Dallas, Texas

Walking downstairs with John Ross in her arms and JR by her side, Sue Ellen winced at the sound of Jock's grumbling in the dining room; he didn't sound happy and that didn't bode well for JR's day or his mood when he returned from work. Glancing over at her husband, she knew he was having similar thoughts to her; he loved and respected his father as a man and as his superior at Ewing Oil, but that didn't necessarily mean he always enjoyed being around him, especially in moments where love, fairness and kindness were the last things on his mind. Giving him a sympathetic look, because with John Ross in her arms, her movement was limited, she was relieved when he gave her a small, reassuring smile and then put his arm around her waist; they couldn't control other people or events, but they could stay strong and connected with each other.

Taking a sip of his coffee and listening to his father's commentary on the stock market and international news, Bobby's mind began to wander. Would he seem like a coward or traitor to exit the oil business now instead of in a year or so when his father retired? Of course he cared about Ewing Oil and appreciated what it provided for the Ewing family, but at the same time, why did he need to concern himself about the ins and outs of the oil business anymore? As soon as his father retired and passed Ewing Oil over to JR and the ranch over to him, he knew his days working as Ewing Oil's roadman would be over. He didn't know whether his withdrawal from the oil business would be because of redundancy or resignation, but one way or another, he would be a rancher, not an oilman come 1974. Knowing that, he'd been working with his father and Ray at the ranch over the past few months and he was growing more confident and competent every day; he enjoyed working for Ewing Oil, but he was ready and willing to take over at Southfork Ranch when the time came. With that in mind now, he felt for his father, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care as much as he did; Ewing Oil wasn't now, wouldn't be, and had never really been his, but Southfork Ranch was set to, and by all accounts, business on the ranch was booming. Of course, the price they sold their cattle for was solely determined by market value, which was affected by the economy his father was so concerned about, but from everything he knew and was inferring from his father's commentary, the steadiness of the ranching business was not something to be concerned about, the oil business though, was. He was sympathetic, he understood the impact a bad economy could have on business and family, and he did feel bad for his father, brother, the Ewing family and everyone in the oil industry, however, his sympathy wasn't empathy and he didn't truly feel what his father was feeling. For now, he didn't foresee problems in his personal or business life, not unless his father or JR decided to make problems.

Hearing his nephew's soft babbling, Bobby's attention was drawn away from both his father's speech and his own inner thoughts; JR, Sue Ellen and John Ross were finally down for breakfast, not a moment too soon. "Mama, daddy", listening as his older brother greeted their parents, he had a feeling that somehow, JR knew exactly what he was walking into, but he didn't want to acknowledge it until he had to. Observing the situation as it played out, Bobby couldn't help but feel relieved when his father not only acknowledged, but redirected his attention toward JR; he'd fought for Ewing Oil for a while, but now that he had had a taste of another side of life, he was glad he was on his way out of the oil business. JR and his daddy were naturals at discussing numbers, both real and hypothetical, and they both seemed to really understand business models a lot better than he did, so for them, although the topic was aggravating, the conversation was invigorating.

Strapping John Ross into his highchair, Sue Ellen smiled kindly at Miss Ellie, Lucy and Bobby before thanking Teresa and silently commencing eating her breakfast and feeding John Ross his bowl of apple and apricot purée. It was difficult to understand quite what Jock was so concerned about, but JR seemed to, and thankfully, he was participating in the conversation like the vice president he was, rather than the easy scapegoat Jock sometimes treated him as. She didn't know much about the inner workings of the stock market or all of the politics and dealing that went into influencing certain things in industry, national and international economies, but from what she could tell, there had been a sudden drop in the stock market index and Jock, being a forward thinker, was already calculating the potential consequences. While she didn't quite see the point in stressing about something that wasn't actually a real problem just yet, she did understand it, because she had done the same thing many times in the past, albeit with much less serious topics, but still, she understood the thought process. It seemed as if JR was handling the situation with ease though, and she trusted his judgement, so for now, she didn't really have too many thoughts about Jock's rambling; he was entitled to express his opinion and he wasn't really harming anyone by doing so.

Twenty minutes later, as he drove through Braddock on his way to work, JR's mind drifted. He had always managed to stay one step ahead when it came to business, and he didn't see any real signs of his future planning failing Ewing Oil just yet, so he wasn't nearly as worried as his father was, but that didn't mean they could afford to be any less diligent than they were. They had to focus and figure out a plan for all possible circumstances if they wanted to stay in business and maintain the growth and positive changes they had achieved so far. That wouldn't be a problem though, because both he and his father were smart, motivated, forward thinking men, men who didn't like to lose and if challenged, would do anything they had to to win.

To be continued…