Dallas, Texas

"JR? Who is going to do Bobby's job after he leaves?" seeing Sue Ellen appear in the doorway between their bedroom and bathroom, JR briefly stopped what he was doing as he comprehended her question. Truthfully, he hadn't actually considered that part of Bobby's decision, he'd been so ecstatic to be getting his way sooner than he had planned that he'd actually skipped over the smaller details. As well as that, it didn't really surprise him that he'd skipped the stage of stressing about replacing a very qualified, experienced and valuable employee and even now after having been asked very directly, he still wasn't particularly concerned. He'd had a hand in creating Bobby's role and at the time his motivations had been fairly selfish; Bobby did the fun out-of-town networking work, he did the annoying, obligatory PR work, and he occasionally did a little work that ensured Ewing Oil had a number of people they could count on when times were tough. Many of Bobby's tasks were necessary and somebody would need to take responsibility for them, but at the end of the day, despite his name being Ewing, he wasn't as vital to the company's running as some of their other employees and JR knew it, in fact, he'd made sure of it.

"Well darlin', to be honest, daddy and I haven't actually sat down to discuss the details, as you could probably tell from my mood earlier, I was more excited about the long-term repercussions rather than the short-term scheduling changes. With that being said though, just thinking about it now, I imagine that when we do discuss it, it won't be too difficult to reassign Bobby's tasks. He's not a major player at the office, he was surplus to demand when he joined the company and we'll survive perfectly fine without him when he leaves; I think the fact that he's only been working part-time for the past few months anyway is testament to that". He didn't really see why Sue Ellen needed to concern herself with what went on at the office, but it was best to explain it to her when she asked, because he wasn't hiding anything and to avoid answering her questions only made him look like he was, at least from her perspective. Unfortunately, he soon realised that although he had answered her question, he hadn't actually told her what she really wanted to know.

"I'm sorry, I guess I should have been clearer. What I was really asking was who is going to be Ewing Oil's new roadman? And I suppose that what I meant to infer with that question was my uncomfortableness with the idea of you absorbing the tasks that Bobby performed in his role and that before he joined the company, the tasks that you performed; things like travelling, partying, late nights… women…" Looking at him with her large, brown eyes, it was obvious to JR that she was somewhat embarrassed by what she was asking him; they were supposed to be past the point of doubting whether he was capable of being faithful, but there were still times where her insecurity decided to make an appearance again.

"It's not that I don't trust you, I do, and if you absolutely have to, then I'll support you, because I understand that Ewing Oil provides ongoing financial support for our family and you have a very sentimental attachment to it, but before I just support your decision, I want you to be aware of my feelings. I've absolutely loved the way our marriage has been this past year and I don't care if it sounds selfish, I'm going to say it anyway, part of the reason why I've had so many good memories recently is because you're home more often. I like that you don't work crazy hours, despite being exceptionally busy; I like that you're home for dinner and breakfast; I love that you make an effort to take time away from your busy schedule to specifically spend time with me and John Ross, and I love that you and John Ross clearly have a father-son bond. Now that I've experienced what it's like to have you, all of you, I don't want to go back. It's not even really the temptation of everything away from home that I'm worried about, it's more the way you leaving is going to make me feel. I love you; I love the man you are now, and I much prefer the way things are in our day-to-day lives now than how they were in the past. I don't want things to change and while I'm incredibly happy for you that you're one step closer to having everything you ever wanted at Ewing Oil, I am also afraid that with Bobby's resignation comes the return of some of the things I was glad to be rid of. I'm sorry, I know that probably sounds incredibly selfish. I'm allowed to feel however I want, I know that, but I'm not oblivious, I know my feelings aren't always the same as everyone else's and I know you may not agree with me. I thought I should say something though, you know Doctor Williams will be displeased if I don't".

Listening to his wife as she continued to speak and the ended her explanation with a light-hearted comment, JR couldn't help but smile. Sue Ellen had always been emotionally affected by things, but it was a fairly recent development in her life that she could and would actually express her emotions, and that was all thanks to Doctor Williams. On a more serious note though, she had just told him some very important things and he needed to respond in an appropriate manner, because he had no desire to lose her, especially over something like this. "Darlin', listen to me; I love you and I love our life now too and I don't intend on messing up again. I truly had not thought any further ahead than what I just explained to you, but apparently you have, and since you have, I'll make you a promise right now. I will do what needs to be done, I am the vice president of Ewing Oil and I have responsibilities, but wherever possible, I will try to respect your wishes and keep things as they have been recently. Realistically, I can't go back to travelling frequently, I know that, I have a life here in Dallas with you and John Ross and my workload at the office is already busy enough anyway, so I don't think I will have time to do everything, not anymore. Daddy and I will need to have a conversation about how things will work, but I'm sure I can make them work, somehow. As for the women involved in the social part of Bobby's job, I really don't think I need to explain it again, but I will; I am not going to be unfaithful to you ever again, I understand how wrong my actions were in the past and I'm sorry, I really am. I need you to let your insecurity go though, it's not beneficial to our marriage, you know that, and since we're talking about Doctor Williams, he has said that too. We've moved on in our marriage and sometimes we need to remind ourselves of that. I made a commitment, I'm going to be a good husband and a good father, but please, give me a little time to actually do that before upsetting yourself over thoughts of it not happening. I love you and we're going to make this work". As sick of their repetitive conversations as he was, he understood why she sometimes felt insecure, but if he could stop her from taking her thoughts too far, then he would, because her insecurity was based on past truths, but the current and future truth was very different. From past experience though, he had a feeling that despite his reassurance, their conversation was not over yet.

To be continued…