Dallas, Texas

"I can't believe the nerve of that man!" entering their bedroom with JR following closely behind her, Sue Ellen let out the rant that she'd been holding in since their meeting with Jock had 'politely' ended a few moments ago. "I can't believe he tried to order me out of the room so that 'the men could talk alone', as if just because I'm a woman, I have no place in the conversation. Somehow, in his eyes, I'm not affected by the situation, I don't have feelings regarding the situation, and my opinion about the situation is worthless. It's as if he didn't hear a word of what I was saying about our marriage being our business, but I was shouting when I tried to logically point out that getting rid of that clause was the right thing to do to and that you have a rightful place in Ewing Oil no matter what our personal relationship is. Selective hearing, very selective hearing", frustrated, she paced around the bedroom as she spoke. She had always been a little afraid of her father-in-law, but no longer, now she was just irritated and angry with him; the way he treated JR on a daily basis and the way he had treated her today was unacceptable and she didn't want to have to put up with it any longer. Unfortunately, Jock had the upper hand in the current situation; to rewrite JR's contract required negotiation and agreement from both Jock and JR, and a favourable outcome for JR was much more likely if his father was in a pleasant mood. The only upside of the situation right now was that for the first time in weeks Sue Ellen felt a real bond with JR as her husband and as a man rather than just as John Ross' father. He'd stepped in and defended her right to speak and right to be informed; he'd made it clear to his father that he respected her opinion and in a way, she was beginning to understand that when he said his infidelity was in the past and he was trying to be a better man, he meant it. She didn't appreciate his infidelity earlier in their marriage; his lies and purposeful omission of information regarding the situation with Cynthia Moore; or the fact that he had signed himself into a contract that essentially rewarded him for being the father and husband that he should have been anyway, but she understood some of his motivations and appreciated his apologies. Of course, apologetic words and an increased effort to be a better husband didn't make all of his previous wrongdoings just disappear and they didn't really lessen the pain she felt when she thought about everything, but it was a small comfort to know that he did care and was trying.

Turning around as she reached far wall of their bedroom, she caught sight of JR's amused facial expression for the first time since they'd entered the room, and annoyed at the fact that he did seem to be amused rather than angry or irritated like she was, she glared at him and then made a beeline for him. "What are you grinning at?" as she came to stand in front of him, staring and waiting for an answer, her annoyance at his relaxed attitude was clear, and JR knew that he needed to explain himself, he couldn't risk adding anything extra to her list of reasons why she disliked him, he was already on thin ice with her. "Darlin', calm down, I'm grinning because I'm amazed and proud… of you and who you've become", silently omitting that he was also grinning because she was sexy when she was angry, he looked her in the eye as he spoke and then paused for a moment as he watched her processing the words he did say aloud. "I completely agree with you, daddy was totally out of line in the way he spoke to you and in attempting to order you out of the room, and you're right, there was a lot of selective hearing going on in that conversation, selective hearing that favoured his and only his opinion. As you are, I'm angry that he had the nerve to speak to you like that or that he even believes that he has the right to control anything about our relationship, but in addition to that anger, I'm also incredibly proud of you and I'm and awed by your response to the situation. The Sue Ellen I married was meek and mild and in a sense, almost entirely submissive to the wishes of those who she perceived to be authority figures, but the Sue Ellen that I'm looking at now is much more independent and strong-willed. I'm not saying that either is good or bad, because I loved you when I married you and I love you just as much, if not more, now than I did then, but I can see why daddy would be surprised at the change. Think back to last month when you had strong words with your mama, now imagine having that same conversation a few years ago, in general, it's the same kind of thing with daddy, his traditional, conservative and sometimes archaic views don't exactly mesh well with the independent thinking, strong-willed Sue Ellen. Not that any of that matters though, none of what you said was wrong or inappropriate and the fact is, our relationship is no one's business but ours. I completely agree with what you said and I completely support you. I know I can't change the past and I can't take away the pain I've caused you, but I'm going to try my hardest. I love you, I have from the moment I laid eyes on you at the Miss Texas pageant, and I will do anything to keep you, including admitting where I was entirely wrong and attempting to do whatever I can to show you that I am changing". Starting off explaining why he was grinning, his words quickly turned into something much deeper and from looking at Sue Ellen, he knew that he wasn't the only one affected by them. Her expression had moved from annoyed glaring to a much softer, contemplative look and it was obvious that anger and irritation were just two of many emotions she was feeling right now. "Thank you; and I love you too", whispering her words, Sue Ellen looked at him and maintained eye contact for a few seconds before speaking again, "love isn't a magic cure though. We have so many problems right now, problems that have nothing to do with love. How are we going to get through this? Move past it? What does our future look like?" speaking her thoughts, Sue Ellen sighed to herself, they had a long way to go before everything was 'normal' again, and an even longer way to go before their lives were really good. However, with JR's attitude and support, she did feel a little more confident and optimistic, and that was a small comfort to her.

To be continued…