Dallas, Texas

"…he just reiterated everything I already knew. I won't start an argument, but next time your daddy says something that bothers me, I will say something. I've always said that I don't have anything against John Ross following in the Ewing footsteps if that's what he wants to do, but I will not have him growing up thinking that oil is the most important thing in the world. As well as that, I refuse to allow him to take credit for John Ross being the way he is; I'm sure some of his personality is nature, so I suppose he can claim some connection, however, a large part of John Ross' demeanour comes from the way he's being raised. It's only natural for you to want to believe our son is smart because he's ours, he's a Ewing, but your daddy takes that train of thought and spins it even further. John Ross is smart and wonderfully personable, but it's not because your daddy had anything to do with it; quite frankly, he doesn't spend enough time with John Ross to claim anything other than inherited traits. I won't sit by and quietly listen to him take credit for things he had no part in, and I won't just let his comments about more grandchildren pass me by. Perhaps he means he wants Bobby to have children sooner rather than later and I'm just being sensitive thinking that he's referring to us, but either way, he's better off staying quiet. Bobby's younger than both of us, he has plenty of time before any pressure for him to settle down becomes valid, and even then, that's his business, not anyone else's. As for us, I won't deny it, I'm not ready to repeat the pain and disappointment that I felt the last time we were trying to conceive. I want to enjoy being a mother to John Ross for a little while longer before we decide to start trying to add to our family. Your daddy needs to mind his own business and appreciate the things he has before deciding he wants more. He has the grandson he's wanted for years, but with the way he talks, he may as well have no grandchildren at all. I'm not going to have another child before I'm ready… before we're ready… and I'm not going to allow him to make me feel bad for enjoying the family I do have. It's high time he stopped talking about how great it is to be a part of the mighty Ewing family and started showing it".

Listening to his wife ranting about his father's hypocrisy, JR nodded occasionally, but otherwise stayed quiet. They had had the same conversation a million times over and he didn't have anything particularly new or profound to say, and while Sue Ellen didn't really either, he could tell she needed to let her feelings out. She had some fair points, his father did need to mind his own business when it came to the future and he did seem to be unappreciative of the things he had, especially the things he had always talked about wanting, however, in other ways, he did think she was a little too hard on him. His father worked exceptionally hard at Ewing Oil and he was from a different generation to the two of them; in his mind, he probably truly believed that it was reasonable for him to call the shots and expect people to follow his wishes, and it probably never occurred to him to start building his relationship with his grandson now. From the way his own childhood had been, JR had a very strong feeling that the moment John Ross was able to walk, talk and be taught all of the things 'men should be able to do', Sue Ellen would be regretting ever wishing he would be more involved. For the most part, he agreed with his wife though, he had no desire to go back to the way their lives had been prior to having John Ross. The pressure to have a child had been extreme and the lack of control over the situation had been painful, disappointing and frustrating, and he, like Sue Ellen, wasn't ready to face the emotional rollercoaster that came with trying to conceive. He liked to strive to be the biggest, the best and ten steps ahead of the game in business, but in his personal life he was happy to just enjoy the moment. He and Sue Ellen had John Ross now, they were happy, and it seemed silly and ungrateful to him to seek more before either of them was ready just because other people made it seem like the thing to do.

"I know darlin', I know. As I've said before, I don't think he intends to upset you, but as he does, then yes, you need to say something. I tried to speak to him today, but you know how things are at the office…" pausing as he noticed the look she was giving him, he knew what he was saying was a cop-out and he found himself unable to come up with anything meaningful to tell her instead. The truth was, he hadn't tried very hard to speak to his father at work, because first and foremost, he had been working, but secondly, because although he was in a comfortable position at Ewing Oil, he still didn't want to rock the boat too much. It sounded cowardly and so unlike the image he tried to portray publicly, and he knew it was stupid to feel the way he did because he was afraid, however, there was something deep inside him that didn't like the idea of his father being truly angry with him. He had already experienced his father's wrath when he was disappointed and angry and he had no desire to put himself in that position again, though he would if it was necessary and his wife needed him to. As it was though, at the office, although things were a bit difficult at the moment, they weren't horrible and he didn't particularly feel like adding more stress and tension to his life.

"JR…" glaring at her husband, Sue Ellen felt betrayed; she hadn't expected him to really say anything, but she also hadn't expected him to give her excuses when he did speak. Of course he hadn't said anything to his father, it was exactly as Doctor Williams had said, the thought of standing up to the mighty Jock Ewing was not something that was on his radar, she knew that, but she didn't want to be reminded of it. She knew she was probably being petulant, complaining about something so silly, however, after thinking about little else over the past twenty-four hours, she was wound up and in need of an outlet to express her annoyance. "I need you to take this seriously. The next time your daddy says something, I won't be so docile and quiet, and when that happens, I need you to be there to support me. Please JR, promise me that you'll stand by me and defend me if need be". Looking at him both sternly and pleadingly, she felt herself relaxing as he downed the rest of his drink before stepping forward and kissing her. She knew her husband, she frustrated and confused the hell out of him and half the time he had no idea how to deal with her mood swings that went from vulnerable to angry and back again, but when it came down to it, he loved her and he would support her. As Doctor Williams had said, they had stood up to Jock it before and their lives had been better because of that, so they could do it again and come out the other side with the same result. They had to communicate and be proactive and in telling him exactly what she wanted and making a plan for when to do so, that's exactly what they were doing.

To be continued…