Dallas, Texas

"Mama", Bobby greeted his mother as he walked into the living room for pre-dinner cocktails, "daddy said he and JR would try to make it home in time for dinner, but he sends his apologies if they get stuck at the office. There's a lot going on that they have to get done before we shut down over the holidays", he gave a casual explanation as he walked over to the bar to pour himself a drink. Turning as Sue Ellen walked into the room, he politely greeted her and asked for her drink preference "would you like wine or club soda?" He didn't think much of his sister-in-law's presence, she was just there, as usual, though she did have the forlorn, sad expression on her face again today, the one that usually meant she was upset about something JR had done, or not done. "Just club soda tonight, thank you", Sue Ellen spoke softly and quietly and it was clear that she wasn't in a happy mood this evening, after all, it was the fourth night this week that JR had been absent from cocktails and she was getting lonely in her withdrawal from being the centre of his attention. She knew not to expect too much from JR, he was a busy man and he had important responsibilities to deal with, however, when things were calmer at work and he had more time to pay attention to her, she always managed to convince herself that it would stay that way forever. So when he inevitably got busy with work again and wasn't able to give her so much of his time and attention, she had a hard time adjusting back into her regular life.

Bobby had to feel a little bit for Sue Ellen, her whole life was about pleasing JR, but if he knew his brother as well as he thought he did, then she was setting herself up for disappointment in the long run. No matter how attentive JR could be in short bursts, he had a million other things on his mind, and his wife was not a top priority. It was nice to know that she tried hard to be a dedicated, traditional wife, but really, she probably would have been happier if she did more things for her own benefit instead of focusing on JR all the time. In general, he didn't really have a problem with JR enjoying the company of women, it was only natural for a man to feel that way, however, in observing the effect JR's absence had on his wife, it occurred to Bobby that what JR was doing in his free time was less than upstanding. He wasn't stupid, JR may have been actually working right now and many of the other times he spent nights at the office outside of business hours, but that didn't mean that he was always working, and it wasn't entirely fair to Sue Ellen for him to blame Ewing Oil for his distance. Bobby's role in the business involved travelling and spreading goodwill to anyone who could help Ewing Oil, but while he was dealing with mostly out-of-town associates, JR was providing the same services to their associates within the local area. JR had been the one that taught him how to use sex as a weapon in business negotiations, and he'd never discouraged personally partaking in the very thing he was promoting, so even if JR wasn't actively seeking other women outside of his work, he was definitely not abstaining from fully participating in whatever business deals he was negotiating.

"Thank you", Sue Ellen took the glass that he handed to her before pausing, "is JR working late again tonight?" she hated the way she felt when he wasn't around and she hated that she couldn't stop thinking about the 'what if' of the situation. Although she was almost certain that JR really did have work to do and was at the office with his father, she still had a niggling suspicion that there was something more to his actions, something she really didn't want to believe. She and JR had been so close in the past few months, but now, all of a sudden, he'd gotten busy with work again and the wall had gone up between them. On one hand, she loved that she was married to such a wealthy, powerful man, but on the other, it annoyed her that his work always took precedence over her and their relationship. "Mhm, he and daddy have a lot of paperwork to deal with in preparation for the upcoming break", Bobby gave his standard answer and didn't really expect her to take the conversation any further, so it surprised him when she did, "I see. Don't you also work at Ewing Oil?" it wasn't really what she said that surprised him as much as it was the way she said it, as if she were accusing him of not pulling his weight. "Yes Sue Ellen, I do. However, my job is primarily about working with potential business partners, not working in the office dealing with paperwork, at least not in the way daddy and JR do", he answered sharply and politely, but deep down, he was annoyed at her accusations, she was the last person he had to impress with his work. "I understand", Sue Ellen nodded and took a sip of her club soda, Bobby's words had reaffirmed what JR had always said about his brother, he wasn't on the same level as JR was, he never did the overtime or extra hard work that the oil business required, he just drifted by, doing what he was asked, but nothing more.

Her dismissive attitude made him more upset than he liked to admit, because for a woman who did nothing worthwhile all day, she sure did judge as if she were in a higher position than he was, "I'd keep out of it if I were you. I don't think JR would appreciate your concern about my job status, he has me exactly where he wants me right now, and the only reason I stay there is because I happen to like my job the way it is. However, if at any moment I decide that I want a more office-based role, I know that daddy would have no problem with me joining the day-to-day operations, and I think we both know how JR would react to that change", he gave her a menacing look as he finished speaking and she knew it was time to stop talking. Bobby was right and she knew it; even if JR believed his brother wasn't worthy of working at Ewing Oil, he didn't actually wish for him to try to be more involved. Sitting across the room, Miss Ellie listened to Lucy while she observed Sue Ellen and Bobby as they appeared to be involved in a tense discussion, and she sighed with relief as Teresa appeared in the doorway and interrupted their conversation, "Mrs Ewing, dinner is ready". As everyone moved into the dining room for dinner, Sue Ellen mulled over Bobby's words again and frowned to herself; it wasn't a fair situation at all, Bobby worked less than he was capable of and JR worked more than he probably should have had to, but neither wanted to change the way the system operated. In a way, she was more upset for herself than anyone else, because with JR working so much, their relationship was what suffered the most and she couldn't do anything about it, and even if she could, JR wouldn't want her to.

To be continued…