Dallas, Texas

"No lies, no exaggerations, just give it to me straight. Timewise, moneywise, structurally and considering our long-term goals, is it worth renovating, or do we cut our losses, demolish the entire building and then start again from scratch?" speaking calmly and seriously as he questioned the man sitting in his office, JR felt both powerful and a little nervous as he waited for his answer. Earlier in the week, he had personally hired one of Ewing Oil's best civil engineers and one of their best geologists to do a complete assessment of the old Wade ranch and just that morning, he'd received the news he was looking for. However, he couldn't relax just yet because he was still awaiting the opinion of the building contractor and before he and Sue Ellen moved forward with anything, they still had to purchase the property, though the actual purchase was the least of his worries. From meeting with the geologist, he was pleased to hear that although the land was not oil-rich, it was suitable for agriculture and residential development, and from meeting with the civil engineer, he was pleased to hear that while the building structure was weather damaged and in need of a good cleaning and renovation, it wasn't a complete write off. He wanted to make an educated and well-rounded decision though, so he'd hired a building contractor to give him an honest assessment of the situation from a more hands-on perspective, because although he'd been assured by experts that the house could be repaired and restored, that didn't mean that it was the best decision.

He knew that Sue Ellen wanted to progress their plans quickly, so building a new home was probably not ideal, because even with a heavy financial incentive, it would still be months before they had a home of their own to live in. However, if it was going to take months and cost an equally large amount of money to completely reinforce and renovate the current house, then that also wasn't ideal and probably wasn't economically smart. Waiting patiently for Mr Moore, the building contractor, to answer his questions, he considered both possibilities and once again confirmed in his mind that he would be happy with whichever one was recommended to him as the best option, because ultimately, the actual physical home that he, Sue Ellen and John Ross lived in held little importance to him. He wanted Sue Ellen and John Ross to be happy; he wanted them to have their own private space and he wanted a home that showed his importance and wealth, but whether that home was one they restored to its former glory or whether it was one they hired an architect and building company to build for them was irrelevant. As long as he made a good economic and emotional decision, he was happy and he was sure everyone else would be satisfied too. Hearing Mr Moore clear his throat and then looking down at the piece of paper he'd handed to him, he knew that their meeting would provide him with the answers he'd been looking for.

"Sue Ellen?" gathering her and John Ross' things after their weekly Wednesday mother and baby playgroup, Sue Ellen was surprised to hear her name being called. She and John Ross had been attending the weekly sessions for almost a month now and although they always had fun and never had a problem socialising or fitting into the group as a whole, she still hadn't quite made the personal one-on-one connections she had initially hoped to, so hearing her name being called was a little unexpected. Turning around as she heard the voice, she found herself face-to-face with Kathy and her son Adam, two of the groups more socially connected members. "Will you and John Ross be joining us? We'd love for you to come. We usually head down to the diner down the street for coffee; it's very relaxed and unstructured, it's not meant to be a formal meeting or anything; it's really just an opportunity for us moms to get to know each other and take a break from the regular routine of life for a little while. Does that sound like something you'd be interested in?" speaking again in a warm, friendly manner, Kathy waited expectantly for Sue Ellen's answer.

Hearing the invitation to be included in an activity intended for a smaller subset group of moms, Sue Ellen was taken aback, though she couldn't say she wasn't thrilled to be offered the opportunity. After a few weeks of attempting to socialise and make new friends, it appeared that one of the more 'popular' moms was finally noticing her, and although it felt like she was back in high school again, though this time on a different level of the social pyramid, she knew that this was different and probably better. Unlike high school, the invitation to join a social group had been extended to her in a pure, honest way, without any judgement of her different socioeconomic circumstances to the rest of the suburban housewives in the group, and even if it didn't go well and she didn't make any new friends, there was no harm in at least trying. She'd joined the mother and baby group for John Ross' development, but equally, she'd joined for her own development and now that she was being presented with the opportunity to expand her and John Ross' social group, it was time to start taking those opportunities and making things happen. "Yes, it sounds lovely; we'd love to come. Thank you for inviting us", not allowing her surprise to show, she responded in a cheerful, friendly manner, just as she had been taught and just as she wanted to appear; it wasn't hard to act that way though, because it really did sound wonderful and she was thrilled to be invited. The end of the year was nearing and as happy as she was right now, she was ready for a new year and her new life to begin. As long as JR was able to figure out their living situation, Doctor Williams was able to guide them into living a more consistently happy marriage and John Ross remained happy and healthy, she was sure that 1973 would be a wonderful year and their lives were on a good path.

To be continued…