Dallas, Texas

"JR", without knocking, Jock Ewing opened the door to his eldest son's office and entered, abruptly closing the door behind him and walking toward a slightly startled and confused looking JR. "Daddy?" looking up from the geographical reports he had been reading, JR waited for his father to tell him whatever it was that he was annoyed about, because from the way he'd entered the room, it was clear that something was bothering him. "JR, I want to know what you're planning on doing every Tuesday and Friday at eleven in the morning for the foreseeable future and what all of the locational conditions about meeting scheduling on those days are all about. You're the vice president of this company and that position comes with certain responsibilities, one of which is having a high level of flexibility and availability to work wherever and whenever Ewing Oil needs you to. We have meetings with important people and sometimes we need to work around their schedules, you know that, and I'll give you credit where it's due, you're normally very good at that, but when Julie comes into my office to clarify meeting changes because you're swanning off somewhere secretive and therefore aren't available when I need you, that concerns me. What also concerns me is the fact that even Diane wasn't able to give me much more than a list of meeting scheduling dos and don'ts for those days and an explanation that the time was marked down as 'early lunch'. Now, I know that sometimes we don't tell our secretaries everything, but as much as I want to just trust that you're doing whatever you need to and it's all above board, I need to ask you directly, because I need to know". Pausing for a moment as he looked at JR expectantly, he finished speaking, "so, what do you have to say for yourself?"

A little annoyed that his father was essentially implying that he couldn't be trusted to leave the office on his own, JR sighed and then decided that with the state his father was in right now, honesty was probably the best policy, because he wasn't doing anything wrong and making excuses was silly and unnecessary. Taking a deep breath, he looked at his father and then spoke, "well daddy, I'm doing exactly what you told me to do; I'm working on bettering my life, my marriage, John Ross' future and the future of Ewing Oil". Seeing that his father wasn't pleased with a vague explanation, he then made it very clear what he was intending to do on Tuesday and Friday mornings, "Sue Ellen and I have begun marriage counselling. We're booked to attend twice a week and I intend to use the break time I am legally entitled to to attend those sessions; I'll just take that lunch break an hour earlier than I usually would and any other breaks I just won't take. I'm well within my legal rights to do so, especially since half the time I'm at work I don't even take a break because I'm so busy, because, as you said, my job does demand long hours. Now, I don't enjoy you implying that I'm untrustworthy, because I have changed and I have been a good man this past year because I've wanted to be, not just because you have me in a tough legal position with that contractual clause. You could get rid of that contract tomorrow and I would still be a faithful, loving husband to my wife, because despite all of the bad things that have happened to us over the past few months, I have changed and I do realise that I was a fool to ever mistreat Sue Ellen. I don't want to discuss changing the contract right now though, because that's not the point of this discussion; my main point was that I wasn't purposely hiding my planned activities from you, I just didn't particularly want it written down for everyone to see, because it's no one else's business what I do in my lunch break. But as I said, I wasn't purposely hiding it from you, which is why I'm explaining it to you honestly. I'm not ashamed of what Sue Ellen and I have planned, but I also don't care to publicise our private business". Giving as deep of an explanation as he was prepared to freely give without specifically being asked for the details, he then looked at his father and waited for his response.

Grumbling to himself as he listened to JR's explanation, Jock knew he was stuck. On one hand, JR was right, he had told him to fix his marriage and legally, he was entitled to a lunch break during the day, so he couldn't stop him from getting that help in that time, even if he would have preferred him to be available for Ewing Oil business. On the other hand, he wasn't particularly comfortable with the method JR had chosen to fix his marriage and he really didn't appreciate that it was inevitably going to end up interfering in JR's work schedule in some way. It was a good thing that JR was making choices to do better, but did they really have to be so inconvenient for everyone but he and Sue Ellen? "Marriage counselling? What do you need that for? Women like gifts, sweet-talking and promises that their husbands actually intend to keep. You can do those things without spilling the secrets of the Ewing family to an outsider. What do we even know about this man? and if you must go to him, why does it have to be at such an inconvenient time? Did you not offer him enough money to work weekends?" annoyed by the general situation and not caring too much whether JR knew it, Jock huffed to himself in annoyance and then looked at his eldest son expectantly. He wanted more answers, even if it seemed unreasonable to ask for them, especially since JR had just explained his position quite clearly.

"Daddy, it is what it is. Sue Ellen wanted us to go to marriage counselling, I protested for a while and then I gave in, because it makes her happy and honestly, it's really not as bad as you'd think. Yes, that man can be nosy and it can be irritating to tell him everything without getting anything in return like I would in business, but apparently that's just how these things work. As for who he is, I ran a background check before Sue Ellen started seeing him; he appears to be an upstanding member of society, and since he's a doctor, he's bound by the Hippocratic Oath, he cannot tell anyone our private information and I will crush him if he does, I made that very clear. As for the times and days, in general, I agree and I tried, however, apparently not everyone works the same hours that we do here at Ewing Oil and apparently it shows dedication and commitment on my part to take time out of my work day to do something for my wife. If it makes her happy, then I'll do it, because although it may seem a little inconvenient now, it's all for the greater good. I want to rebuild my marriage with my wife and if that requires sacrifice on my part, then I'll do it, and you have to deal with it. As I said before though, it's not really taking anything away from Ewing Oil, I'll still be here and available, just not during those couple of hours each week; the secretaries know now, so it won't be a problem for future meeting scheduling. Don't worry, I have everything under control and I am working toward the future that everyone wants", finishing his explanation just as his intercom buzzed and he received notification of his next meeting, JR felt good; ending the conversation at that point meant that he'd explained himself clearly without fighting and he was able to have the last word. He didn't want Doctor Williams and Sue Ellen to be entirely right, he didn't want to have his father's opinion overpower everything he thought on his own. Hearing who JR's next meeting was with and knowing that it was more important than their current conversation, Jock accepted JR's answer, gruffly responding, "fine. This conversation isn't over though, there are a few more things I'd like to discuss with you tonight", looking at his watch, conscious of JR's next meeting, Jock then motioned toward the door and both men left the office, walking out into the reception area, ready to do business.

To be continued…