Dallas, Texas

"Sue Ellen, we've discussed this before and we both agreed to wait until the end of the week. I don't understand why you're bringing it up again or why it seems to bother you so much. Daddy doesn't dislike you, quite the opposite in fact, he thinks you're a wonderful wife and mother and any time you come up in conversation, he always somehow finds a way to mention that I could easily lose you if I'm not careful. I don't understand why you're making this into a fight, it's not necessary". Letting out a frustrated sigh, he then turned his attention back to Doctor Williams and glared at him; things had been calm and the conversation had been reasonable until he had pushed them into discussing the problems they anticipated for the near future. They'd already come to an agreement about reminding his father that they were John Ross' parents and that all he was required to be was a grandfather, and they'd already made a general plan for their future together as a married couple, one where they did have some autonomy, so he didn't understand the need discuss them again so soon.

"I'm not trying to fight with you, I'm just trying to explain my perspective to you to show you how it differs from yours. We've been home for days and I've yet to receive any sort of apology for the way he disrespected me in the last conversation we had about the morality clause. That tells me that he doesn't really care about me as a person, he really only sees me as 'JR's wife' and 'the mother of the Ewing heir'. I'm the woman you need to keep in your life and stay on good terms with because he wants and feels that he needs to maintain some kind of control over the family. Haven't you noticed that in the time we've been back from the lake house and obviously in a much happier emotional place than we were in in previous weeks, he hasn't once made a comment in my presence that shows that he's genuinely happy about our marriage and our happiness together. Sure, he thinks I'm pretty and I serve you and John Ross well, but I never get the feeling that he cares, not like you try to make out that he does and not the way I know your mama does. Miss Ellie is thrilled that we're back together and that we're truly enjoying parenthood, but most of the time it seems like your daddy cares more about the idea of being a family than actually being a family; he's happy that the Ewings are all together at Southfork and that the family name and company will be passed on". Thinking about her father-in-law and the relationship he and JR had, Sue Ellen moved from feeling highly annoyed to feeling sorry for JR; it was apparent that although he understood that his father was controlling in the broadest sense of the word, he still truly believed some of the things he'd been indoctrinated into believing. Where she could see that her mother did and said things in order to gain and maintain control, JR didn't quite have that critical perspective; he truly believed that despite all of the reasons otherwise, his father really did have a personal affection and investment in his family members.

Tilting his head, JR looked at his wife in both annoyance and confusion; why was she so hung up on what his father thought? They had literally already discussed and agreed that his father didn't control their lives and that they wanted to be more independent, so it was frustrating to be rehashing and arguing about the same things again. "Darlin', I'm sorry that daddy hasn't apologised to you on his own and I'm sorry that you believe that he doesn't care about you in any way other than in your roles as my wife and John Ross' mother, but I really don't think that that's true and I don't think he really intends to personally offend or upset you. You know that daddy is a traditional man, he's from a different generation and frankly, he's always been the one in control of things and probably hasn't had much experience with acknowledging when he was wrong and his words or actions were hurtful, especially when it comes to women. Mama is a unique woman, she's fiercely loyal, but she's not a pushover, she demands respect and knows how to make things happen, but she's also his wife and they have a much different connection to the relationship he has with any other woman, least of all you. I agree with you that he should apologise for what he said to you and his general attitude toward you last week, but I also understand the possible reason for his silence and lack of emotion toward you personally and our relationship, it's just not something that comes naturally to him. Yes, he wants our marriage to be a strong one and our son to grow up following a certain path, but it's because he cares, not because he doesn't care. He wants what's best for the Ewing family and while you and I may not necessarily agree with what he thinks that is, I don't think he necessarily sets out to purposely make you feel bad or neglected". More frustrated than angry, he looked at his wife as he spoke; what did she want from him? They already had a plan for when they would speak to his father, but apart from that, he wasn't really in control of the situation. Yes, he could've corrected his father when he spoke about her in a way that did mostly make reference to her roles as his wife and John Ross' mother rather than her as a person, but at the time, it hadn't seemed like such a big deal and approaching the subject at random seemed awkward and unnecessary. She didn't want to have a close relationship with his father anyway, she'd said it herself, so he didn't really understand why she was so bothered by the situation as it was.

Shaking her head, Sue Ellen looked at her husband, "I don't want to fight, so can we please agree to disagree on your daddy's motives and opinions. The fact is, it's mostly irrelevant whether he intentionally means to disregard my feelings, rightful positon and involvement in issues, or whether he really is just a traditional, conservative man who truly doesn't see any reason for me to be involved and doesn't see me as anything more than my titles, because whatever his reasons, his attitude still upsets me. I'm not changing anything about our plan, I'm just trying to make my feelings clear. Does that make sense to you?" Looking at JR for confirmation and receiving a small nod and murmur of agreement, she then looked at Doctor Williams, silently willing him to say something to divert the conversation away from the current topic, because it was clear that she and JR didn't agree and probably wouldn't agree, and she really didn't feel like going in circles again. Assessing the situation, Doctor Williams cleared his throat and then looked back and forth between the couple, and addressing them in a calm tone, he reiterated that each person's feelings were valid and if someone was expressing that they were upset and hurt by something, then it wasn't up to anyone else to decide whether they really were or not. Listening to Doctor Williams and his wife, JR nodded and then agreed to Sue Ellen's request to agree to disagree, because although he understood where they were both coming from and although he still didn't necessarily agree with what Sue Ellen was saying, this wasn't a discussion he'd wanted to have anyway, so an amicable ending was ideal.

To be continued...