. "Oh they're lovely, they must have been very expensive", Patricia wasted no time analysing the diamonds and concluding that Sue Ellen must have spent a small fortune on the gift, her marriage to JR was paying off. Sue Ellen hated the way her mother always made everything about money, it was so unnecessary to talk about, yet she constantly felt the need to mention it, "JR is a very generous man", she didn't want to get into a further discussion so she kept her reply short. "He is", Patricia agreed, "speaking of JR, will he be coming to the party tomorrow? I know he had a business dinner tonight, but tomorrow's Saturday, surely he doesn't work weekends", Sue Ellen suppressed an eye roll, she had already explained the situation to her mother, but she wouldn't leave it alone for some reason, it was like she wanted there to be some drama between them, though she couldn't imagine why. "Well JR is a very busy man, he works when he has to, and sometimes that means weekends. He said to send his regards though and told me to invite you to dinner sometime", she fibbed a little, bending the truth to match their actions. JR did have a business dinner tonight, but she wasn't sure that he actually had anything to do over the weekend, he could have come if he'd wanted to, but spending his Saturday at a ten year old's birthday party wasn't his ideal day. It was something Sue Ellen completely understood and she was happy to cover for him, he worked hard all week and he deserved to relax on the weekends, she was sure that he could find some way to entertain himself for a few hours until she returned home in the afternoon. "How nice; you know, you haven't had us out to the ranch for a while, perhaps we could visit for the weekend sometime", Sue Ellen was offering a dinner invitation, but Patricia was an opportunist and quickly turned it into a weekend-long event. "Sure mama, I'm sure the family would love to see you and Kristin", Sue Ellen smiled and agreed; some things just weren't worth arguing about.
Dallas, Texas
"I have a feeling the Cowboys are gonna be winners this season. I've met Landry, he knows what he's doing", Bobby justified his opinion by launching into a story about his college football days and the two men were hooked, they may not be on the same page businesswise, but football had a way of bringing people together. They spent a good part of the night comparing stories about different players and coaches through the years, both NFL and NCAA, and Jock watched as his youngest son managed to use his football knowledge and experience to persuade their potential business partners to work with them. Bobby was a natural, he was personable and friendly and he was able to find common ground with people before resorting to less ethical tactics; it was always preferable to try doing things the right way before doing them the wrong way and he'd already started to think about how he could better utilize Bobby's talents to benefit Ewing Oil. The three B's were a tried-and-true method, but they didn't all have to be used at once; for the dirtier negotiations he had JR, but for the harmless ones where people just needed a little persuading, he could use Bobby; people weren't afraid of him in the way they were JR. Of course, Bobby would have to know how to negotiate by exerting his influence and putting the pressure on, but most of that work was JR's field of expertise. In the way that friendly and relatable were synonymous with Bobby Ewing; scheming and conniving were words more suitable for JR Ewing; Bobby's relatability would be a great asset to the company. Their drinking continued well into the night and by the time the Cattlemen's Club started to empty, the five men were well past sober. Exiting the bar, Bobby showed his age by suggesting that they continue the festivities elsewhere, their new business partners declined and Jock said something about not being as young as his sons, but JR didn't see the harm in joining his brother, his wife was in Austin anyway, staying out was just as good as going home.
To be continued…