Dallas, Texas

As JR turned off the main road, Patricia began to really understand what a big step her daughter and son-in-law were making, because although Sue Ellen had explained the size of the land and home situated on the property, her mind hadn't quite processed just how large it actually was. Watching out the window as they drove down a long driveway, passing underneath overgrown trees, she was awed by the acres of land on either side of her and although she was highly impressed by the life Sue Ellen was living, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous and resentful of her too. It didn't seem fair that she had sacrificed so much to get Sue Ellen to a position in life where meeting and marrying a wealthy man was possible, but she never received anything substantial in return for her efforts. Of course, JR was free to do whatever he wished with his personal money and as his wife, Sue Ellen was included in those decisions, however, what was so horrible or sacrificial about them giving up a tiny percentage of their wealth to look after her and provide her with a few nice things? It was difficult to be a single older woman, especially when she wasn't content to just live her life as she had been. At this point, even a simple positive acknowledgement of her role in the life Sue Ellen now lived would have been appreciated, because it appeared that as far as her daughter was concerned, she had pushed and manipulated her purely for selfish reasons and her current position in life was despite her upbringing, not because of it. That was completely false though and for Sue Ellen to attempt to forget all of the things she had done for her and make it seem like she didn't deserve any repayment for her efforts whether it be monetary or just socially, seemed twisted. In her mind, if JR and Sue Ellen could purchase this large property for their small family of three, surely they could spare a small portion of their overall wealth for her benefit; anything less was just selfish.

Pulling up outside the large, slightly rundown home, Sue Ellen took a deep breath and turned toward her mother. "Now mama, don't expect too much when we go inside. As I said earlier, it's not in the best shape right now, but with all of the necessary permits now approved, it won't look like this for much longer. During the initial estate sale, most of the furniture and décor items were sold, so there aren't many items inside that we have to deal with disposing of, but the wallpaper is peeling, it's very dusty and in places, years of Texas storm damage has done horrible things to the overall state of the house. It's all fixable though and we've hired a very experienced and reliable contractor to oversee all of the construction work that needs to be done. He has a group of men coming next week to do the strengthening and exterior repair work and after that, the real remodelling and renovation will begin. JR and I will be meeting with an interior decorator in a few weeks to discuss the specific style we want for the house; she said she should have the pictures of what we want ready for us by Christmas and we should be able to get our orders placed by the time the New Year starts. After the major building work is complete, the interior process can really come together quite quickly apparently. The hardwood floor restoration and in some places, new installation; the painting; the bathroom and kitchen fittings; the electrical work; the furniture arrangements and all of the other interior things like that are all done by different people and most of them can be worked on while other things are happening. I think that if our contractor's estimate is correct and everything goes to plan, we should be able to move in by mid-January". Explaining the current state of the project, she hoped her mother was really listening, because she truly loved the home she and JR had purchased and she wasn't prepared to hear unnecessary negative comments about it. The home they would be living in wouldn't be grimy and dilapidated, so to point out that that's how it looked right now was pointless and silly. Kristin had managed to understand their plans, see past the current sad state of the home and show that she was happy for them, but she had a different personality to their mother and Sue Ellen wasn't holding out too much hope that she would get the same excited reaction from her.

"…you know, since you have so many unoccupied bedrooms, perhaps we could discuss a more frequent schedule for me to visit Dallas so I can spend time with John Ross more often?" as they made their way outside after their walking tour of the home's interior, Patricia looked at her eldest daughter and spoke. She was well aware of how Sue Ellen felt about her visiting, but with the way things had been during their visit, mildly pleasant, and her ability to manipulate situations, she wasn't too worried about harsh rejection anymore. The house was a mess right now, but with JR's money and Sue Ellen's taste, she was sure that it would be lovely, an opinion she had made known, much to Sue Ellen's delight. However, never one to just leave a good situation as it was, she had seen an opening in the conversation and gone for it. She did love John Ross, no one could deny that, he was her grandson and no matter what kind of mother she had been, she only wanted and showed him the best of herself when she was with him. Her grandson may not have been her only motivation for her request, but she wasn't lying when she expressed a desire to spend more time with him. If her time in Dallas meant an increase in social connections in Dallas though, then that wasn't a bad consequence either though. Unfortunately for her, from the look on Sue Ellen's face as she spoke, her daughter wasn't going to be quite as easily convinced as she had hoped.

To be continued…