Dallas, Texas

"Please, for the good of our marriage, keep Bobby around after you become president"; the words repeated in JR's mind a good few times before he fully comprehended what his wife was asking, and when he did finally process it, he didn't know how to react. He hadn't expected Sue Ellen to request such a thing of him, because he'd assumed she understood how much sole control of Ewing Oil meant to him, but apparently not, and now that she had asked him, he was in a tricky position, one he didn't like.

Had he made a mistake in admitting that his step back from hands-on work at Ewing Oil was one of the things that helped him stay on the straight and narrow? He had always planned to slowly move Bobby away from being involved in Ewing Oil when Jock retired and he became president, and Jock's action of assigning the ranch business to Bobby for future running had only assisted and supported his plans. Unfortunately, by admitting to Sue Ellen that what was happening right now in Ewing Oil was assisting his promise to stay faithful to her, he had just given her something concrete to request of him, something he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to do. Allowing Bobby to take over some of his less important responsibilities had once seemed like a good way of getting rid of him for long periods of time, and a good way to make sure he was never bored enough to request their father move him into a different role, one that encroached on JR's favoured area of the business. He had personally always enjoyed being the one who wined and dined potential business partners and was the public face of Ewing Oil, the man who travelled and promoted their company, making sure they were well connected and held information that would come in handy one day when they needed a favour. Giving all of that up was a small sacrifice when it came to what he gained though, especially since he was still responsible for local area meetings and since he wasn't exactly going without fun and satisfaction in his personal life. Despite feeling that way now though, he wasn't sure he would always feel that way and he wasn't sure he really wanted the opportunity to find out if he would always feel that way. He was set to gain majority ownership and control of Ewing Oil and Bobby was set to move into managing the ranch when Jock retired; it was a plan he was very comfortable and happy with and having Sue Ellen ask him to do differently didn't please him at all.

"Sue Ellen..." attempting to quell his frustration as he began to respond, JR spoke her name in a stilted tone. "Don't get me wrong, you know I want to mend our marriage and get past these issues, but I'm not sure that's the way to do it. Bobby being in the business solves one issue in our marriage, but it causes so many more and I don't think it's such a good idea. You know how important Ewing Oil is to me and you know how much I want it to be all mine and then eventually John Ross', provided that he wants it of course. Bobby is getting the ranch business, it's what daddy wants, what Bobby wants and definitely what I want; he'll be busy and happy and so will I. I don't see why I should or would give Bobby any part of Ewing Oil once it's mine, just as he probably wouldn't give me any part of the ranch, not that I want it, but for the sake of comparison. Things are settled, after a lot of hard work, negotiating and arguing and defending my rights; please don't ask me to go back to daddy or Bobby with a counteroffer. I know that request is a direct contrast to what I just explained to you and I understand why you would ask me to do it, but please, give me a little credit and at least try to trust me. Daddy's still at least a couple of years away from retiring and passing over control to me, so for now, nothing is changing; Bobby will split his time between Ewing Oil and the ranch, but neither of those affect my job responsibilities, so it's a non-issue for the moment. I don't know what our future will look like and I don't have an alternative solution to offer you here and now, but I do think that we can come to an agreement that we're both happy with. Don't make me promise to guarantee Bobby a role at Ewing Oil though, because I don't want that and I don't think I can comfortably agree to that, and since we're here trying to get things out in the open and come up with solutions to our problems, I don't want to make any false promises".

Apart from hoping to get on a clearer path toward forgiveness, understanding and a renewed happy marriage, JR hadn't entered the evening's conversation with very high expectations for his own gain. He had been prepared to admit his failures and wrongdoings and apologise for the hurt he had caused Sue Ellen, and he had been ready to make new promises of change, but this was too much. He couldn't and wouldn't promise to invite Bobby back into the company and he hated that she had asked him to do that; she should have known him better than that. Surely, after the experience of the past few months, she knew how much he had wanted Bobby out of Ewing Oil and how happy he had been when it had finally been announced. From what she was suggesting though, he wasn't so sure that that was the case. He was prepared to change certain things in his life and he had absolutely no plans to relapse into his old habits, but he didn't like being told what to do and how to do it, and he wasn't going to pretend that he did.

Watching Sue Ellen opening her mouth, getting ready to respond to his response to her request, he found himself remembering their sessions with Doctor Williams. He didn't particularly like the man and he didn't particularly enjoy the concept or experience of telling a stranger his and Sue Ellen's private business, however, the doctor was a medically trained and very experienced man and rarely did he do things that didn't have a reason or eventually lead somewhere enlightening. One thing JR appreciated right now was that doctor had made it perfectly clear that they were working their way toward a better marriage, not trying to simply brush over their old issues and repeat dealing with life the same way they had in the past. They needed to talk, listen, discuss, forgive and then come to a mutual agreement with each other, and that's exactly what he intended to do. Bobby would not be stepping foot in the Ewing Oil building as an employee after he was president, he was sure of that, however, instead of completely writing-off Sue Ellen's request, they would come up with a plan, one where they still achieved the same outcome, but he was happy with it too. It probably wouldn't be easy, but he was committed to their marriage, no matter how confusing, frustrating and ridiculous his wife could be sometimes.

To be continued…