Dallas, Texas

Navigating the streets in downtown Dallas surprisingly easily thanks to the proximity to the Ewing Oil building, Sue Ellen's thoughts wandered as she edged closer to her lunch with Pamela. She was nervous because she really didn't know how things were going to go, but she was excited too; it had been a while since she'd sat down and had a one-on-one talk with anyone other than JR or Miss Ellie and that alone appealed to her. Embarrassingly, for the popularity she had once possessed, she was decidedly lonely in her currently stage of life, even though the rest of her situation was near perfect. It was that loneliness though that drove her to pursue things harder than she may have back when she was a busy college student, pageant queen, cheerleader, sorority girl, model, and girlfriend, back when her life was so full of commitments that it would have seemed incomprehensible that loneliness would be an emotion she was feeling. Things were different now though, she hadn't been a college girl or pageant queen for years and it wasn't fair to compare her circumstances back then to her circumstances now.

Unless they were in grad school, no women her age were still in college, and unless they were like Pamela and spent their days working, they were like her, wives and mothers, not in the same way she was though. JR was probably right, if she looked hard enough, there were other women in her situation, so far though, she hadn't found any she wanted to befriend. If she was honest with herself, she hadn't looked that hard for women exactly like her, she was involved in activities, but they were all for a purpose other than networking, well, perhaps not the DOA, but still, mingling with women who were mostly decades older than her wasn't a hugely targeted effort. JR was right too, Pamela wasn't exactly a targeted effort if she was looking for a friend who she could be her complete real self with, so why she was putting so much effort in was a bit of a mystery, it had to do with her feelings though, feelings she had tried to explain but couldn't. She barely knew Pamela, but she liked her and she felt something with her; for whatever reason, she felt that they could be friends and she felt that was worth pursuing, despite there being a number of reasons why that wasn't a good idea.

Pulling into the parking lot underneath a high-rise building that looked just like the surrounding buildings, she parked her car, checked her makeup in her rear-view mirror and took a deep breath; she was heading to lunch with a friend, not a job interview or an inquisition, there was no need to be so concerned or have everything pre-planned. Collecting her purse, she headed across the parking lot, into the elevator, and then out onto the second floor which housed the restaurant Pamela had selected for them to dine at. "Sue Ellen Ewing to meet Pamela Barnes", announcing herself to the hostess, she was pleasantly surprised by the restaurant's atmosphere as she followed the young woman across the room toward the table reserved for their lunch. She hated herself for it, but thanks to JR's negative remarks, she had actually expected something a little more homely than what was in front of her, despite the fact that Pamela had specifically told her it was a restaurant inside an office building. The reality was that the restaurant was nice, it was clearly a geared toward providing a location for business lunches for employees and clients of the companies housed in the office space on the floors above, but still, it wasn't overly stuffy or formal like some restaurants. As they only had an hour for lunch because Pamela had to return to work in the afternoon, it was ideal. The downtown location was good too because she and JR had an appointment with Doctor Williams they had mutually rescheduled to later in the day and being as close to Ewing Oil as Pamela's office building was, if she had time, she might take up the offer JR periodically reminded her was always open, and drop in to see him.

"Sue Ellen", seeing the friendly expression on Pamela's face and hearing her calm tone of voice as she greeted her as the hostess showed her to their table, the nervousness she had been feeling regarding not knowing what to expect began to dissipate. "Pamela", greeting her in an equally friendly manner, she then thanked the hostess and took a seat opposite Pamela. "It's lovely to see you again", meaning what she said literally, because of all the women she'd ever met doing charity work, Pamela was probably the most fashionable and it showed in her chosen accessories, she purposely avoided adding how pleased she was that Pamela had agreed to meet with her, because she didn't want to appear needy. Instead, she continued with what felt natural, even if she was a little unsure about whether her instincts were right to follow anymore, "that scarf really suits you, I might have to incorporate that idea next time someone complains a blouse and skirt looks too plain".

Sipping her water and seeing Pamela smiling as she touched the end of the scarf she was using to hold her hair back from her face, she felt even more of her nervousness leaving her, especially when Pamela opened her mouth and responded, officially opening their discussion, a topic they had a mutual interest in, "thank you. I've been trying different things, different knots, different positions, colours, you know, to see what I like best. I think I've decided…" Listening to Pamela speak, she was pleased she had chosen fashion to start with rather than dwelling on her own loneliness and the emotional relationship she was seeking, because Pamela's enthusiasm for accessorising was contagious. Sure, fashion wasn't that deep, but honestly, it was only when she got stuck in her own mind that she really wanted deep, the rest of the time, she just wanted to feel young and happy again. She wanted a friend to laugh with and truly enjoy spending time with, in a different way to the way she enjoyed JR's company; whether or not that friend was Pamela was yet to be decided, however, there was no harm in trialling things, and so far, the trial was going well. Pamela was a former shop girl and she was a former pageant queen, their pasts and presents were different, but still they weren't actually all that different when it came to opinions on certain things. After months of trying to find connections with people she socialised with, it felt wonderful to talk to someone who 'got' her, even if it was only in regard to fashion, that was a start.

To be continued…