Dallas, Texas

"JR? I don't want to spend our entire evening talking about Bobby, so I'll just say what I have to say on the subject and then can we please file it away to deal with at a later date?" Taking a sip of her champagne, Sue Ellen looked at her husband and waited for him to nod or verbally signal her to continue. "I'm sorry darlin', I don't want to spend our evening talking about my little brother either; I guess I just needed to tell someone about everything that happened today. Go ahead…" motioning with his hand, he waited for her to continue. "Thank you. Firstly, I want to say that I'm very proud of you for holding back and not getting too involved in the situation; I'm sure there were a number of things you could have said, things that are probably true, but wouldn't be appreciated by Bobby or your daddy. I know your daddy has officially promised Ewing Oil to you and he's trying to change his attitude, but it's no secret that he has a soft spot for Bobby and history hasn't always reflected the fair attitude he likes to think he has, so thank you for not involving yourself any more than necessary". Giving him a warm, genuine smile, she paused for a few seconds before moving on to her next point.

"Secondly, I know this seems contradictory when you consider my previous point, but at some point, we're going to have to talk to Bobby, because from what you described to me, it sounds like he's completely misinformed about our marriage and your agreement with your daddy. I know it's absolutely none of his business and he never should have been involved in the first place, but now that he is, I want to set the record straight. As much as I just want to move on from that stupid morality clause and the reasons why it existed, I don't think I can do that until we have a proper fresh slate; we have one with your daddy, for now, but with Bobby thinking ill of me, it makes me feel uneasy and it upsets me. I have moral standards; I'm not a gold-digger who stays in a marriage purely for financial reasons, and I'm not a weak woman, I won't put up with being treated badly. I know it's silly to care so much, but I need Bobby to understand that, because as a person, I do like him and I want him to like and respect me too. I don't agree with his opinion or behaviour, but that doesn't mean I want to completely burn bridges with him. You know how I feel about John Ross growing up in a calm, happy environment; if we're going to live at Southfork, then it has to be without tension between the family, and if we do move away from Southfork in the future, then I want us to be welcome and feel at home there when we do visit". Looking directly at him as she spoke, she hoped that he was considering her perspective as she was explaining it, not just listening to her with no intention of actually doing what she was suggesting.

"I agree darlin', I want that for our family too. As for what Bobby thinks, well, lucky for him, he didn't verbalise much about you, it was mostly about what he thought of me; if he had said more about you, especially anything offensive, you probably wouldn't be so proud of me for staying quiet. I'll admit it, I enjoy seeing my brother working himself up and throwing a tantrum, but only to a point…" trailing off as he thought about the hypothetical situation, he then shook his head and looked at his wife again. "We'll talk to Bobby, for the good of the family, not because I think he deserves an explanation. We'll talk to him on our terms though; there will be no business negotiation, I will not give him part of Ewing Oil just because he whines about it, and besides, daddy's right, Ewing Oil is his and he can do what he wants with it. Luckily for us, my position in the company has been settled and is guaranteed. So yes, we will talk to Bobby, but if anything, he'll be apologising to us, or at least to you". Making his position clear and getting a nod of agreement from Sue Ellen, he then reached over the table and gently touched her hand, "now, was that all, or did you have more to say?"

Taking another sip of her champagne, Sue Ellen briefly considered keeping her thoughts to herself, because it really wasn't her business anyway, however, since she and JR had made a commitment to be open and honest with each other and since she was fairly sure her idea wasn't completely ridiculous, she decided to just tell him. "Well, I had one more thought; it's the last one, I promise", pausing, she was encouraged by his interested expression. "I know it's not really any of my business what Bobby does, just like it's not really any of his business what we do, however, I was thinking about it earlier in the week and then again when you were first explaining what happened today". Taking a small pause, she then got to the crux of the matter, "to me, there seems like a very simple solution to the issues Bobby is concerned about right now; his future, his family's future and his worth as a Ewing, as Jock Ewing's son. Ewing Oil is not the only business the Ewing family is involved in; Southfork is a working ranch, one that your mama tells me her daddy insisted stays a working ranch. I know you, you have no interest in ranching, but Bobby does, and from what you tell me, he has little ability in the oil business when it comes to actual decisions that need to be made, so to me, it seems like a natural, sensible decision. Bobby is a rancher, you're not; you're an oilman, he's not. Your daddy is going to have to appoint someone to run the ranch when he's gone and as much as your mama wishes that Gary would come home and commit to it, I think even she knows that that's unlikely. You have Ewing Oil and Bobby can have the ranch, it's a win-win situation, both businesswise and personally". Explaining her thoughts, Sue Ellen watched his expression closely and was both relieved and pleased when he nodded periodically as she spoke and then began to grin as she finished speaking.

"That it is darlin'. I like that plan, I like it very much, in fact, I'm almost disappointed I can't take credit for it myself. Bobby's always been more of a cowboy than an oilman…" Thinking about the situation, his grin widened; if he played his cards right, he could get Bobby out of his business much sooner than he'd originally planned. "We'll have to approach it carefully, I can't have daddy thinking I'm purposely trying to push Bobby out, and I can't have Bobby getting suspicious about the plan and deciding that he'll object to it out of spite. I have no doubt that it's doable though, and it really is the perfect plan, so as long as we time it correctly, everything should work out. Thank you for your idea darlin', it was very insightful". Continuing to grin as he spoke, his thoughts were only interrupted as their first course arrived. Listening as Sue Ellen thanked him and then called time on their Bobby related conversation, he knew his scheming would have to wait until later, though he didn't mind, because it meant they were returning to couple time and he was definitely excited for that.

To be continued…