Dallas, Texas

Shaking his head, sighing and then folding his newspaper, JR was thankful for the distraction Sue Ellen and John Ross provided as they entered the dining room for breakfast. The economy was showing no signs of improving, so his day at the office was sure to be full of repetitive, pessimistic conversations with his father, however, as John Ross' happy babbling and Sue Ellen's satisfied smile reminded him, things weren't all bad.

In his personal life, he was happy; being an attentive, hands-on father and faithful, loving husband was a departure from the life he had lived for so many years, but after experiencing what it was like to not have Sue Ellen, and in turn, not have anything meaningful or positive in his life, he knew something had to change. It had taken a lot of hard work, with a number of people in his life, including his wife, his father, and Doctor Williams, however, now that he and Sue Ellen had talked through their problems, made new commitments and changed the fundamental way their marriage worked, he finally felt like they were on the right path. He couldn't deny though that alongside understanding and respect, his and Sue Ellen's redefined sexual relationship was one of the keys to success in their relationship. He had been a stupid, selfish man in the beginning of his marriage, there had never been any real reason for him to seek other women to satisfy his 'needs' because as Sue Ellen had proven many times over, she was happy and willing to do almost anything with him, all she wanted in return was his love and fidelity. He couldn't be solely blamed for the miscommunication during their early marriage, because Sue Ellen' submissive attitude toward her marital role had held her back from making many direct moves to change things, but he knew now that he could have avoided a lot of heartbreak by just being open and honest with his wife. Now though, they were in a much better place than they had been a year ago and he didn't intend to do anything to jeopardise the progress they had made; his family was happy and nothing was worth risking losing that happiness.

In conjunction with his personal happiness and satisfaction, while he had a few concerns regarding business and his professional reputation, for the most part, he was very happy with where he was now. He was the vice president and guaranteed future president of Ewing Oil and despite what his father seemed to believe, they were still turning a profit and they still carried a lot of clout. The country relied on oil and although they were heading toward a predicted supply crisis and unstable economy, he truly believed Ewing Oil was strong enough to pull through and come out on top when things did inevitably improve. He wasn't an optimist, he was too smart for that, he just truly believed he was right and he had prepared the company properly for what was coming. He was confident and he wished his father would clear his mind, look at the situation again and see things his way; thus far though, that hadn't happened and although he was always up for a debate, he was getting tired of the back and forth between them. Right now, Sue Ellen's insistence that they take a one weekend a month to get away from it all seemed mighty appealing and he was glad she had been proactive and had Diane make a note of their planned getaways. Their time, as a couple and as a family, was precious to him, because with everything he was responsible for and the way he liked to stay informed about what was going on around him, even if he wasn't directly involved, his free time was scarce. It was tough making sure everything he valued received the correct amount of attention, but he had never been afraid of or discouraged by hard work, especially because in the end, the hard work was worth it.

Observing the scene in front of her, Sue Ellen felt a little conflicted. She was extremely happy and satisfied with her life now that the drama with her mother was calming down and she was free to focus on the rest of her family and her activities; but at the same time, it was clear to her that something was bothering JR and she wanted to help him work through whatever it was. Leaning down to allow John Ross to reach out and touch his father while he happily babbled repetitive sounds, she felt a little better when it became clear to her that whatever was on JR's mind had nothing to do with their family. She and JR had had a very enjoyable evening the previous night and if their actions earlier in the morning were indicative of anything, the loving, happy, relaxed mood they'd been in had not gone anywhere, that is, until they separated for a few minutes before breakfast. From JR's sigh and the folded newspaper next to him, she had a feeling she knew what was bothering him; they were the same things that had been bothering him for a while: the economy, Ewing Oil's stability and pleasing his father. It saddened her a little that he put so much pressure on himself to succeed in the oil business, because he was so much more than just an oilman, but she understood why he wanted to succeed in the oil business. He was a brilliant businessman, with both personal and side business investments and projects, however, Ewing Oil was his father's legacy and the legacy he wanted to leave for John Ross, so to succeed and make his father proud of him now seemed extremely important to him. He didn't like losing and he wasn't an inept businessman, so it wasn't fair to say his want was entirely symbolic, because it was partially financially driven, however, knowing JR and his relationship with Jock, and knowing how sure he was that his plan for Ewing Oil was going to work, she knew whatever was bothering him was largely personal. The specifics of what was in the newspaper were unknown to her, but she knew enough of the situation to know that if JR wanted to talk about it, he wouldn't need her to understand the intricacies of the situation, just the way it made him feel. Of course, he would never come out and just tell her he felt hurt by Jock's lack of active listening, he wasn't big into initiating conversations about emotions, but she knew, and she knew what he really needed from her was to keep doing exactly what she was already doing. The way his face lit up seeing her and John Ross, the way he reacted to her efforts the previous evening, the way he participated in their sessions with Doctor Williams, and his continued effort in their marriage told her everything she needed to know. He was happy to have her as his wife, and she was happy to be his wife, in any and every way he needed her.

To be continued…