Dallas, Texas

Sue Ellen smiled to herself as she left the hospital after her twenty-three week prenatal check-up appointment; she felt wonderful both physically and emotionally and it obviously showed. Her obstetrician had immediately made a friendly comment about how happy she looked and she had been pleasantly surprised when she took her blood pressure and noted that it had returned to a normal, healthy level. She had only been 'working' for four days, but she was already feeling more positive, useful and satisfied with the way her life was; it wasn't a huge time commitment, because her job was only to dress women, she didn't actually have to sort through the donations or seek sponsorships, but the hours she did work were fulfilling and rewarding. Even JR seemed to realise that he had overreacted, because despite his initial worry about her not giving him the attention he wanted, he soon realised that that was the furthest thing from the truth. The reality of their lives was that he worked a lot and her moods were affected by what she decided to do with herself during those periods. Having too much free time gave her too much time to think and worry and to become a narcissistic, unhappy woman; but to be out of the house, doing something worthwhile, gave her a sense of satisfaction, self-worth and occupied her time in a substantial way; her life had meaning now, no longer did she just simply exist. Her new life choice had had a knock-on effect on her marriage too; she may not have been working a paid job, but at least she had something of her own, something she could define her personal successes by; it was something that somewhat bonded she and JR on a new level, one that they hadn't had before. Now, when JR spoke about his day, she also had something to contribute to the conversation, things that didn't involve her gossiping about the other society ladies or showing him her new shopping purchases. It also gave her something other than herself or her husband to focus her thoughts and attention on, at least for a little while; that meant that when she did return home afterwards, she was excited to see JR for reasons other than just because she was lonely and wanted companionship. She knew that when the baby came, she would have to re-work her schedule again, to accommodate JR, motherhood and her voluntary work, but she knew she was capable of doing all three and she wanted to make it work.

"Daddy", JR stepped into his father's office, an amended copy of his new contract in his hand; if his father wanted to negotiate the terms of his future presidency of Ewing Oil, then he was going to be an equal participant in the negations, and he intended on being the winning party when they came to an agreement. He'd originally gone to see Harv Smithfield, but he'd soon realised that that was a mistake, because Harv was the lawyer who had originally drawn up the contract, he couldn't work for JR, he was already working for Jock. So now, JR's lawyer was Brooks Oliver, he wasn't JR's ideal, but he was a fine lawyer and JR was sure that getting the small changes he was proposing approved was more dependent on his father's opinion rather than anything a lawyer could change; he just needed a lawyer to write the documents and make everything permanent and legal. "Junior", Jock looked up at JR and noticed the contract in his hand, nodding at him, he told him to close the door and take a seat. Sitting down, JR placed the contract on the desk, "I'll get straight to the point of my visit. I've had my lawyer look over the contract and he's come up with a few things that we never discussed and I would like to have in writing before signing anything", he paused and looked at his father for a moment. "It's come to my attention that what is written in this contract is really only binding during the period between your retirement and your death; technically, I'm only being given control to run the company as I see fit, but I have no legal ownership. I need assurance that when you tell me that Ewing Oil is mine, that means forever, not just for the next few decades. I worked hard for this and it is my rightful inheritance, so I want to know that when the time comes, Ewing Oil will remain in my hands, and eventually, will be passed on to my son and his son, and so on. Just as we had always discussed and planned", he felt a little awkward referring to the fact that his father was going to die someday, but he needed to say it, he needed to protect his own interests and the interests of his family. "I've already made a promise to my wife to be a loving and faithful husband and I intend to keep that promise, so yes, I will agree to the terms of the morality clause, however, I want you to agree to my terms too. It's really no different to what we've always discussed and what the original succession plan was, I'm just making sure that there is no confusion or place for challenge, because just as you wanted me to follow in your footsteps, I want the same for my son and all future men that bear the name John Ross Ewing". He handed his father a copy of the amended contract and waited for him to say something, anything.

Jock didn't know what to think of JR's proposal; his son wasn't entirely wrong, but that didn't mean that he agreed with everything he was saying. He'd assumed that there would be some kind of negotiation, because he'd taught JR how to do business and one of their first lessons had been about never accepting a first offer, but he was also a little angry and offended that JR was inferring that he couldn't be trusted to follow through on his promise in his will. He had three sons, and yes, Bobby had the potential to be a capable and successful businessman, however, it was always his intention that JR be the one to take over the role of president upon his retirement and then owner upon his death. Perhaps if things had been different and he'd raised his sons to have the same skillset, so that they truly were equals and could run the company together in a partnership, perhaps then he would've considered them to truly be equals, however, that wasn't the reality of the situation. Despite the fact that Bobby was his favourite and he'd given him everything, he couldn't deny that JR had worked hard and had earned his position, and in the long run, JR had the drive and skills required to achieve the title they were aiming for; JR was capable of making Ewing Oil the largest independent oil company in Texas.

Flicking through the contract, he read the amendments JR's lawyer had made; "ok, new deal. Upon my retirement there will be a fifty one, forty nine percent ownership split, in your favour; I want to step back from the business, so you will be free to run the company how you see fit, however, I still want to be involved, at least on paper. Upon my death, you will receive the remaining forty nine percent, and it will be stipulated that Ewing Oil is to remain a family business, though I know how much you care about it, so I don't doubt that it will remain that way. I'm willing to agree to your wishes, because even though you seem to doubt my final intentions, I am being honest when I say that it was always my intention to leave Ewing Oil to you, so I will make it legal now if you wish to see it yourself. However, you need to remember that all of this is dependent on you staying within the boundaries that have been set. One move the wrong way and Ewing Oil is no longer yours, nor your sons. I'm serious JR, I want this family to do things the right way, and you have the power to make sure that that happens. That is my final offer", he looked at the contract once more and then began to write down what he was offering; if JR agreed, they could have a meeting with their lawyers in the next few days; he wanted JR legally bound by his rules ASAP.

Sitting quietly as he considered it for a moment, JR then nodded, "deal, thank you daddy. I'll call my lawyer and we'll set up a meeting to go through the amended documents sometime next week. Is that ok with you?" It wasn't ideal, he would have preferred to gain ownership and control of the entire company upon his father's retirement, however, he wasn't stupid, he knew the position he was in now and he wasn't going to argue with a majority percentage agreement for the short term and promise that it would all be his one day. "Fine, fine. Now, get out of here. I want you working hard and making us money, not sitting around making idle chitchat", he spoke jokingly, though he was half-serious. JR was taking three days off next week for his wedding anniversary, and although he was pleased that his son was making an effort to be a good husband, he needed JR's full attention as a business partner right now; they couldn't afford to fall behind in their work. "Yes daddy", JR nodded, shook his father's hand and then left the office, grinning to himself as he closed the door; he may not have gotten exactly what he wanted, but things were pretty damn good right now and he was happy. For once, both his personal life and his business life were issue-free and he was excited to simply just get to enjoy life without having to worry about all of the challenges that he was facing.

To be continued…