Dallas, Texas

"Thank you darlin'", settled in the living room after work, JR gladly accepted the drink Sue Ellen handed him, before continuing with what he had been saying. "…the rest of my meetings went well, daddy actually agreed with me on several projects and we've settled almost everything coming up with training Jack over the next few weeks. He wasn't exactly eager to dwell on my concerns about his lack of communication regarding Jack and the condo, but I think he understands enough to think twice about making a decision and not telling me next time. After speaking to Jack last night too I think he's a bit warier of daddy's promises and truths; I didn't give him anything so detailed that it would be disrespectful to our privacy but I think he was able to understand the gist of what I meant. He's running from something himself and I'd put money on it that that something has to do with uncle Jason and the relationship they have with each other…"

"Enough about me though, what about you? How did the rest of your lunch with Anna go?" Moving the conversation on from him to her, he was genuinely interested, because he had left in the middle of a lunch meeting which he'd enjoyed mostly because he and Marv had talked business and although Anna and Sue Ellen had been present, he was embarrassed to admit he didn't recall much of what they had contributed to the conversation. "It was interesting, I do have to wonder though, where did you come up with Marv and Anna? What put them at the top of the list of people you thought would be good to introduce me to?" Freezing in place as he listened to her questions, he sat silently for a few moments considering how to answer her questions without digging himself a hole. The truth was, he had picked Anna because she ticked more boxes than many women he knew or knew of, especially when Sue Ellen specified she didn't want another DOA 'friend', however, ticking a few general boxes which indicated little more than social breeding and bank balance was probably not exactly a pathway to guaranteed rapport and friendship.

"Well darlin', a few things. Firstly, timing, it's not easy to make a time and date for a meeting with another man and his wife, we're all busy people; secondly, you made it sound like you'd tried and failed with the DOA ladies, so I was looking outside of that box; and thirdly, I tried to choose women I knew were similarly looking for friendship. I don't want to upset you, but when you look a little deeper into the options that are out there, it's worrying and I didn't feel comfortable making some of those introductions. We have had our ups and downs but apparently so has everyone else, and I think that it would be a disservice to our marriage to bring someone with loose morals into your life, not because I don't trust you but because you're not looking to take someone else's problems and secrets on as your own. I suppose in a sense too, I didn't want you to meet the husbands of some of these women, I know what the world we live in is like and you're much too much of a lady to have to put up with some of the men here. I say that in a purely defensive sense, I want to protect you from what I know exists, so I'd prefer if you only made friends with the wives of men I know and trust, because you're much too precious to be hurt by anything they may do or say".

Responding to her, he hoped she didn't take offense at his comments about women of loose morals or her own delicateness, they had had words earlier in their marriage about how he treated her in regard to her ladylike qualities and he didn't want her to feel as if they were returning to that. Hell, from what he'd observed Anna was hardly the kind of wife he wanted, but whether Sue Ellen understood that or not seemed to be up in the air. He very well could have made a big mistake in deciding to introduce his wife to only the most wholesome women he knew of, because as he had known long ago and Sue Ellen was probably well aware of now too, wholesome was often synonymous with dull and dull was exactly the opposite of what she was looking for.

"So is it right or wrong to assume you're beginning to swing back toward wanting a wife of your own who is just like the lady you married? You know, quiet, sedate, truly under the control of her husband. I only ask because sitting at lunch with Anna and Marv today reminded me a lot of where we've come from and how far we've travelled down the road toward where we are now. You say you're protecting me and I respect that when it comes to other men, because I know what it's like to deal with unsavoury men, however, when it comes to other women, how would you feel if I said I'd prefer if you widened your scope if Anna is the archetype of what you have in mind for me?"

Listening to the diplomatic way his wife phrased her dissatisfaction, JR frowned to himself, clearly he hadn't been that good at disguising his intentions and now had to deal with her disappointment as well as his own insecurities about who was the right kind of woman for her to be friends with. In some ways, allowing her to just try to forge a friendship with Pamela Barnes almost seemed like a good idea, because she would soon realise they had little in common and grow tired of her. With things as they were at present, she was doing that enough on her own with the others she had tried to befriend, so it was only natural to assume she would do the same with Pamela, even if she did try to claim there was some kind of connection between them.

"Now darlin', that's a bit dramatic isn't it? I love you just the way you are now; I loved you as you were when I married you too. I've always loved you, that was never the issue between us. I have apologised profusely and made amends for my past mistakes with other women and I have never asked you or willed you to change who or what you are. We are different now, more relaxed, less formal and yes, you're less quiet and sedate, but I don't think that's a bad thing and I don't see it as something I want to reverse, especially after seeing Anna and Marv together. Don't get me wrong, he's a good man, probably a better man than I am, and she seems perfectly nice, but there wasn't one moment I had any doubts about the path you and I have chosen to take in comparison to the one they have. If you promise not to get upset, I'll tell you something else; I've been there and done that and the only woman of that sort that ever truly appealed to me was you".

Returning to his reassurance mode, one he was familiar with from their previous disagreements and her old insecurities, he hoped she understood what he was saying, because he meant it, he did love her and their marriage now and he really didn't want to start arguing again, especially not when everything else between them seemed to be going so well. "Thank you, I love you too, and I love you more every time you confirm to me what I already know…" listening to her, he smiled as he met her eye and his mood began to improve when she took a seat next to him and softly kissed him. Unfortunately, she wasn't ready to give up on their conversation without a conclusion first though, and pulling away from their kiss, she continued to speak.

"I really do have concerns about what criteria you're using to choose who we meet up with though and I need you to either agree to widen that scope or read what I'm saying to you when I say it. In today's case, I was lucky, Anna actually turned out to be a reasonable lunch date after you and Marv left, but it could have easily gone the opposite way and I was terrified it was going that way. You heard her, it was like listening to myself in my mother's presence, only the best, most impersonal personality on display; later came a discussion that I'm sure you're quite glad to have missed and that I was not prepared for…"

"Like I said though, luckily she actually seems somewhat sane underneath all of that, we found a lot to talk about when we moved on from simply describing our activities and commitments, but for a moment it seemed like I was just there to be recruited and I couldn't think of one good excuse to get out of there early. I don't want to feel that way with friends, I never felt that way with anyone I was friends with in college and even in my efforts during our marriage to make friends the only time I can remember wanting to leave somewhere was when Marilee was needling me or the uncomfortable questions about the future Ewing heir were raised. Otherwise, I have always felt comfortable with who I was socialising with, even if I wasn't close with them. With Pamela I feel more, I feel like we could really be friends and I am going to pursue that, but I would like more than one friend, someone I can relate to in ways I can't relate to Pamela".

Listening to her talking he sat quietly trying to figure out how her mind worked sometimes, she was far more emotional when it came to connections with people than he was, even if he did feel some pretty heavy things when it came to his parents. Feeling her hands in his though, he knew everything would be ok, she was mostly just verbally expressing her feelings, because he was likely the first person she was close to that she had seen since lunch and she needed to talk to someone. "Anyway, underneath all of my complaints, which I'm sure is all you feel like you've heard so far, I did have a good time, and I am grateful to you for agreeing to assist me, so in case I haven't said it yet, thank you". Gladly accepting the kiss she then offered to him, he found it easier and easier to not focus on what she had just been saying, even if now, a few seconds later, he was beginning to register that even his high standards and narrow criteria weren't airtight and even women who he wouldn't have thought complicated could be just that. When Sue Ellen had said her lunch with Anna had been 'interesting', it sounded to him as if she were just commenting on his thoughts prior to that comment, that Anna really hadn't been that interesting, however, now it almost sounded as if she actually had a complex personality. From what he had seen of her, she did seem like a nice girl though and if Sue Ellen said they had eventually found a lot to talk about then he was pleased. He would have to be more careful with his introductions next time though, she clearly wanted to spend time with someone more lively, like Pamela, or perhaps her friend Paula, not quiet, like her former self, and that really wasn't a problem, he liked seeing her happy and if an outgoing friend could make her happy then he'd gladly assist.

To be continued…