Dallas, Texas

"Good morning granddaddy", stopping her grandfather on the stairs before they entered the dining room for breakfast, Lucy Ewing made sure to use her happiest smile and sweetest voice as she greeted him and prepared for a confrontation. "Good morning Lucy", receiving a warm, but short, response from her grandfather before he smiled and continued walking, she then put her hand out to stop him from turning the corner just yet. It was presumptuous for her to try to control him, but she had never been afraid of a small amount of conflict and she had all the best intentions, so she wasn't afraid of saying something. "Granddaddy, I've been thinking about what you said a few days ago and I've decided to help you. It's Saturday, so you have all day to watch and learn, starting with breakfast. Grandma is just getting John Ross ready now, so you don't have to do that, but later, when we're all seated at the table, I want you to try helping. Then later, I was thinking of taking Toffee for a ride, so usually I would ask grandma if she wanted to bring John Ross down to the stables too, but I'm asking you today. You said you didn't have a lot of experience with young babies, but you have the opportunity to gain some experience now. Trying something new can be a challenge, but we have to do things that are hard sometimes because otherwise we never learn or grow; Doctor Lacey taught me that". Smiling in a way that indicated she was both smug and caring, she then skipped down the stairs and into the dining room as she heard John Ross' happy babbling and her grandmother's voice coming from the hallway above her; she wanted her grandfather to listen to her, but she wasn't quite ready to explain her plan to her grandmother.

"I think Teresa has prepared some oatmeal and bananas for you this morning. How does that sound?" speaking to her grandson as she carried him downstairs, Miss Ellie smiled as he babbled a few baba and nana sounds back to her, sounds that she wasn't sure were him trying to imitate her, but she liked to think were. John Ross was just like how Bobby and JR had been when they were babies when it came to verbal skills and motor skills; he was quick to scoot, crawl and now begin to walk around, but when it came to talking, he was taking his time. Of course, he wasn't even a year old yet, he still had plenty of time to develop his language skills a little more so when he did 'speak' it was more than just incoherent babbling sounds; she wasn't worried at all, he was normal, just like two of her sons had been. Gary had been just as normal, but different to his brothers as a baby, he had enjoyed being held and carried for a long time past when he was strong enough to crawl, and he had developed his own voice at an earlier age than JR had and later, Bobby had. When comparing her three sons' development though, Gary had always been the quietest and shiest; he had a way with words, but not many people had the privileged of knowing that side of him. She missed Gary dearly and she had a lot of regrets and thoughts that were a result of hindsight, but she couldn't allow the past to control the present and future; she had told Sue Ellen that enough times and it would be hypocritical and silly for her to not also believe and follow that line of thinking. On top of that, she had enough things in the present requiring her attention that she didn't really have time to constantly dwell on the past and what she would have done differently. She had two grandchildren that she wanted to ensure she had a good relationship with and as she was always telling her husband, a good relationship required continued effort. Strangely, as she passed her husband on the staircase, she had a funny feeling that perhaps her words were finally getting through to him, because for whatever reason, he had looked completely perplexed the moment before he'd noticed her and John Ross, but as soon as they passed him, his mood seemed to change.

Ten minutes later, after trying to truly take an interest in the way his wife spoon-fed his grandson his oatmeal and then allowed him to attempt to eat the slices of banana himself, Jock Ewing choked a little on his scrambled eggs as his mischievous granddaughter skipped ahead in the agreed plan to watch and learn. "I was thinking of riding Toffee out to the pond today. Granddaddy, why don't you and grandma bring John Ross down to see the horses too"; nothing she was saying was out of the ordinary, but she had specifically made a point to invite him and that meant his wife now expected him to be there too. He wasn't uncomfortable with the stables, or even with showing his grandson the horses, he'd done it before, what he was uncomfortable with though was the way he was allowing a little girl to control him. Today it was petting the animals and supervising meal times, but who knew what wild activity Lucy would suggest he participate in next; he wasn't ready for solo days at the park, finger-painting, singing, sitting and reading anything longer than a bedtime story, or actively playing with toys. A visit to the office, a day trip out to the oil fields, camping, hunting, ranching, enjoying the land, playing cards and telling stories of the old days, those were things he was comfortable with, but those activities were more suitable for older children and adults than they were for babies. Logically, he knew Lucy was right, John Ross was just a baby, he was happy with simple shows of attention and love, and he knew he probably didn't put enough effort into doing those things with his grandson, but he also knew his granddaughter, she liked to stir things up and he had to be mindful of her intentions. With her suggested activity for today though, there didn't seem to be much that could go wrong and he did believe she was honestly just trying to get him to make more of an effort at being a grandfather. If her speech earlier in the week was to be believed, he had made a bigger impact on her life than he had realised and she simply wanted her young cousin to have the same good memories she had had. Glancing back and forth at his wife and granddaughter's expectant facial expressions, he buried his uncertainty beneath a chuckle and happily responded, "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea", before turning toward his grandson and speaking directly to him, "how does that sound John Ross? Do you want to go and see the horses?" Surprised by the reaction he received from all three of his family members as he responded, his mood improved almost instantly; he may have been uncertain and a little uncomfortable inside, but no one seemed to mind, they wanted him to do something with them and they were happy he had agreed.

To be continued…