Dallas, Texas

"…you'll be great and I just know that you're going to love it. You're a natural mother figure, you're as prepared as you can be, you have a wonderful support system and I know how much and for how long you've wanted this for; you may have concerns about your ability, but I have no doubt that you'll be an excellent mother. I won't say that it's easy, because it's not, it's the hardest thing I have ever done, but it's also the best and most rewarding thing I've ever done. I love being a mother and even though, in an ideal world, I wouldn't have necessarily planned on having a baby so soon after graduation, I wouldn't change a thing". Walking around the pond at Southfork together, Sue Ellen listened and smiled as her friend gave her an encouraging speech and reflected on her own experiences, and when she paused for a moment, Sue Ellen turned toward her and hugged her tightly. She and Paula didn't see or communicate with each other nearly as often as they should have, but both women still considered the other a dear friend. Sue Ellen mentally chastised herself for being so silly in the past when she was so down and depressed, her friend may have been a busy wife and mother, but she was in a similar position when it came to real friends and they could have really helped each other over the past year. The majority of Paula's friends were mothers of her son's friends or wives of Roger's co-workers and she often missed having someone to have fun with and just talk with openly and honestly, just as Sue Ellen did. Moving to a different city or state as a young, newly married woman was not the ideal time to make friends based on one's own interests, and Paula really regretted not keeping better contact with Sue Ellen, because as much as the two had had a completely different life experiences over the past few years, their feelings often overlapped.

Pulling back from their hug after a few meaningful moments, Paula decided to change the subject, neither of them really wanted to spend the precious time they had together dwelling over the sadness of the past and a little girl-talk was exactly what they needed to improve the mood. "Now, enough about motherhood; tell me all about your marriage, because from the slightly disgusted tone of voice your little niece used, I'm assuming that something has changed since the last time we spoke", she grinned at Sue Ellen devilishly and waited for a reply. Laughing aloud, Sue Ellen couldn't believe how comfortable she was with her old college roommate; Paula was the only person who really understood the transformation she had gone through between the ages of eighteen and twenty four, and excluding JR, she was the only person she was comfortable sharing her thoughts and opinions about certain topics with. They'd known each other since freshman year, when Sue Ellen really was a naïve, very conservative young woman, but over the course of their college years, Paula had encouraged her to open up a little and introduced her to a different side of life. It was nice to have a girl friend to talk to about certain things as opposed to only JR, because it gave her a different perspective and understanding of what women should want and expect from men; it wasn't as if her mother had given her a balanced or unbiased understanding of anything of that nature. Giggling as she gathered her thoughts, Sue Ellen launched into a brief explanation of their separation and reunion, emphasising that they were over those issues and she didn't want to dwell on them, but also making sure that her friend understood how necessary their separation and argument had been to the overall health of their relationship.

Grinning at her friend's happiness, Paula laughed aloud as she realised that she had been right about JR Ewing; for some insane reason, he had been holding back on his wife, but once they broke the barriers down and began to act on what they actually wanted, everything was so much better. It made her feel proud knowing that Sue Ellen had remembered and used some of the many pieces of information that she had relayed to her over the years, it wasn't all in vain. She'd always known that Patricia Shepard's teachings were ridiculous and archaic and that deep down, Sue Ellen was just as much a sexual being as any other girl her age, and now she had confirmation that she was right. There was one thing she was a little concerned about, but she was sure Sue Ellen was just taking her time getting there, not that JR Ewing was that selfish, though if he was, it wouldn't be entirely surprising, he could be an arrogant, inconsiderate bastard at times. "It's a little limiting being pregnant, but we're making it work, and I can't complain", Sue Ellen finished her brief overview of their relationship developments and waited for her friend to respond. Pausing for a moment as she processed everything Sue Ellen had said, Paula knew she had to say something, "I'm very happy for you and I'm very pleased that you two finally dropped the stuffy, conservative veil, however, in my honest opinion, I do think you're being a little short-changed here… You speak a lot about the things you do for him and it sounds like you're pleased with the distribution of power, however, there is one area where I think you need to be more upfront with your wants. If I know men, they always expect to receive, but they need a little nudge before giving and from what you're saying, JR is no exception to that generalisation. I'd be careful about accusing him of being selfish, because men hate that word, so I'd try a more subtle approach first, and then if he doesn't take the hint, then you can call him selfish, because I guarantee he knows exactly what you want. Next time you get to that point and he starts moving back up instead of going for it, do exactly what he does to you when he wants a little more attention, push him down, direct his attention to where you want it and if you must, exaggerate your reaction for a little while to boost his ego. Men are very sensitive about their ability to please a woman when it comes to using anything other than the obvious, but I guarantee you, he'll loosen up after a while, especially if he sees or hears that you're enjoying it, and then all of a sudden, you're faking won't be so fake anymore…" She winked at Sue Ellen and then shrugged, Sue Ellen may have been a good girl in college, but she certainly wasn't; she knew what she wanted and what she liked and she wasn't a pushover; if a man wanted it from her, then she expected a little reciprocation, it was only polite.

Not at all shocked about the logical information her friend had given her, Sue Ellen felt a little nervous about actually putting the instructions into action, however, if her previous experience with Paula's advice was anything to go by, JR wasn't that different to a lot of men in that respect and she should at least try it. "I'll remember that", she shook her head and grinned to herself as she tucked the information away in the back of her mind; Paula was right, she needed to stop being so meek and start being more direct about exactly what she wanted, because not saying anything was the worst way to resolve a their miscommunication issues. Continuing their afternoon of girl talk as they walked around an empty field on the ranch, one of the only places they actually had space to be alone and talk openly, without fear of being overheard, Sue Ellen smiled to herself as she realised how much she had missed and benefitted from having someone to talk to openly and honestly. Miss Ellie was a kind, sensible woman and Sue Ellen did consider her a friend, but first and foremost she was her mother-in-law, not a friend; what she needed was a real friend, preferably someone her own age and of her own generation. They had graduated college almost four years ago, but in that time, Sue Ellen still hadn't managed to find anyone who fit the bill as well as Paula did; she needed someone to laugh and have fun with, someone to support her when she was down, and someone to call her out when she was wrong or being wronged. It felt good to finally feel like a young, happy woman again; her life was good in most aspects right now and she could only see it improving.

To be continued…