Dallas, Texas

Following his father outside after breakfast, Bobby scrunched his face at the sight of JR and Sue Ellen's reinstated morning goodbye, not only because he really didn't care to see how in love they were, but also because it sickened him to think that Sue Ellen was ok with knowing her husband was being rewarded for being faithful to her. He understood that for whatever reason, Sue Ellen loved his brother and wanted to trust him, had forgiven him and was ready to move on with their lives, but the way he saw it, there was a distinct difference between forgiveness and utter stupidity and right now, she was acting stupidly. JR had repeatedly disrespected her and their marriage and from what he had read, was only behaving now because his good behaviour would get him what he'd always wanted: Ewing Oil. From the conversation he'd had with JR and from the image in front of him, it appeared that although Sue Ellen knew about JR's contractual obligation to her, she didn't seem to be bothered by it and he really didn't understand why that was. He didn't want to believe he'd been wrong about Sue Ellen when he'd assumed that she was different to her mother and sister, but for her to really not find anything wrong with being a pawn in a game, he was beginning to wonder whether he'd ever known the real Sue Ellen. No honest woman could happily stay in a marriage that placed more importance on money and power than on love, honesty and faithfulness. So what did that make Sue Ellen? A gold-digger? A social climber? An opportunist? Or was she just a naïve young woman who truly believed things were better not because of JR's contract, but because he loved her and had changed? Whatever the term was, it wasn't complimentary.

"I'll see you tonight", smiling at him as she spoke, Sue Ellen then leaned up to kiss her husband again. "I can't wait darlin'", responding to her as their kiss ended, JR grinned to himself; he had promised to take her out for a proper date night and he was excited to spend time alone with her again. His excitement was boosted by the fact that his mother had practically jumped at the opportunity to take care of John Ross for as long as they were away and she had made it very clear that there was no need to rush home or even really return home that evening; they were allowed and deserved a night to themselves. Saying a few last words to each other, JR gave her one final kiss before getting in his car, reversing and heading down the driveway. If he could stay away from Bobby and his whiny, petulant attitude, he anticipated that his workday would be good and his evening alone with his wife would be even better. Driving through Braddock, he whistled to himself, he really was happy.

Hours later, after pacing around his office, unable to concentrate on anything but the unfair working situation he was in and the way it was affecting familial relations, Bobby walked out into the reception area to check with Julie again about whether his father had returned from his morning business meeting. He had landed in Dallas late the previous evening and by the time he'd arrived back at Southfork, everyone had retired to their bedrooms and it didn't seem appropriate to interrupt his parent's private time, especially since walking past JR and Sue Ellen's bedroom, he'd received an unwelcome reminder of what married couples often did when they were alone. His plan to speak to his father had been further delayed that morning when the conversation at family breakfast had been dominated by Lucy's incessant chattering about an upcoming class field trip and then his thoughts on his way out to his car had been disrupted by JR and Sue Ellen's public display of affection. Finally, arriving at the office, finding only JR and the secretaries present, he'd been informed that his father had a morning meeting and wouldn't be back in the office until later, so he'd wandered down the hall and sulked in his office for the remainder of the morning.

"He and JR are in his office. Do you want to wait until that meeting is over? Or would you like me to call through and tell him you'd like to speak to him now?" Jock hadn't specified that his meeting with JR was a closed meeting and seeing how antsy Bobby appeared to be, Julie assumed that whatever he had to discuss with his father was important, so she offered him two options. "Tell him I'm coming in", hearing that JR was with his father, Bobby's annoyance grew; how was it that JR always managed to sneak in and get to things before he did? Turning around, he marched down the hallway toward his father's office; Julie's call probably wouldn't get to his father before he did, but that didn't really matter, he and his father needed to talk and whether it was during an announced visit or not was of little relevance.

"To Ewing Eleven", holding his glass up, Jock toasted to the good news JR had just delivered him. They made a habit of cycling through and reassessing Ewing Oil's properties, former wells and existing wells every few months to see whether there were better uses for their resources or better places to focus their efforts on each job site, and while it wasn't always useful, this time, it had proven to be a brilliant idea. Hearing his intercom buzzing, he walked over to his desk, pressed the button and answered the call, though as his youngest son entered the room, his secretary's words were redundant. "Well, this looks like some kind of party. Why wasn't I invited?" Observing the jovial interaction between his father and oldest brother, Bobby's frustration grew and his initial greeting came out sounding just as harsh and annoyed as he felt. "Well, have a seat Bob, we've got a lot of room and a lot of booze. We're celebrating", grinning, JR walked over to the bar and poured his brother a drink. He could tell that Bobby was annoyed and possibly even angry, but he wasn't really bothered by it, he knew he held the upper hand in the situation, even if his youngest brother did make a rash decision and reveal the main reason for his annoyance. He had their father firmly on his side right now and he was sure that he wouldn't take too kindly to hearing about Bobby's latest investigation.

"Thank you JR, that's real kind of you", glaring at his brother, Bobby took the drink handed to him and then turned his attention to Jock. "So, what exactly is it that we're celebrating?" Although he was irritated, he wasn't stupid; he knew it was best to assess the situation at hand before jumping in with insinuations or accusations, even if he knew his opinion was based on fact. "Ewing Eleven, the new geological reports show that there could potentially be up to twenty five percent more oil than we'd originally thought", responding in a happy, but to the point manner, Jock eyed his youngest son, he had appeared suddenly and angrily; something was going on with him and he was going to find out what it was.

Hearing his father's answer, Bobby found himself shocked, though he didn't know why; of course his father wouldn't just tell him of the changes to the company, he hadn't in the past, why would he now? "Oh, so we're not celebrating JR's future ownership of Ewing Oil? Ownership where he gets everything and I get nothing", without thinking, the words came out of his mouth and as they did, the atmosphere in the room noticeably shifted. "Well? Why are you so quiet? That is what the new arrangement is, isn't it? JR acts like a proper husband to Sue Ellen and in exchange, he gets Ewing Oil, lock, stock, and barrel. Meanwhile, I slave away making dirty deals and working all sorts of angles to find common ground and make agreements and business connections and in the end, I get nothing. Right?"

"Well Bob, that's not quite it…" feigning surprise and offence, JR then took a step back from the conversation, and although he was keeping a straight face externally, internally, he was grinning. Bobby was a hothead and prior to confrontation turning into physical violence, it was rather fun to needle him, especially when every word he spoke just made him look worse. "Oh? It's not? Please JR, do tell. What am I missing? I'm sure there's something, especially since I was never informed of the changes personally, even though they affect me and my family just as much as they affect you and yours", glaring at his brother's obviously fake innocence, Bobby downed the rest of his drink and waited for a response.

Observing the situation playing out, Jock slowly began to piece together why Bobby was annoyed, though he found it hard to have much sympathy for him because of the way he'd approached the conversation. "Now, you just hold on Bobby. JR doesn't discuss my business with you or anybody else unless I tell him to. Do you understand?" growling his words at his youngest son, he moved closer to him; he was in no mood to deal with Bobby's problems, especially ones that shouldn't have even been his problems, at least not yet. He was very much aware that Bobby didn't get much out of his deal with JR, but he'd been working on a future plan for him so that it didn't matter too much later on, however, that plan wasn't ready yet and he didn't appreciate Bobby trying to call the shots. "Oh I understand just fine daddy. This is a deal between you and JR and I don't factor into it anywhere. What I want to know is why I wasn't informed earlier of my fate? Didn't you think I should know? Would you have ever told me if I didn't bring it up myself? Would you have allowed me to keep doing my job here for years to come and then one day just drop it on me out of the blue?" asking the questions he needed answered, he waited for his father to respond.

"Firstly, boy, don't you forget who's in control here. Ewing Oil is mine, I am free to do with it what I like and I do not have to answer to you, to JR or to anyone else. I do not appreciate being accosted like this; it's none of your business until I make it your business, which I didn't, so we really shouldn't even be having this conversation. Secondly, I don't know where you got your information from, though I have a few suspicions and I'll be sure to reassess the security around here, but you're misinformed about my deal with JR. I won't go into details about that though, because as I've said before, it's none of your business and you need to understand that. Thirdly, I have a plan for you just like I have a plan for JR; your time will come, but that time is not now and I don't owe you any explanations about anything. I am in control of Ewing Oil. I am Ewing Oil. It would serve you well to remember that. Oh, and finally, if you don't like the work you do for this company, then the door is right there", pointing, Jock glared at his youngest son, "this is a business, we work for our money and contrary to what you seem to think, that work isn't always fun. You make deals and work angles because it's your job, just the same as partying and socialising is your job. This is the real world, not college or the football field, you don't get to pick and choose what you do and don't do. I give the directions, you follow them, it's that simple. Do you understand?" moving through his responses to his youngest son's questions, Jock was highly annoyed. What gave Bobby the right to question anything that they did at Ewing Oil? He may have played favourites more than once, but he couldn't deny that JR respected authority and followed directions a lot better than Bobby did. Silently waiting for a response, he could tell that Bobby was considering his next move very carefully, because if he hadn't understood before, he did now; this was a serious adult conversation and acting like a spoiled child was not the way to approach it.

To be continued…

Enjoying the story? Consider leaving a review :)