Dallas, Texas

Handing Bobby his drink, Cliff sat down behind his desk and broached the subject they had gathered to discuss.

"So, are you going to keep me in suspense all afternoon?"

Shaking his head, Bobby answered, "no", and looking him directly in the eye, he broke the news, "you were right."

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to be."

Genuinely apologetic, he couldn't say he was surprised.

The woman was technically his mother but she hadn't behaved in a way that reflected that title in decades, so to expect that she'd offer anything more worthwhile to her son-in-law was optimistic and unrealistic.

"I know. I should have known from the very fact that Rebecca hasn't reached out that she didn't intend to in the future."

"Did she say that?"

Finding the statement rather blatant, he hoped Bobby was exaggerating out of anger rather than quoting verbatim.

"No, she defended herself saying the situation was complicated and she didn't appreciate the attitude I brought to the discussion."

Changing his tone of voice as he recounted their interaction, Bobby's comment told him he was equally as unimpressed with the woman as she was with him. He had reason to have an attitude, she didn't.

"I'm not surprised, she obviously hasn't changed that much in all the years she's been gone. She left us and never looked back."

Nodding, Bobby made an agreeable sound, although he also unexpectedly defended her.

"She did come to the cemetery, I'll give her that."

Considering it, he didn't think a visit to the cemetery moved the needle all that much. Anyone who'd cared for Pam had visited the cemetery, it was what people did to say their goodbyes; Rebecca hadn't done anything spectacular that deserved additional praise.

"Yeah, she came all the way to Dallas to go to the cemetery to visit her recently passed daughter but couldn't come and visit her very much alive son."

By all accounts, Katherine had known about him for very little time before she'd made contact, yet their mother had had two decades to write, call or visit and he'd heard nothing, that said far more than anything she did do.

"She's not worth getting upset about."

Likely attempting to support him, Bobby's comments didn't quite capture how he felt.

"I'm not upset, I'm angry. She's living the high life, one that completely disregards her previous four children and husband."

"You don't want to tell her your opinion yourself?"

"No, I'm not going to give her the satisfaction. If she wants to hear from me she can contact me."

His mother had to know by now how she'd disappointed him; she'd heard his feelings from Katherine and Bobby, and she still hadn't felt bad enough about her behaviour to apologise, so he had no desire to engage with her only to receive her impassiveness first-hand.

"You know, I might have thought you were being unreasonable before, but now."

Sighing, Bobby swirled his drink and then downed it.

"Now you know."

"Now I know. She attempted to explain why she did what she did but she never took any responsibility for what she left behind, which makes it difficult to take seriously what she did say."

Further emphasising that Rebecca didn't seem at all apologetic or regretful, Bobby's comment cemented his decision not to make contact. That said, he did think something worthwhile had come out of the recent revelations.

"Katherine's not so bad. A bit out of touch but probably no more than you are, being a Ewing and all. Did you meet her?"

He didn't feel he had all that much in common with his youngest sister, they'd been raised in completely different circumstances and had very different perspectives on the world, but she couldn't be blamed for who she was any more than he could for who he was. He would have loved to have seen what Pam thought of her, seeing as she'd married into the Ewing family but hadn't quite fallen in line with their way of life. Unfortunately, all he could do now was assume and imagine; Pam was gone and so was her independent mind.

"No, I didn't have that pleasure."

"Do you want to?"

He had Katherine's contact information, so if Bobby wanted to meet her away from Rebecca he could arrange it. He wasn't about to force the girl on him though, she wasn't necessarily a way to feel closer to Pam, being almost her antithesis.

"I would, but I think I need a break from Wentworth women for a little while."

Chuckling, he understood where Bobby was coming from. The last few months had been exhausting and there was only so much one person could reasonably deal with at any given time.

"Well, whenever you're ready."

"I think I will be, just not yet."

Nodding, he thought about Katherine again. She had her entire life ahead of her, college in the fall, then probably marriage, children and eventually a job managing her father's company. She was all set, and he was happy for her, but her life really was a reminder of how easy things were for people like her and Bobby. Obviously, Bobby had had a hard life recently, but before that he doubted he'd had many struggles at all.

Not wanting to blame Bobby for the things out of his control any longer, seeing as all the money in the world hadn't been able to change the path Pam's life had taken, he didn't mention any of his thoughts and instead asked about the future.

"What now then?"

Assuming that meeting Rebecca had closed the door on a few thoughts he'd been having, because the recount of his experience had certainly made contacting her unappealing to him, he asked what was next.

"You know, I'm not completely sure, but I have a few ideas. Houston wasn't all bad. While I was there I had time to think and I figured out some things, saw the future with a little more clarity than I've been seeing the present recently."

Sounding as if he'd passed another stage in the grieving process, Bobby's comment mirrored some of his own feelings.

"I'm glad."

It hurt to say, but Pam wasn't coming back, and although they still hadn't completely finished with the Wentworth family, they were a step closer to living with their new reality, moving forward instead of staying still with memories of the past haunting them.

To be continued…