Dallas, Texas

"JR? Can I ask you a question?" clearing his throat and then speaking aloud, Jack broke the silence that had been present since about five minutes after they'd left the stables, when he and JR had found themselves separated from the rest of the group. It was both fortunate and unfortunate that they were alone together; it was fortunate because it gave him time to really take in the surrounding space, and if JR cooperated it would be a good time to get to know each other, it was unfortunate too though because thus far, JR had been his usual sullen, unfriendly self. "You just did, but go ahead, ask another, it's not like there's anything else to do out here", hearing JR respond in such a resigned manner, he was almost amused, JR's attitude was almost old hat by now, his cousin would probably hate to be called predictable, but he was. "There it is again, that attitude. You treat me with so much contempt and I don't understand why, so please, tell me JR, what is it that I've done to make you hate me?" He was genuinely puzzled and wanted answers, the rest of the family had been pleasant and friendly toward him, but not JR, JR treated him like something he'd scraped off the bottom of his shoe, for what reason he had no idea, now seemed like a good time to find out though.

"Oh hell, why is everyone in this family so dramatic? Me not wanting you to just walk straight into a nice little position at Ewing Oil is not the same as me hating you, nor is me questioning your motives for being here in the first place. I'm so sick of you young whippersnappers just turning up expecting everything to be given to you and then whining about it when things don't go exactly as you imagined in your fantasy future. Power and powerful positions aren't something you can just walk into and make a success, you need to work hard and preferably you need to work up from the bottom. Bobby was useless at the office, that's why he's solely our roadman now and soon he'll be nothing at Ewing Oil, it's not for him, no matter how much he or daddy wanted it to be. I'm sure you're about the same, no experience in anything remotely academic or managerial, all field experience, and while that's beneficial, it's not what we're looking for; if you weren't a Ewing, daddy wouldn't even be entertaining the possibility of keeping you around at Ewing Oil, it's my job to remind him of that".

"As for the rest of my attitude toward you, I'm suspicious of your motives and I'm protective of this family, I won't sit back and allow you to worm your way in if it's not what's best for us. You left Alaska in a hurry, you researched my family in great detail when you arrived here, you've made no plans to look for jobs other than at Ewing Oil, and you claim to just want to get to know us, but you constantly push to involve yourself in just about every aspect of our lives, invited or not. I think the bigger question is one you should answer yourself, why should I, or the rest of my family, trust you?" Stuck in the middle of nowhere, unable to get away from the conversation Jack seemed to want to have, JR decided to respond honestly to his questions, it was probably the only time they were going to be alone with each other anyway, and setting the tone between them was clearly a necessary step he needed to take. Jack wasn't someone trustworthy in his eyes, therefore he didn't trust him, he also didn't have blind faith like Bobby did, and he wasn't easily sucked in by sob stories, like his father seemed to be lately. In his opinion, Jack deserved the criticism he received and he would continue deserving that criticism until the day he proved himself a valuable, trustworthy addition to the family and/or company.

Not completely sure what he was expecting, Jack found himself surprised by his cousin's response, even though what he said did match with his attitude thus far. There was one part of what JR said though that really confirmed to him that he wasn't communicating with someone who considered him a peer. "Whippersnapper? I think I've found your problem. You're what? Thirty-five? From what I can tell you act about sixty sometimes; you're all high and mighty about having the knowledge and skills to lead a company to success, but by my calculations, you can't have been doing that for as long as you want people to think. A decade ago, you were probably in Bobby's shoes, a newcomer, you just look down on him because you can and you want to, not because he's a bad employee. To me, he seems perfectly capable of doing his job and I've never heard Jock complain about his abilities, from what I've heard too, it was entirely his decision to leave Ewing Oil. I think you just have a bad attitude, you think you're superior to everyone because you're the first of your generation to follow in your daddy's footsteps, so there's nobody around to needle you about your mistakes. Well, I guess Jock might, but his criticism is for your own good and the good of Ewing Oil, not just because he wants to remain in the highest position at Ewing Oil or because he's a nasty person. I think you drive people away because you're afraid of what will happen if anyone gets too close, or even just close enough for Jock to take notice. I want you to know that I see it happening and I'm not afraid, so keep doing it if you must, but it's a waste of time and energy, I'm not going anywhere. Jock mentioned to me that you insist I interview for Bobby's job if I'm interested, that's fine by me, I'll do it, and I'm confident that in a formal interview setting, you'll see why I think I'm suitable for the job, and why Jock seems to be confident I'm a suitable applicant".

Raising an eyebrow toward Jack and then glaring down at his horse because he'd decided to wander off on his own path, JR was shocked at how confident Jack was, because for a man with little to fall back on, he was mighty sure of himself. Before he addressed that though, he felt the need to address something that mattered little overall, but he still didn't want to let slide. "I'm thirty-three thank you very much, and I if I act like a man of my daddy's age it's because most of the time that's who I need to communicate with, I do serious work and I have been doing serious work since I was just a boy, not just for the past decade. If you take a look around, there aren't many young men in the offices around town; acting young won't get you very far in the oil business, except perhaps in Bobby's role, the role you've got your eye on. By the way, I understand that role far more than you probably realise, it was never a separate job until Bobby arrived, and unless you haven't figured it out, it wasn't usually daddy who performed those tasks when it was just me and him, it was me".

"I have a lot of clout at Ewing Oil and it's not underserved, nor is my criticism of you or Bobby based on nothing; if you know me, you know that I'm very precise, I don't do things without reason. Simply assuming I'm just being critical for the sake of it is both naïve and unfair and if you really want to get ahead, I suggest you stop playing the victim and talking about how suitable you are to join this family and instead start showing us, more specifically, start showing me, because I'm the decider here". Bending the truth a little, because his father did ultimately have the power to do whatever he wished when it came to including people in his home and business life, JR hoped his point wasn't lost on his young cousin. Jack needed a reality check and since nobody else seemed to want to take responsibility for telling him that, he would.

To be continued…