Dallas, Texas

"Why are you so stubborn? What exactly is so difficult about admitting you were wrong and apologising to the person that you wronged?" Shaking her head as she looked at her husband, Miss Ellie wondered why things always had to be so hard. Theoretically, they should've been living a happy, undramatic life, they had two sons in the family business, two grandchildren, a great deal of power and influence in Dallas society and business community and they had more money than they'd ever need or possibly be able to spend themselves. Unfortunately though, those things didn't just exist, they weren't tangible markers of success like a trophy or medal, they didn't just sit in a display case and stay perfect, independent of the things around them, no, they involved real people with real feelings and opinions and unfortunately, having power, money and family didn't automatically equal peace and happiness. After JR and Sue Ellen had returned from their weekend away, happy and content, Jock and JR had spoken and come to an agreement, an agreement that was set to become legal within the next few days, however, although that situation was coming to a close, there still appeared to be a great deal of tension at Southfork. She didn't know the details of the situation, but prior to Bobby's trip to Houston, it was clear that he and JR were fighting about something, because although they were civil to each other, they weren't friendly and when Bobby left for Houston, there was no doubt in her mind that JR was pleased, even more than he usually was. In addition to that, there still appeared to be some tension between Jock, JR and Sue Ellen and until earlier in the day, she hadn't really known why, though now that she did know, she completely understood the reason why all was not well at Southfork.

Driving home from a DOA meeting earlier in the day, one of the few they had attended together since John Ross' birth, Sue Ellen had asked her a direct question, one that concerned her relationship with her husband and his role as head of the Ewing family. Her daughter-in-law's directness had come as a surprise, not because of what she asked, but because it was different to how she would've approached the situation in the past; it appeared that Sue Ellen was finding her own voice and making herself heard, and that was a wonderful change, no matter what Jock or JR thought. It wasn't wrong for her to want an apology from Jock for the way he'd spoken to her and it wasn't wrong to want him to see her as more than just a Ewing wife and mother; she didn't need or want to be best friends, but she did wish for their relationship to be more relaxed and respectful. Speaking openly and honestly about how she felt, it was clear that all she really wanted from their discussion was another perspective on the issue, because from what she described, she and JR saw the situation differently and their marriage counselling hadn't brought them any closer to a shared perspective. All she wanted to hear was that it was ok to feel like she wasn't valued as a person and it was ok to want to change that, starting with her own actions, but also by demanding changes from other people. To Miss Ellie, it wasn't too hard to imagine how Sue Ellen felt; Jock could be controlling, demanding and impersonal and it was easy to see how his attitude could come across as rude and uncaring. She also understood where JR was coming from though, he and his daddy had a special relationship, even if it wasn't perfect, and in her own experience, although Jock could be a real male chauvinist at times, she knew how to bring him back down to an even level and how to get what she wanted out of a situation. She loved her husband and didn't want to purposely anger or upset him, but sometimes she needed to be firm and direct with him to get him to think clearly and fairly. He would give Sue Ellen the apology she deserved and he would show her more respect from now on, she'd make sure of it.

"Look, I am grateful that you've started the process to change things between you and JR, but just changing the contract doesn't fix the whole situation; there's more to it than that. It's all well and good for you to tell me that you know you were too harsh and that your words and actions caused offence, but I'm not the one you really need to be communicating that apology too. You may not like Sue Ellen's involvement in this whole situation, but the way you made those feelings clear was unnecessary and rude, especially since when you look at the situation critically, she didn't do anything wrong. You told me that you would apologise to her for your rudeness last week, but from the conversation we had earlier, it didn't sound like you'd done that yet. Please Jock, take a step back and look at the situation. Last weekend you were concerned about the possibility that JR, Sue Ellen and John Ross had left Southfork and weren't coming back, but they did come back, with a few reasonable demands, one of which is respect. Is it really such a difficult thing for you to do? Apologise to Sue Ellen for how you spoke to her and from now on, try to treat her as you would treat your sister or your daughter if we had one. A small amount of effort can go a long way and I know that you're capable of it, so please, for me and for our family, please just try". Looking at him, she waited for his response, he was a stubborn man and he would not be pleased with her trying to direct and control the situation again, he was already irritated by her insistence that he change JR's contract, even if he knew it was the right thing to do.

"What has that girl been saying now? I'm giving her what she wanted, she wanted JR free of contractual obligations to stay faithful to her and that's what I'm doing…" starting to respond, using a gruff, annoyed tone, he was silence once more by his wife's raised hand and her glare. "Respect Jock, respect starts with the language you use. 'That girl' has a name and her name is Sue Ellen. I already told you that I'm proud and grateful that you're doing the right thing by changing JR's contract, and I know Sue Ellen is very grateful for that too. What I was really addressing was the general situation; things need to change and for them to change, everyone needs to be on board, not just one or two of us". Pausing for a moment, she then let out a small sigh, "look, I know it may seem silly or ridiculous to you, but it's a real issue and the best way to move forward and past the issues and tension that's present in this family right now is to apologise and change the way you approach situations in the future. Please, do it for me and for our family. I don't believe they're planning on leaving Southfork, but to prevent the possibility of that happening, we do need to make Southfork an appealing, pleasant place to live. Do you understand?" speaking in a caring, but strong manner, she looked at her husband and waited for his nod and grumble of approval; she knew that he knew he had no real choice, but she also knew that he wouldn't be happy with that knowledge, so she didn't expect too much of a response from him. "I don't know why I'm the one that's doing all the work here…" hearing him mumbling a few words of annoyance before stopping himself from continuing, Miss Ellie knew that she'd been right; he would do what she wanted him to do, but that didn't mean he'd like doing it.

To be continued…