Dallas, Texas

"I have a proposal", adjusting John Ross in his arms as he heard Sue Ellen speaking again and turned to listen to her, JR raised an eyebrow curiously and nodded for her to continue. She had been rather quiet since he had responded to her confession about her new friend and he was interested to hear what was going on in her head, especially since oftentimes it wasn't what he expected. He didn't like the idea of his wife involving herself with the Barnes family, not because he really knew for a fact that they were bad people, but because, as he had told her, he thought she could do better than someone who she had to change herself for. He didn't understand why she was choosing such a challenge for herself in such a 'desperate' situation when surely there were others she could more easily make friends with if she sought true female companionship. He didn't expect her to try to form a friendship with Marilee Stone, even he knew not every woman of their generation and social status was female friendship material, however, Dallas was a big city and as far as he was aware, there was no shortage of wealthy ladies.

He would never tell Sue Ellen, because she probably hated thinking about his dating life before her as much as he hated thinking about hers, but he knew from personal experience that nice, wealthy girls existed, he had dated a number of them at his father's request. Carol Parker was one of those girls, she was the daughter of a congressman, she was polite, pretty, well-bred, and she'd bored him to tears before they'd even started their main course; she was probably married to someone equally as dull as herself, but as wealthy as him now, and she was probably very happy that way. Carol Parker was not someone he would want to double date with if Sue Ellen ever got that far into a friendship, but she was harmless and if Sue Ellen had chosen her as a friend, he would only jokingly complain about it, not seriously debate the topic with her. Pamela Barnes on the other hand, he just had to say something, it was against his nature to stay silent on such a surprising, topic, especially one he actually had something to add to which wasn't based on his prior opinion of the Barnes family. He had met Pamela the previous evening and just didn't understand what was so great about her; sure, she looked like she might be good in bed, so Bobby's attraction was understandable, but everything his wife had described sounded like one big chore. He didn't have many, or any, friends, but he knew enough about friendship to know you weren't supposed to have to bend over backwards to make it work, especially in the early stages; friendship, much like romantic relationships, was supposed to be built on some kind of common ground and mutual attraction.

In his opinion, Sue Ellen was very different to Pamela and he just didn't see why they would persist with a friendship, it really didn't seem worth it to him, he would hear her out though, there was really no harm in at least doing that, especially since after her silence she now seemed to have come to a conclusion. He could only hope her proposal was to drop the Pamela topic and move on, perhaps even taking his suggestion to heart and seeking friendship beyond the small groups she had tried to make work so far; he knew it was unlikely to be that simple or easy though.

"I hear what you're saying about Pamela and I acknowledge that you may have a point, but until I actually explore it myself, I'm not sure I'm ready to just give up. I don't want it to cause strain in our relationship though, so I propose that instead of discussing it, going around in circles at this point because it's so early on and neither of us has a full picture, we just simply acknowledged it once and let it be. What I mean is, I don't want to hear your negativity at the moment, but I also don't want to make you feel like your opinion isn't valuable or I'm upset with you in any other aspect of our relationship, because I'm not".

"I propose that I go ahead and try a friendship with Pamela, but unless you ask, I won't make you listen to my opinions on Pamela; in return, I ask that you respect my decision and stop with the overly negative comments. I love the way our relationship is now and I don't want this to be a bigger issue than it needs to be; me trying to make a friend is not something we should be arguing about, and if it is, then we need to speak to Doctor Williams about that. If you agree with that, I also ask you to consider Bobby's feelings and show him the same respect, his romantic relationships aren't really your concern and I'm sure sharing your negative feelings won't do anything to assist any kind of brotherly bond you've managed to form recently. If you think you can do that, our relationship can continue to be as satisfying and enjoyable as it has been recently, because it really has, I feel it, and I'm sure you do too…"

Holding his wife's gaze as she spoke, it was JR's turn to walk in quiet silence, contemplating her opinion. He understood her feelings, he didn't like the idea of his wife, or his brother, growing closer to a Barnes, so he was sure he probably did sound negative when he made comments about Pamela. On the other side, he knew his wife and he knew when she said she didn't want their disagreement to cause strain on their relationship, she meant she was worried it was beginning to, so for her happiness and the stable pleasantness of their marriage, it would be best if he did stay quiet. Considering it, he knew he was capable of it, he had an acid tongue when he was unhappy and unrestrained, but he also had some self-control and the ability to see beyond the immediate future. If he did as Sue Ellen asked now, perhaps he would end up realising Pamela wasn't so bad, more likely though, he'd just buy himself some time to assess the situation and decide on a more appropriate plan of action if one was necessary.

"Ok darlin', I accept your proposal, on two conditions. Firstly, don't put all your eggs in one basket, if you want a friend, then please think about looking for someone you don't have to change yourself for. Secondly, I don't want to feel like you're hiding things from me; I don't need to know the inner details of whatever it is women do together, but I would like to know if things do progress or fall apart". Looking directly at Sue Ellen as he spoke, he knew she was pleasantly surprised he had actually agreed to what she was proposing, even if he had still let her know he had doubts that her efforts with Pamela would go anywhere positive. Before either of them could say anything further though, John Ross decided to make his presence and wishes known again, squirming and babbling, pointing at the grass below to let him know he was sick of being confined in his arms, even though just a few minutes prior he had been tired of toddling along. Stopping and placing their son down on the grass, he felt his mood lifting as John Ross grabbed handfuls of grass and pulled before looking up at he and Sue Ellen and offering them the 'gift'. Looking at each other as they crouched down to meet John Ross' eyelevel, he was confident they had an agreement, and if they didn't, they would talk about it later; for now, their son needed and wanted them and their role as parents was more important than their marital discussion.

To be continued…