Dallas, Texas

"JR, come here, I want to talk to you for a minute", looking over at his father as he finally appeared back up at the house, JR clenched his fist and took a deep breath before doing as his father asked and walking over to join him. He was sick of being pulled this way and that, but he was trying his best to appear agreeable for the sake of the family and his stake in Ewing Oil. It appeared the family liked Jack, so if he was to make his opposing opinion known any stronger than he already had, he would just be sabotaging his own future. Instead, he needed to think smartly and allow things to happen naturally, or somewhat naturally; he would wait for Jack to make his own mistakes, rather than planning them for him.

"JR, I won't keep you, I just wanted to let you know that your mama and I are glad you decided to come today. I don't know if that was Sue Ellen's doing or if you decided to come all on your own, but you're here and that's what matters". Listening to his father's positive statement, JR was once again surprised and a bit confused, it was weird, nobody except Sue Ellen was ever this nice to him, but today they seemed to be, first Jack had tried to smooth things over and now his father was actually admitting he liked his company; the positivity was enough to silence him. "Well thank you daddy", nodding, he thought back on the previous evening and mentally noted that it was actually Lucy's bratty, baiting behaviour that had caused him to commit to joining the family again, knowing his father's opinion of Lucy though, he conveniently neglected to remind him of that fact.

"I saw you and Jack together earlier… I assume you're over whatever jealousy you were feeling and you're committed to taking this family seriously now?" Listening silently as his father spoke again, JR's face fell and he willed himself not to 'overreact' to the accusation of jealousy, though it was difficult, especially when what other people called an overreaction seemed perfectly reasonable to him. Was it really so hard for people to understand where he was coming from when he said the things he said and did the things he did? Was it really everyone's first thought to label him jealous and unreasonable and then congratulate him when he acted politely, because he had seemingly moved on from that jealousy? "Well I won't be entrusting him with my money or my life, but I also won't be arranging for his removal from Dallas if that's what you're asking. As for jealousy, I'm not jealous of him, I just need him and everyone else to understand his place; he's not your son, he's not my brother, he has no claim on anything related to Ewing Oil, and if he wants to make a life here then he has to work for it. I'm only holding him to the same standards you held me to, that's not so wrong is it?"

Seeing his father's facial expression change, JR knew his response had hit a nerve and their conversation was turning into something much more than originally intended, he didn't feel bad though, he had just been honest and if his father had a problem with that then that was for him to deal with. "JR, do I need to remind you of your place? You might hold some power at Ewing Oil, and you're the head of your family, and I'm not opposed to you occasionally having words with Lucy when the situation requires it, but you're not the head of this family. I am the patriarch here, I am the one that holds people to standard if they step out of line, me, not you. Much like you are Bobby's peer, not his superior at home, you are Jack's peer too, not his superior. I understand if you want to define your feelings as something other than jealousy, but don't mislabel them as those of a moderator. You are not in control here, you are not the man of this house and you are not the president of Ewing Oil, you don't get to hold Jack to standard". Growling his words, Jock paused for a moment before collecting himself and speaking again. "Now, I don't know what you discussed, but I hope you've come to some kind of understanding with Jack. He was naïve and wrong to speak the way he did about Ewing Oil being his in a way last night, but I think he understands where he stands now; I hope you do too".

Listening to his father speaking, JR clenched his fist and frowned even more than he had been before; he had to wonder sometimes why he even bothered with his father sometimes, even when he wasn't trying to pick a fight he ended up feeling chastised like a child. It made no sense to him, he hadn't even said anything overly offensive, he'd made a small derisive comment regarding his plans for Jack and he'd defended the accusation against him, but his father had taken things much more seriously and scolded him for his attitude. Almost wishing he had just nodded and appeared agreeable to begin with, he waited a few seconds before finally responding, defending himself and clarifying his position. "Yes daddy, I do, I think you misunderstood me though. What I meant by my comment was that I originally found Jack's presence to be irritating and overbearing, because he arrived here and immediately tried to insert himself into areas that you, me, and Bobby occupy just fine on our own. Now that we've spoken though and you've clarified to everyone that he's not going to be given any special treatment, we've come to an understanding. He's assured me that he's not here to step on anyone's toes and as long as he sticks to that, I'll tolerate him".

"I reserve the right to defend what is mine though, meaning I won't sit quietly if things change for the worse. I'm not the president of Ewing Oil but I am the vice president and in matters relating to business you and I are supposed to consult each other. As for the family, I'm not the head of this family, but I am a part of it, an important part at that; I am your eldest son, I have lived and worked my entire life trying to live up to the expectations you project onto me, only to be disappointed when the reward doesn't eventuate. I'm not just talking about the presidency of Ewing Oil, I'm talking about the constant stream of trying as hard as I can and achieving the best result in just about everything, but still somehow finding myself receiving less praise than Bobby. Gary is mama's problem, Bobby is yours; Jack is a new threat, but like I said, I think we've come to an understanding, provided he doesn't overstep the line, I'll tolerate him. In fact, how's this for setting differences aside, acting like peers, and taking family seriously; Jack, Bobby, and I are going out tonight, together".

Allowing his frown to correct itself and slowly turn into a grin, JR enjoyed the silence that followed his words and the change in atmosphere in the conversation. It was still painful to think about and talk about the inequality he felt he experienced in life, but it did seem to be getting easier as time passed and he made the conscious effort to confront those feelings aloud and with other people rather than just letting them stew inside him. He really wanted his father to listen to what he was saying, acknowledge it, apologise, and commit to changing his behaviour, but he knew that was a lot to hope for, so although he hated to settle, the silence of his father following one of his outbursts would do for now. Shouting had already occurred, in their present conversation and in many before, but shouting only got them so far, listening and comprehending was worth far more. What pleased him in their current conversation and subsequent silence most though was that he had done what his father wanted with Jack, he had just taken a while to get around to explaining his actions, so while he had had to listen to another one of his father's angry rambles, ultimately he'd had the last word. There wasn't much his father could say at present, unless he wanted to shout at him again for trying to explain his perspective; he had done what was asked of him earlier, he had agreed to help Jack integrate into life in Dallas. I mattered little that it had been Jack who had made the suggestion for their plans later, his father didn't need to know that, all he needed to know was that his sons and nephew were 'bonding' and his eldest son had no plans to sabotage the outcome of the bonding.

To be continued…