Dallas, Texas

"Success. Let's talk about that for a moment… Being successful is important to you, yes?" observing JR Ewing as he nodded, almost confusedly, as if he didn't quite understand what was going on, Doctor Williams then continued, "tell me why?" Taking a long pause in-between hearing the question and responding, JR looked at the good doctor and then at his wife who was watching him calmly, just waiting for him to answer, as if the question wasn't completely random. "Why? What do you mean why? What kind of question is that? Who in this world doesn't want to be successful? Of course, not everyone is successful and not everyone has the ability to be successful, but that doesn't mean that those who can't don't still want it…" answering the question with more questions, genuinely confused by the subject matter, he felt completely lost when Doctor Williams simply nodded and scribbled a few notes down on the notepaper in his lap. "What are you writing?" leaning forward, even though the angle didn't really help him to see anything, he grew more confused and frustrated when Doctor Williams just smiled and answered in the most basic way, "I'm noting your response to the question". What did Sue Ellen see in this man? He was so elusive and calm; frankly, it just struck him as weird that the doctor seemed to lack any true reaction to things. So far, marriage counselling had been a very odd experience, one he didn't really understand and had yet to see the point to. They hadn't even really spoken about marriage yet, in fact, everything they had discussed so far had been very open-ended and vague.

"Success as a concept is related to the achievement of goals or accomplishing something bigger and better than what is considered average. You said it yourself, everyone, or at least most people, want to be successful. What I want to know is what this means to you? For example, different things motivate different people: money, power, happiness, respect, reputation, legacy, expectation, revenge, even just the thrill of winning; there are many more motivators, some broad and others very narrow and personal. What I'm asking is for you to think about what drives you to want to be successful? Success is obviously important, but there has to be a reason why, especially since you are a very successful man", explaining a little but leaving JR to think and then respond, Doctor Williams observed both JR and Sue Ellen as JR considered everything. "I'm sorry, I don't think I quite understand what's going on here. Are we not gathered here today for marriage counselling? What does any of that have to do with marriage?" holding off on answering the question until he had a few answers of his own, JR then stared at Doctor Williams and waited, once again sighing in frustration at his calm, unaffected nature; how did he manage to respond to hostility with such neutrality? "You're right, this is a marriage counselling session, however, in order to help you and Sue Ellen with the problems you face as individuals and as a married couple, I first have to understand you, but more importantly, you both have to have a deeper understanding of yourselves and of each other. If you and Sue Ellen were two completely new patients, I would pitch these sorts of questions to both of you in this first session, however, as Sue Ellen and I have been working together for a few months now, she's already answered a few of the standard questions, so naturally, more time is spent on getting to know you. Now, that doesn't mean this is all about you and not at all about Sue Ellen, it's not, and you're not being excluded from hearing her answer questions either; you'll both have a chance to speak and discuss, but right now, we're talking about you. Think of this as an introductory meeting, one where we simply talk and get a feeling for the situation rather than anything where we're really working at creating an action plan. Does that make more sense?" looking JR in the eye as he spoke, Doctor Williams smiled slightly when he noticed JR's expression changing; it was obvious that JR Ewing liked to be in control and situations where he wasn't made him uncomfortable, but if he could be reassured with basic, truthful explanations, then all hope was not lost.

"Yes, I suppose so", nodding, JR accepted the doctor's answer and then paused, considering the question that he'd been asked. What drove him? Why did he want to be successful? Taking a breath, he then answered as honestly as he could, "to answer your question, all of those things you listed, all of those things drive me. I want to be successful because I enjoy the wealth, reputation and thrill that winning and being successful brings me. I am expected to be successful because I am a Ewing and Ewings are winners and have a legacy and reputation to uphold and I will not be the one to ruin that. As well as those things, I want my family, especially my wife and son, to be proud of me. I want my son to feel the same way about my legacy as I do about my father's legacy; I want John Ross to want to emulate and continue my success, and in order to have that happen, I have to be the best, do the best and give him the best. My success is not just my success, it doesn't just affect me, it affects everyone around me, so naturally, I have to be a very driven man, there are a lot of people watching and judging me and I do not and will not disappoint them". Driven not only by ego but also by pride and love, JR delivered his answer strongly and was surprised when Sue Ellen's hand moved toward his. His answer hadn't really centred around her, but she obviously appreciated his dedication to being a good father to their son and he knew that she understood what he meant when he spoke of his success being for a group larger than just himself. Scribbling down a few notes, Doctor Williams smiled inwardly; the two Ewings had a lot of work ahead of them if they truly wanted to fix the underlying issues in their relationship, however, their introductory session was proving to be a success, so he held high hopes for the future; it wouldn't be easy, but it was definitely possible.

To be continued…