Austin, Texas

Observing the contact between her daughter and son-in-law as her daughter spoke, Patricia was filled with indignation and envy; nothing in her life was fair and she hated it. She had no one in her corner to support her, physically or emotionally, and it was becoming increasingly clear that Sue Ellen had been spoiled by the lifestyle marriage to JR Ewing afforded her, to the point where she was forgetting where she had come from and fighting back against any reminders of her past that didn't support her memories. Her daughter had everything: money, power, love, youth, security, respect and a number of other things she would love to have in her life, but for some reason, she was intent on focusing on her 'painful' past and selfishly refusing to assist anyone but herself and her husband to achieve the same happiness they had.

"…you make it seem as though your part is done and you have no further effort to make… you refuse to acknowledge or attempt to change small things in the way you deal with us… I don't want to keep having the same arguments over and over. I want to start afresh, but to do that, I need closure, but without you acknowledging and accepting my feelings, I don't think I will ever get that closure…" Listening as her daughter finished speaking, she couldn't help but feel exhausted. Sue Ellen was being ridiculous, immature, single-minded, and was talking in circles, even though that was what she claimed she didn't want to do. Clearly her daughter was in no state of mind to do what she was telling her to do, listen, not just hear; and clearly now was not the right time to have any kind of real conversation. It was unfortunately extremely clear to her too that her plan to persuade Sue Ellen to assist her in her move to Dallas was not going to happen, at least not any time in the near future.

Sighing, Patricia accepted the current situation and readjusted her schedule and expectations. Even if she wanted to shout and shake some sense and perspective into her daughter, she knew that was not a wise thing to do with JR present, and unfortunately, even if he weren't present, she wasn't sure she had the energy to keep arguing much longer anyway. Whether her daughter and son-in-law wanted to believe it or not, she was injured, she was at a crossroads in her life, and she didn't have the time or energy to keep having the same conversation repeatedly. "Sue Ellen, I'm tired and you're being hysterical. I can see now that my simple request for a little kindness in my time of need is not going to be fulfilled and in the state of mind you're in, anything else I say can and will be used against me, so I think it's time to end this conversation". Attempting to be short and to the point in her response to her daughter's melodramatic rant, she was genuinely confused when instead of receiving a sigh, a snide remark and a cold goodbye from Sue Ellen in response to her words, she became witness to the much softer, emotional side of her daughter. She had deliberately stayed away from saying anything too cutting, but somehow, whatever she had said had still been too much. Sighing, she didn't know what to do or say, because it seemed that whatever she did or said, it was always wrong. If she was too nice, she was accused of having a hidden agenda; if she was completely honest, she was accused of being nasty manipulative; and if she acted in the middle of the two, attempting to get her point across without causing too much of a fuss, she was something else, though she didn't quite know what.

Hearing her mother dismissing her honest concerns as nothing more than hysteria, Sue Ellen felt hopeless, helpless, and completely emotionally exhausted. She had been angry earlier, and she still was, but no longer was her anger one of the main things driving her. Feeling the tears she had been holding back earlier now streaming down her face, she knew it was time to leave. She didn't want to look like she was acceding to her mother's suggestion though, because that would probably only boost her mother's confidence in her opinion that she wasn't in any state of mind to talk, specifically because she was hysterical. Unfortunately, in this case, she really didn't have it in her to do anything other than just that, end the conversation and leave; her breathing was already affected too much by her crying to speak any more anyway. Feeling JR's hands gently turning her away from her mother and toward him, she welcomed the way his arms felt around her and she had no concerns about ceding control of the situation to him.

Observing the situation unfolding, JR knew he had made a mistake not stepping in earlier, however, he also knew he had no power to change the past, so to dwell on that small regret was pointless. All he could do now was focus on the present and the future, and if Sue Ellen's current condition was anything to go by, the present was exactly where he was needed. Selfishly, just for a moment, he allowed himself to enjoy the way his wife made it extremely clear she needed him to comfort her and wanted him to take over fighting her battle for her; he liked feeling strong and needed. After that brief moment though, his thoughts and feelings returned to reality; he was angry and frustrated, not with his wife, but with his mother-in-law; Patricia had been told repeatedly that her attitude and behaviour wasn't kind, constructive or welcome, but just as many times as she had been told, she had refused to listen or change. The woman was infuriating and he was absolutely sick of dealing with her and the problems she caused. He and Sue Ellen didn't need her in their lives and he was ready to make it known once and for all that she would no longer be welcome to participate in their lives.

Conscious of his weeping wife's needs, specifically the need for privacy and to get away from her mother, JR knew whatever he had to say to Patricia had to be brief, at least for now. "Patricia, you should count yourself lucky that I care more about my wife's happiness and wellbeing than my own right now, because if I didn't, this conversation would not be over, no matter how tired you claim to be. For now though, the conversation is over; we're leaving and I wouldn't expect to hear from us any time soon, or possibly ever again if I were you. In our absence, I think you would do well to think about what happened here today. You've had enough chances to explain yourself, to listen to your daughter and to make things right, and with all of those chances, you've just wasted them and achieved nothing. Sue Ellen very clearly told you how she felt and she very clearly told you she doesn't blame you entirely for her feelings, because she understands that you don't control her mind, however, even with her explanations of why she feels the way she does, you've done nothing but attempt to make her sound irrational and crazy. I don't believe she ever said it, but I sure as hell was thinking it and I think you deserve to hear it; you're a completely unfit mother and I don't think anyone that knows the two of you would blame her for never speaking to you again. Now, I won't stop her from speaking to you if by some miracle things do change and you do a one-eighty, but I sure as hell have no plans to encourage her to try to communicate with you anymore. You've blown your chance, now it's time to live with the consequences. From now on, do not call us, do not write to us and don't even think about showing up at our home. Sue Ellen needs time and space away from you and your negativity, and I will do everything I can to make sure she gets what she needs". Glaring at his mother-in-law, JR then turned his attention back to Sue Ellen and cupping her cheek and putting an arm around her shoulder, allowing her to lean into him, he gently guided her out of the room; his wife needed him and he did not intend to let her down.

To be continued…

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