stevew
Telly Talk Star
The Ewing’s gather around the pool outback on a beautiful, blue sky day. John Ross mans the barbeque and Lucy sits at the table watching a boy, about ten swimming across the pool. At the other end, a ripped young man, in his mid-twenties, chats with a bikini glad girl, about the same age. Christopher comes out of the house with a platter of stakes which John Ross puts on the grill to sizzle, one by one. The family’s having a great time. The young man dives in the water and swims over to the boy, pulling him down. The young boy comes up laughing. The young woman walks over and sits next to Lucy, wrapped in a robe, talking about Daughters of the Alamo stuff.
A car pulls up around back and Christopher says to John Ross, “Who’s that?”
“Lucas. He’s been in town. I told him to come over. He just bought the old Wade place.”
“Really? He’s not moving down here, is he?”
“I don’t if it’s a winter place for him, or if he’s done with New York life altogether, but I sure intend to find out.”
They take the platter of streaks over to the table where Lucy sits as Lucas walks up from the driveway. John Ross greats him with a manly hug and a firm pat on the back. “I can’t believe you’re finally stepping food on South Fork. Welcome. Let me introduce you to my boys. This is Jay.” The young man dries off his hand and shakes hands with Lucas.
“Nice to meet you Jay. Lucy tells me a lot a about you. You went to Yale. My old stomping grounds.”
“Really. Yea I was there for a while. Majored in finance.”
“Economics. Though got my MBA from Harvard. So you working for your daddy?”
“No I didn’t even finish at Yale, though I hear about it enough.”
John Ross says, “And this is Steven.”
The two shake hands. “Hello Steven. Lucy tells me a lot about you too. Pretty good swimmer I hear.”
“Yeah I like swimmin’.”
John Ross says, “This is my cousin Lucas. Oh and this is Amy Anderson. Jay’s girlfriend. She’s Punk and Mavis Anderson’s great granddaughter. I don’t know if you remember them.”
“No, but I remember my dad talking about ‘em.”
“How are they doing?”
“Just fine. Boring life if you ask me. But they like it. Switzerland is certainly peaceful.”
“And your sisters?”
“Oh Charlie’s married to some prince and likes doing social stuff. And you know how Maggie’s doing. I hear she works for you in Washington.”
“Best lobbyist the oil industry every had. Stepfather was one of the longest serving Senators and her mom was a Secretary of Energy. We couldn’t be in better hands. But I’m not involved with the company much anymore. Chris runs things. I’m kind a retired.”
“Really. Kind of young to retire.”
“Well with Uncle Bobby running West Fork with Uncle Gary, it’s just me around her, so I guess I’m a rancher.”
“You don’t say. I heard he found Aunt Pam and he and Uncle Gary bought West Fork out in California. I didn’t know he moved out there.”
“Yeah. Aunt Pam wasn’t come backing her.”
“My dad said she had a hard time of it. Kind of mentally ill. That whole Barnes Wentworth clan. “
“Well Cliff was off his rocker. Thank goodness for us he got locked up down in Mexico. And Katherine Wentworth, they declared her dead up Uncle Bobby says he’s good reason to believe she’s still alive.”
“But my momma’s doing just fine now,” Chris interjects.
“That’s what I heard,” Lucas says and offers his hand. “How ya doing Christopher?”
“Doing well. Pretty great actually.”
“That’s good to hear. It’s been a while. I heard about your accident. Took years go get your life back together.”
“It did. You know. Rich folks, we is always happy.”
“Yeah something like that. People on Wall Street talk a lot about you. The man who’s gonna bring the oil industries into the twenty-first century, kicking and screaming.”
Lucy steps up and hugs Lucas. “Come on over here and tell us all about your plans for the Wade Ranch.” She takes his hand and pulls him to sitting at the table with everyone for dinner.
Opening Credits:
Dallas 2022/3
John Ross III
Christopher Ewing
Lucas Ewing
Lucy Ewing
Leslie Barkley
Sitting around a bomb fire as the sun goes down, Lucas says to John Ross, “I wanted to know, are you bidding on the old McKay place?”
“Plan on it.”
“Then, I’ll back off.”
“Appreciate it. I’ve been buying up land around us. Well, South Fork has.”
“You still share the ranch with Uncle Bobby?”
“Yea, I do. Well sort of. Ewing Industries owns the South Fork Cattle Company, and we gave the land to the Eleanor and Clayton Farlow Foundation . . .”
“Lucy, you run that?”
“Most of the time,” she answers.
“And the oil?” Lucas asks John Ross.
“My momma and I own a third of it, Uncle Gary owns a third, and Uncle Bobby owns a third. And Uncle Bobby sold Lucy his half of the house, a couple years ago.”
“That’s right,” Lucy says. “Right after he realized he could never live here with Aunt Pam.”
“So you don’t have anything to do with the business?”
“I’m the Chairman of the Board. Christopher is the President and CEO. He really runs it. I’m trying to get Jay to take a more serious role.”
Looking around, Steven is roasting marshmallows and Jay and Amy are missing.
“Your mom turned over her shares to you, forty-two percent? And the Estate of Carlos DelSol has sixteen percent.”
“What are you writing a paper on us?” Christopher asks.
“No just interested. It’s what I do. You ever consider taking the company public?”
“No,” Christopher answers.
“No,” John Ross says. “It’s been brought up by employees but Ewing Industries is a family company.”
Lucas says, “About twenty different businesses, all private. You made a big stir on Wall Street when you took West Star private.”
“We needed the refineries and gas stations,” Chris says. “And Ryland Transport for its trucks, tankers and pipe lines. Not only for petroleum but for gas as well.”
“Yeah a lot of commodities people tell me they worry one day you’re all gonna send the price of methane plummeting. They say you’re engineer to bet.”
“I don’t know who they are, but I can assure you, you’ve got a lot more to hear from Ewing Alternative.”
“I’ve heard you’ve got into batteries and there’s talk you might announce any day an electric car.”
“Still, Ewing Oil is the lion share of the business.”
“So I hear. And Barnes Global, television stations, newspapers, magazines, casinos. Wentworth Tool and Die. CMB Financial. Cyberbyte. Ewing Construction. It’s a good portfolio. The money you could raise going public. It would get noticed.”
John Ross speaks up, “Sometimes you just don’t want to get noticed.”
“It’s amazing you two get along so well. I guess get your dads out of your life and not a lot to fight about.”
“Just more important things in life than fighting,” John Ross says.”
Lucy says, “That’s right, like warm bomb fires and cool evenings.”
“Bu the shares, they’re still Sue Ellen’s and Uncle Bobby’s.”
John Ross answers, “My mother’s shares are mine, in trust. Bobby’s too with Christopher.”
“I see.”
Christopher gives John Ross a ‘pissed off’ look.
John Ross says, “Tomorrow I’ll introduce you to Mateo Ramos, he’s the ranch foreman here.”
“My dad told me about him. His father, Raul use to work for South Fork, grounds keeper or something like that. And his Aunt’s Teresa and Carmen.”
“Yep. Mateo’s an old friend. Spent fifteen years in the service and now around her, he’s kind of my go to many of anything I need done. Without him running this ranch would be real work.”
In the bedroom in South Fork Jay and Amy roll around naked in bed.
Early in the morning, right before the sun comes up, John Ross is meeting in his study with Mateo explaining how needs to know everything about Lucas and how he doesn’t like surprises when Christopher walks in. “Monday mornings sure come early.”
John Ross says, “Not as early for some.”
“Some of us work late into the night too. So before I head into the office, what’s going on with Lucas?”
“I don’t know. Mateo is going to see what he can dig up.”
“You notice the one company he didn’t mention was Branch Water? And it’s paramilitary problems been all over place with killing those two riggers in Aubu Barker.”
“I noticed. But the company’s information work isn’t knowledge. So, Mateo get to work with them and see what we can find out. I get the Wade Ranch. That was his momma’s.”
Chris adds, “I’m a bit surprised he’s not gonna give you a challenge for the old McKay place at auction, especially as that use to be his dads.”
Mateo says, “And especially since he was an anonymous bidder on the Henderson place six months ago.”
Chris says, “I don’t like it. He’s up to something.”
“I agree,” John Ross says, “But he’s family. And I don’t want any fighting. I’m done with all that. He wants the McKay place let him have it.”
“But he says, he won’t big against you. Of course last time he was anonymous, so I guess he could do that again.”
“I don’t want any problems with Maggie either. She’s too damn good at what she does in Washington. Maybe he’s just wanting to be around family. Come up with a project you could work on with him. Something for Ewing Industries to invest in and for his hedge fund. Some kind of partnership. Test him.”
Lucy walks in the high rise offices of the Farlow Foundation, through class doors with Amy and extends her hand to a woman in her early fifties, “You must be Leslie Barkley. I’m Lucy Ewing. Ellie Farlow was my grandmother. And this is Amy Anderson, an old friend of the family. Thank you for coming to Texas to meet with us.”
“Of course. Nice to meet you. My late husband wanted us to meet. He wanted to set up a fund to help kids.”
“Yes, I was told he was from Texas. His father was a rigger.”
“On an off. Kind of a drunk who didn’t take very good care of his family. But, I suppose that’s better than the mother who abandoned the family.”
“I would agree. So he’s interested in helping foster kids.”
“Yes. We were in the oil business up in the Dakotas.”
“Yes I’ve read about your business. Pretty impressive. He was a chemist with huge student loans and you had an Ivy League degree in accounting, and even bigger student loans.”
“The bio on the company website.”
“Exactly. I hear you put the company up for sale.”
“Yes. I’ve got what I need to live on. And we didn’t have any children. And I agreed, to look into giving the company away to help foster kids for him back in Texas.”
“Pretty impressive of you. Really. Um, why don’t you make yourself comfortable in the board room. Paul will take care of you. Get you anything you need and we’ll show you what we have in mind.”
“Thank you.” Leslie walks off.
Amy says to Lucy, “Wow. That must be a lot of money.”
“I think so. I’d like to get some of it to Children’s hospital too. Speaking of a lot of money, my Uncle Bobby is supposed to be taking care of South Fork’s oil. He promised it to the foundation. Last I heard he got my father and Sue Ellen on board and supposedly John Ross promised him.”
“Really?”
“I haven’t been banking on it, until I got a text last night telling me his lawyer would be at South Fork this afternoon. So, I’ve got to wrap this up and get back home by three. I was thinking maybe you could entertain Mrs. Barkley this evening. Maybe you and Jay could take her out to dinner. She doesn’t know anyone here.”
“Sure. I’ll call Jay.”
“If she’s going to feel comfortable with this kind of money in our hands, she’s going to need to get to know the family.”
“Well I’m not a Ewing, but I’ll try and make a good impression.”
“You’re an Anderson, close enough.”
In the offices of Ewing Industries, a secretary shows in an older man in his late fifties. “Mr. Ewing, Mr. Barkley.”
Chris extends his hands, “Good to finally meet face to face. Come in. Call me Chris. Can we get you anything, something to drink?”
“No. No thank you. I’m good. And please call me Robert.”
“Robert. Please take a seat.” Chris motions to a sofa where he sits in the sofa across a coffee table from the man, a roaring fire in the fire place next to them. “So you’ve had time to digest our officer. Your people have gone over everything. Argued with our people over the details. How do you feel?”
“It’s a fair offer. But it’s not a stand out offer. My brother wanted me to approach you first, just as my sister-in-law is talking to your cousin about a substantial donation. But those are two different things. They want to give away a lot of money, I want to keep my money and get as much for it as I possibly can.”
“Fair enough. Especially as your share is what, about twenty percent.”
“Yes. About that.”
“Well Mr. Barkley, I’d like the offer to stand out to you, but I also have people I report to. Can you imagine what my stockholders, my family members, would say if I over paid for your business.”
“Let’s get creative. Maybe I can find a way to make it a deal for your business if you can find a way to get a little more money into my hands than twenty percent would otherwise do.”
“I see. I can talk to my people and see what they can figure out. Sort of a win win scenario.”
“For you and for me. Yes.”
Lucy walks up stairs at South Fork to look in on Steven who’s playing video games. She smiles and says, “You’ve got your school work done, right?”
“Of course.”
“OK just checking.”
When she turns around, she sees John Ross walking out of the double doors of the master bedroom. “What are you all dressed up for?”
“Jay and Amy asked me to dinner in the city with a Mrs. Barkley, apparently she’s giving a lot of money to the foundation and you asked them to entertain her tonight.”
“Well I didn’t think they’d set her up with the most eligible bachelor in Texas.”
The two walk down stairs together. In the entry she welcomes Roger Smithfield and John Ross walks out the back. She sees Roger into the living room where Lucas sits. “Roger this is my cousin Lucas Krebs. Lucas, Roger Smithfield, Uncle Bobby’s lawyer.”
“Thank you for meeting me Mr. Krebs. Is Christopher here?”
“Here,” Chris says walking in behind them. “What is this about. And, why is Lucas here.”
“Some business your father asked me to take care of.” He hands Lucy a file folder. “Your Uncles, Sue Ellen, and earlier today, John Ross, all signed over South Fork’s oil to the foundation.”
“What!” Chris yells. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” John Ross steps in from the back. Chris turns and notices him, “You knew about this and didn’t tell me.”
“I don’t tell you all my business and this was just up to me. I gave your father my word when we put together Ewing Industries. I don’t go back on my word.”
“You’re just giving away billions of dollars.”
“My money. Just like a third of it was your dads. There’s nothing to discuss.”
Roger then hands Lucas and Christopher two envelopes.
Chris says, “What’s this?”
“It’s also from your father. He wanted to take care of everything and so he set up two trusts. One for you and one for Lucas.”
“Lucas?”
“The letter inside explains it.”
Both boys open their envelopes and read a letter from Bobby. Chris’s face turns red and he walks out of the room and out the front door.
John Ross says, “What the hell did it say?”
Lucas said, “It’s bull shit. It says Bobby’s my biological father. Some crap about how your father ignored his other children. I didn’t even know he had other children. And something about how he couldn’t do that so he put in trust for me half his shares in Ewing Industries.”
“Oh my god,” Lucy says, her hand over her mouth. She slowly sits down.
John Ross looks totally shocked. “I can’t believe it. How is that possible?”
“It’s bull shit. A bunch of money to buy off a guilty conscious or some crap. Besides, what’s it matter? You’ve got control of your mothers forty-two percent in trust and when Carolos DelSol died, the trust with his Ewing Industries shares, you’re the trustee. The company’s yours, even though you don’t own one share.”
“What are you here for? What do you want to run Ewing Industries or something?”
“My father told me about Bobby so that I wouldn’t be shocked when it came out. He knew he was going to tell me at some point. I just want what’s mine.”
“OK, you’ve got it. Half of Bobby’s shares. Twenty-one percent of Ewing Industries. You’re not entitled to more.”
“You control it. Chris runs it. I’m Jock Ewing’s grandson too, you know. Biological or whatever.”
“True. But this isn’t Ewing Oil. Jock Ewing made sure that was destroy because of getting Uncle Bobby and my father to work together he set them up to fight, and fight dirty. We got Ewing Oil back only because Chris acquired West Star. That’s it. Grandpa’s picture is in the board room, with my dad and Uncle Bobby, but the truth is what is Ewing Industries, Bobby and I created. My father still had us fighting right to the end. Nearly cost Chris his life. My son up there, his mother’s in prison for dealing with a drug cartel to help Cliff Barnes take us on. I’m done with fighting, so if you came here to fight, you’d better think again.”
“Fine then let’s not fight. I want a role within Ewing Industries. I’ve earned it. Chris is nothing more than an engineer playing at business. I know business. I know finance.”
“Chris is CEO. That’s not gonna change. I’d rather see the company implode than go back to fighting. If you want a job within the company, I’m sure we can find you something. I’ll talk to Chris.”
“Where did he go?”
“I’d guess he went to confront his father.”
Later that evening John Ross walks into the Cattleman’s Club and is greeted by a hostess who has known him all his life. “Yes, your son is waiting for you.” She walks him through the restaurant saying hi to friends along the way. At the table he looks right at the woman sitting with them and says, “Leslie?”
Leslie looks up and is stunned to see him, saying, “Johnny. Johnny Shepard, what are you doing here? How?”
John Ross sits at the table where Amy and Jay listen in to a story about John Ross being a college freshman and meeting Leslie, a grad student and falling in love and how JR arranged a job for her in London.
Jay says, “She’s my mother?”
“No. No.”
“I remember you though,” Leslie says, “When you were just a little baby.”
“What happened?” John Ross asks. “How could you just leave like that. I tried and tried to get a hold of you.”
“So your real name is Ewing. Your father was JR Ewing?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my god. He was scarier than I realized. JR Ewing. He arranged the job in London and then I was sent to Hong Kong. I was scared to death.”
“Yeah that’s my father. I guess I should have known. All I wanted was to raise Jay with you and just grow old. And have a dozen more kids.”
“What happened to you?”
“I dropped out of school. Tried singing in Nashville. Got into oil rigging in the Badlands.”
“My husband and I created a company in the North Dakota. Barkley Chemical.”
“Yes I recall it. You were there the whole time I was there?”
“I guess,” she says with such a sense of shock. “It hurt so bad.”
“It hurt worse for me. I didn’t know what happened to you.”
“Apparently, I didn’t even know your real name. You end up here. Did you, did you get married, children?”
“I have another son. We weren’t married. Kind of a long story. My father was gone by the time Steven was born so . . .”
“So you got to raise this child on your own with his mother?”
“No. She . . . Well no. She wasn’t around either. I use to hate everyone.”
“I remember how angry you were at everyone for letting JR just take your son away from you and his mother.”
“You were the only one I didn’t hate. And then you were gone. You got married.”
“Yes. I actually told him all about you. I don’t know why. It was kind of wrong of me. But I never stopped thinking about you and wondering what happened. You never got married.”
“I did. But she’s no longer around.”
Amy says, “And now you’ve found each other again, after all this time.”
Leslie says, “And you grew up to be a very handsome young man, Jay. I wish I had been able to be your mother. I never had any kids, but Johnny and I talked about it all the time. I’m sorry.” Tears fill her eyes.
He asks, “For what?”
“Leaving you. I loved you very much. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m sorry, honestly I don’t remember you.”
“No. Of course you wouldn’t. So, Amy’s your girlfriend?”
“Oh we’re just good friends. Known each other a long time. My grandfather use to say we’d make a perfect marriage. You know two old Texas families.”
“Sounds like the man I met.” Leslie looks at John Ross. “He had plans for you to marry the daughter of a friend of his.”
“Marta DelSol. Dad and Carols DelSol . . .”
“The Mexica billionaire?”
“That’s the one. They were friends in college. But Jock Ewing didn’t think it was a good idea for my father to be friends with him. He expected JR to be friends with the right sort of people from Texas. People like the Andersons. He married Sue Ellen Shepard. The Shepard’s are one of the old Texas family, old and once had money kind of thing. And Marta, well the DelSol’s were beyond wealthy by the time my father was plotting for us to get married.”
“A poor girl from New York wasn’t good enough.”
“I didn’t care what he thought. I never felt good enough for you. You were so smart. I wouldn’t have passed the classes I did without you. I’d never known someone so beautiful. All I ever wanted to do was be with you.”
Jay stands up, “You know, as this has turned into a reunion, why don’t Amy and I leave you to diner on your own. We’ll fill in Lucy.”
“Oh Lucy,” Leslie says.
Amy and Jay leave the two alone.
The waitress approaches and sits down a bourbon and branch in front of John Ross. “Can I start you with an appetizer?”
John Ross says, “Yes. Um, and you can clear away these places, my son and his friend won’t be joining us after all.
“Certainly.”
Leslie looks on John Ross with absolute delight.
Late at night John Ross drives up to the back of South Fork and getting out of his car he hears fighting. Chris is yelling at Lucas, “What the hell are you doing waiting for me!”
“No just sitting out here. I guess waiting for John Ross.”
“For what? Try and con him into taking you in.”
“What? No.”
“You know you really should take a DNA test before you let me father go around thinking he’s responsible for you. I mean it would seem your mom was a bit of a whore.”
“Christopher!” Lucy exclaims walking out of the back of the house.
John Ross runs up as Lucas grabs up Christopher and shoves him around, threating to kick his ass. John Ross pulls them apart and pushing Christopher away saying, “Watch your mouth!”
Lucas pushes forwards and John Ross pushes him back away, “And you, watch your temper.”
“Ain’t no one gonna talk about my mom like that.”
“Things are heated up. People gonna say things they shouldn’t. You’re just gonna have to rein it in.”
“Hell if I do.”
“Listen to me boy. I’ll kick your ass right on over the county line, you hear me. This is my house. Ain’t no fighting going to happen in my house!”
Lucy takes Christopher into the house.
“I’m not taking that from him.”
“Just let it go.”
“No. I’m not lettin’ it go.”
“Listen. He just went from being Bobby Ewing’s only son to finding out he’s got a brother. That ain’t gonna be easy for him. Especially as he’s adopted. So you’re gonna have to give him time.”
“I ain’t gotta do shit.”
John Ross shoves him backwards into the pool.
Mateo walks up to find Lucas treading water.
John Ross says, “That oughta cool you down.”
A car pulls up around back and Christopher says to John Ross, “Who’s that?”
“Lucas. He’s been in town. I told him to come over. He just bought the old Wade place.”
“Really? He’s not moving down here, is he?”
“I don’t if it’s a winter place for him, or if he’s done with New York life altogether, but I sure intend to find out.”
They take the platter of streaks over to the table where Lucy sits as Lucas walks up from the driveway. John Ross greats him with a manly hug and a firm pat on the back. “I can’t believe you’re finally stepping food on South Fork. Welcome. Let me introduce you to my boys. This is Jay.” The young man dries off his hand and shakes hands with Lucas.
“Nice to meet you Jay. Lucy tells me a lot a about you. You went to Yale. My old stomping grounds.”
“Really. Yea I was there for a while. Majored in finance.”
“Economics. Though got my MBA from Harvard. So you working for your daddy?”
“No I didn’t even finish at Yale, though I hear about it enough.”
John Ross says, “And this is Steven.”
The two shake hands. “Hello Steven. Lucy tells me a lot about you too. Pretty good swimmer I hear.”
“Yeah I like swimmin’.”
John Ross says, “This is my cousin Lucas. Oh and this is Amy Anderson. Jay’s girlfriend. She’s Punk and Mavis Anderson’s great granddaughter. I don’t know if you remember them.”
“No, but I remember my dad talking about ‘em.”
“How are they doing?”
“Just fine. Boring life if you ask me. But they like it. Switzerland is certainly peaceful.”
“And your sisters?”
“Oh Charlie’s married to some prince and likes doing social stuff. And you know how Maggie’s doing. I hear she works for you in Washington.”
“Best lobbyist the oil industry every had. Stepfather was one of the longest serving Senators and her mom was a Secretary of Energy. We couldn’t be in better hands. But I’m not involved with the company much anymore. Chris runs things. I’m kind a retired.”
“Really. Kind of young to retire.”
“Well with Uncle Bobby running West Fork with Uncle Gary, it’s just me around her, so I guess I’m a rancher.”
“You don’t say. I heard he found Aunt Pam and he and Uncle Gary bought West Fork out in California. I didn’t know he moved out there.”
“Yeah. Aunt Pam wasn’t come backing her.”
“My dad said she had a hard time of it. Kind of mentally ill. That whole Barnes Wentworth clan. “
“Well Cliff was off his rocker. Thank goodness for us he got locked up down in Mexico. And Katherine Wentworth, they declared her dead up Uncle Bobby says he’s good reason to believe she’s still alive.”
“But my momma’s doing just fine now,” Chris interjects.
“That’s what I heard,” Lucas says and offers his hand. “How ya doing Christopher?”
“Doing well. Pretty great actually.”
“That’s good to hear. It’s been a while. I heard about your accident. Took years go get your life back together.”
“It did. You know. Rich folks, we is always happy.”
“Yeah something like that. People on Wall Street talk a lot about you. The man who’s gonna bring the oil industries into the twenty-first century, kicking and screaming.”
Lucy steps up and hugs Lucas. “Come on over here and tell us all about your plans for the Wade Ranch.” She takes his hand and pulls him to sitting at the table with everyone for dinner.
Opening Credits:
Dallas 2022/3
Sitting around a bomb fire as the sun goes down, Lucas says to John Ross, “I wanted to know, are you bidding on the old McKay place?”
“Plan on it.”
“Then, I’ll back off.”
“Appreciate it. I’ve been buying up land around us. Well, South Fork has.”
“You still share the ranch with Uncle Bobby?”
“Yea, I do. Well sort of. Ewing Industries owns the South Fork Cattle Company, and we gave the land to the Eleanor and Clayton Farlow Foundation . . .”
“Lucy, you run that?”
“Most of the time,” she answers.
“And the oil?” Lucas asks John Ross.
“My momma and I own a third of it, Uncle Gary owns a third, and Uncle Bobby owns a third. And Uncle Bobby sold Lucy his half of the house, a couple years ago.”
“That’s right,” Lucy says. “Right after he realized he could never live here with Aunt Pam.”
“So you don’t have anything to do with the business?”
“I’m the Chairman of the Board. Christopher is the President and CEO. He really runs it. I’m trying to get Jay to take a more serious role.”
Looking around, Steven is roasting marshmallows and Jay and Amy are missing.
“Your mom turned over her shares to you, forty-two percent? And the Estate of Carlos DelSol has sixteen percent.”
“What are you writing a paper on us?” Christopher asks.
“No just interested. It’s what I do. You ever consider taking the company public?”
“No,” Christopher answers.
“No,” John Ross says. “It’s been brought up by employees but Ewing Industries is a family company.”
Lucas says, “About twenty different businesses, all private. You made a big stir on Wall Street when you took West Star private.”
“We needed the refineries and gas stations,” Chris says. “And Ryland Transport for its trucks, tankers and pipe lines. Not only for petroleum but for gas as well.”
“Yeah a lot of commodities people tell me they worry one day you’re all gonna send the price of methane plummeting. They say you’re engineer to bet.”
“I don’t know who they are, but I can assure you, you’ve got a lot more to hear from Ewing Alternative.”
“I’ve heard you’ve got into batteries and there’s talk you might announce any day an electric car.”
“Still, Ewing Oil is the lion share of the business.”
“So I hear. And Barnes Global, television stations, newspapers, magazines, casinos. Wentworth Tool and Die. CMB Financial. Cyberbyte. Ewing Construction. It’s a good portfolio. The money you could raise going public. It would get noticed.”
John Ross speaks up, “Sometimes you just don’t want to get noticed.”
“It’s amazing you two get along so well. I guess get your dads out of your life and not a lot to fight about.”
“Just more important things in life than fighting,” John Ross says.”
Lucy says, “That’s right, like warm bomb fires and cool evenings.”
“Bu the shares, they’re still Sue Ellen’s and Uncle Bobby’s.”
John Ross answers, “My mother’s shares are mine, in trust. Bobby’s too with Christopher.”
“I see.”
Christopher gives John Ross a ‘pissed off’ look.
John Ross says, “Tomorrow I’ll introduce you to Mateo Ramos, he’s the ranch foreman here.”
“My dad told me about him. His father, Raul use to work for South Fork, grounds keeper or something like that. And his Aunt’s Teresa and Carmen.”
“Yep. Mateo’s an old friend. Spent fifteen years in the service and now around her, he’s kind of my go to many of anything I need done. Without him running this ranch would be real work.”
In the bedroom in South Fork Jay and Amy roll around naked in bed.
Early in the morning, right before the sun comes up, John Ross is meeting in his study with Mateo explaining how needs to know everything about Lucas and how he doesn’t like surprises when Christopher walks in. “Monday mornings sure come early.”
John Ross says, “Not as early for some.”
“Some of us work late into the night too. So before I head into the office, what’s going on with Lucas?”
“I don’t know. Mateo is going to see what he can dig up.”
“You notice the one company he didn’t mention was Branch Water? And it’s paramilitary problems been all over place with killing those two riggers in Aubu Barker.”
“I noticed. But the company’s information work isn’t knowledge. So, Mateo get to work with them and see what we can find out. I get the Wade Ranch. That was his momma’s.”
Chris adds, “I’m a bit surprised he’s not gonna give you a challenge for the old McKay place at auction, especially as that use to be his dads.”
Mateo says, “And especially since he was an anonymous bidder on the Henderson place six months ago.”
Chris says, “I don’t like it. He’s up to something.”
“I agree,” John Ross says, “But he’s family. And I don’t want any fighting. I’m done with all that. He wants the McKay place let him have it.”
“But he says, he won’t big against you. Of course last time he was anonymous, so I guess he could do that again.”
“I don’t want any problems with Maggie either. She’s too damn good at what she does in Washington. Maybe he’s just wanting to be around family. Come up with a project you could work on with him. Something for Ewing Industries to invest in and for his hedge fund. Some kind of partnership. Test him.”
Lucy walks in the high rise offices of the Farlow Foundation, through class doors with Amy and extends her hand to a woman in her early fifties, “You must be Leslie Barkley. I’m Lucy Ewing. Ellie Farlow was my grandmother. And this is Amy Anderson, an old friend of the family. Thank you for coming to Texas to meet with us.”
“Of course. Nice to meet you. My late husband wanted us to meet. He wanted to set up a fund to help kids.”
“Yes, I was told he was from Texas. His father was a rigger.”
“On an off. Kind of a drunk who didn’t take very good care of his family. But, I suppose that’s better than the mother who abandoned the family.”
“I would agree. So he’s interested in helping foster kids.”
“Yes. We were in the oil business up in the Dakotas.”
“Yes I’ve read about your business. Pretty impressive. He was a chemist with huge student loans and you had an Ivy League degree in accounting, and even bigger student loans.”
“The bio on the company website.”
“Exactly. I hear you put the company up for sale.”
“Yes. I’ve got what I need to live on. And we didn’t have any children. And I agreed, to look into giving the company away to help foster kids for him back in Texas.”
“Pretty impressive of you. Really. Um, why don’t you make yourself comfortable in the board room. Paul will take care of you. Get you anything you need and we’ll show you what we have in mind.”
“Thank you.” Leslie walks off.
Amy says to Lucy, “Wow. That must be a lot of money.”
“I think so. I’d like to get some of it to Children’s hospital too. Speaking of a lot of money, my Uncle Bobby is supposed to be taking care of South Fork’s oil. He promised it to the foundation. Last I heard he got my father and Sue Ellen on board and supposedly John Ross promised him.”
“Really?”
“I haven’t been banking on it, until I got a text last night telling me his lawyer would be at South Fork this afternoon. So, I’ve got to wrap this up and get back home by three. I was thinking maybe you could entertain Mrs. Barkley this evening. Maybe you and Jay could take her out to dinner. She doesn’t know anyone here.”
“Sure. I’ll call Jay.”
“If she’s going to feel comfortable with this kind of money in our hands, she’s going to need to get to know the family.”
“Well I’m not a Ewing, but I’ll try and make a good impression.”
“You’re an Anderson, close enough.”
In the offices of Ewing Industries, a secretary shows in an older man in his late fifties. “Mr. Ewing, Mr. Barkley.”
Chris extends his hands, “Good to finally meet face to face. Come in. Call me Chris. Can we get you anything, something to drink?”
“No. No thank you. I’m good. And please call me Robert.”
“Robert. Please take a seat.” Chris motions to a sofa where he sits in the sofa across a coffee table from the man, a roaring fire in the fire place next to them. “So you’ve had time to digest our officer. Your people have gone over everything. Argued with our people over the details. How do you feel?”
“It’s a fair offer. But it’s not a stand out offer. My brother wanted me to approach you first, just as my sister-in-law is talking to your cousin about a substantial donation. But those are two different things. They want to give away a lot of money, I want to keep my money and get as much for it as I possibly can.”
“Fair enough. Especially as your share is what, about twenty percent.”
“Yes. About that.”
“Well Mr. Barkley, I’d like the offer to stand out to you, but I also have people I report to. Can you imagine what my stockholders, my family members, would say if I over paid for your business.”
“Let’s get creative. Maybe I can find a way to make it a deal for your business if you can find a way to get a little more money into my hands than twenty percent would otherwise do.”
“I see. I can talk to my people and see what they can figure out. Sort of a win win scenario.”
“For you and for me. Yes.”
Lucy walks up stairs at South Fork to look in on Steven who’s playing video games. She smiles and says, “You’ve got your school work done, right?”
“Of course.”
“OK just checking.”
When she turns around, she sees John Ross walking out of the double doors of the master bedroom. “What are you all dressed up for?”
“Jay and Amy asked me to dinner in the city with a Mrs. Barkley, apparently she’s giving a lot of money to the foundation and you asked them to entertain her tonight.”
“Well I didn’t think they’d set her up with the most eligible bachelor in Texas.”
The two walk down stairs together. In the entry she welcomes Roger Smithfield and John Ross walks out the back. She sees Roger into the living room where Lucas sits. “Roger this is my cousin Lucas Krebs. Lucas, Roger Smithfield, Uncle Bobby’s lawyer.”
“Thank you for meeting me Mr. Krebs. Is Christopher here?”
“Here,” Chris says walking in behind them. “What is this about. And, why is Lucas here.”
“Some business your father asked me to take care of.” He hands Lucy a file folder. “Your Uncles, Sue Ellen, and earlier today, John Ross, all signed over South Fork’s oil to the foundation.”
“What!” Chris yells. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” John Ross steps in from the back. Chris turns and notices him, “You knew about this and didn’t tell me.”
“I don’t tell you all my business and this was just up to me. I gave your father my word when we put together Ewing Industries. I don’t go back on my word.”
“You’re just giving away billions of dollars.”
“My money. Just like a third of it was your dads. There’s nothing to discuss.”
Roger then hands Lucas and Christopher two envelopes.
Chris says, “What’s this?”
“It’s also from your father. He wanted to take care of everything and so he set up two trusts. One for you and one for Lucas.”
“Lucas?”
“The letter inside explains it.”
Both boys open their envelopes and read a letter from Bobby. Chris’s face turns red and he walks out of the room and out the front door.
John Ross says, “What the hell did it say?”
Lucas said, “It’s bull shit. It says Bobby’s my biological father. Some crap about how your father ignored his other children. I didn’t even know he had other children. And something about how he couldn’t do that so he put in trust for me half his shares in Ewing Industries.”
“Oh my god,” Lucy says, her hand over her mouth. She slowly sits down.
John Ross looks totally shocked. “I can’t believe it. How is that possible?”
“It’s bull shit. A bunch of money to buy off a guilty conscious or some crap. Besides, what’s it matter? You’ve got control of your mothers forty-two percent in trust and when Carolos DelSol died, the trust with his Ewing Industries shares, you’re the trustee. The company’s yours, even though you don’t own one share.”
“What are you here for? What do you want to run Ewing Industries or something?”
“My father told me about Bobby so that I wouldn’t be shocked when it came out. He knew he was going to tell me at some point. I just want what’s mine.”
“OK, you’ve got it. Half of Bobby’s shares. Twenty-one percent of Ewing Industries. You’re not entitled to more.”
“You control it. Chris runs it. I’m Jock Ewing’s grandson too, you know. Biological or whatever.”
“True. But this isn’t Ewing Oil. Jock Ewing made sure that was destroy because of getting Uncle Bobby and my father to work together he set them up to fight, and fight dirty. We got Ewing Oil back only because Chris acquired West Star. That’s it. Grandpa’s picture is in the board room, with my dad and Uncle Bobby, but the truth is what is Ewing Industries, Bobby and I created. My father still had us fighting right to the end. Nearly cost Chris his life. My son up there, his mother’s in prison for dealing with a drug cartel to help Cliff Barnes take us on. I’m done with fighting, so if you came here to fight, you’d better think again.”
“Fine then let’s not fight. I want a role within Ewing Industries. I’ve earned it. Chris is nothing more than an engineer playing at business. I know business. I know finance.”
“Chris is CEO. That’s not gonna change. I’d rather see the company implode than go back to fighting. If you want a job within the company, I’m sure we can find you something. I’ll talk to Chris.”
“Where did he go?”
“I’d guess he went to confront his father.”
Later that evening John Ross walks into the Cattleman’s Club and is greeted by a hostess who has known him all his life. “Yes, your son is waiting for you.” She walks him through the restaurant saying hi to friends along the way. At the table he looks right at the woman sitting with them and says, “Leslie?”
Leslie looks up and is stunned to see him, saying, “Johnny. Johnny Shepard, what are you doing here? How?”
John Ross sits at the table where Amy and Jay listen in to a story about John Ross being a college freshman and meeting Leslie, a grad student and falling in love and how JR arranged a job for her in London.
Jay says, “She’s my mother?”
“No. No.”
“I remember you though,” Leslie says, “When you were just a little baby.”
“What happened?” John Ross asks. “How could you just leave like that. I tried and tried to get a hold of you.”
“So your real name is Ewing. Your father was JR Ewing?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my god. He was scarier than I realized. JR Ewing. He arranged the job in London and then I was sent to Hong Kong. I was scared to death.”
“Yeah that’s my father. I guess I should have known. All I wanted was to raise Jay with you and just grow old. And have a dozen more kids.”
“What happened to you?”
“I dropped out of school. Tried singing in Nashville. Got into oil rigging in the Badlands.”
“My husband and I created a company in the North Dakota. Barkley Chemical.”
“Yes I recall it. You were there the whole time I was there?”
“I guess,” she says with such a sense of shock. “It hurt so bad.”
“It hurt worse for me. I didn’t know what happened to you.”
“Apparently, I didn’t even know your real name. You end up here. Did you, did you get married, children?”
“I have another son. We weren’t married. Kind of a long story. My father was gone by the time Steven was born so . . .”
“So you got to raise this child on your own with his mother?”
“No. She . . . Well no. She wasn’t around either. I use to hate everyone.”
“I remember how angry you were at everyone for letting JR just take your son away from you and his mother.”
“You were the only one I didn’t hate. And then you were gone. You got married.”
“Yes. I actually told him all about you. I don’t know why. It was kind of wrong of me. But I never stopped thinking about you and wondering what happened. You never got married.”
“I did. But she’s no longer around.”
Amy says, “And now you’ve found each other again, after all this time.”
Leslie says, “And you grew up to be a very handsome young man, Jay. I wish I had been able to be your mother. I never had any kids, but Johnny and I talked about it all the time. I’m sorry.” Tears fill her eyes.
He asks, “For what?”
“Leaving you. I loved you very much. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m sorry, honestly I don’t remember you.”
“No. Of course you wouldn’t. So, Amy’s your girlfriend?”
“Oh we’re just good friends. Known each other a long time. My grandfather use to say we’d make a perfect marriage. You know two old Texas families.”
“Sounds like the man I met.” Leslie looks at John Ross. “He had plans for you to marry the daughter of a friend of his.”
“Marta DelSol. Dad and Carols DelSol . . .”
“The Mexica billionaire?”
“That’s the one. They were friends in college. But Jock Ewing didn’t think it was a good idea for my father to be friends with him. He expected JR to be friends with the right sort of people from Texas. People like the Andersons. He married Sue Ellen Shepard. The Shepard’s are one of the old Texas family, old and once had money kind of thing. And Marta, well the DelSol’s were beyond wealthy by the time my father was plotting for us to get married.”
“A poor girl from New York wasn’t good enough.”
“I didn’t care what he thought. I never felt good enough for you. You were so smart. I wouldn’t have passed the classes I did without you. I’d never known someone so beautiful. All I ever wanted to do was be with you.”
Jay stands up, “You know, as this has turned into a reunion, why don’t Amy and I leave you to diner on your own. We’ll fill in Lucy.”
“Oh Lucy,” Leslie says.
Amy and Jay leave the two alone.
The waitress approaches and sits down a bourbon and branch in front of John Ross. “Can I start you with an appetizer?”
John Ross says, “Yes. Um, and you can clear away these places, my son and his friend won’t be joining us after all.
“Certainly.”
Leslie looks on John Ross with absolute delight.
Late at night John Ross drives up to the back of South Fork and getting out of his car he hears fighting. Chris is yelling at Lucas, “What the hell are you doing waiting for me!”
“No just sitting out here. I guess waiting for John Ross.”
“For what? Try and con him into taking you in.”
“What? No.”
“You know you really should take a DNA test before you let me father go around thinking he’s responsible for you. I mean it would seem your mom was a bit of a whore.”
“Christopher!” Lucy exclaims walking out of the back of the house.
John Ross runs up as Lucas grabs up Christopher and shoves him around, threating to kick his ass. John Ross pulls them apart and pushing Christopher away saying, “Watch your mouth!”
Lucas pushes forwards and John Ross pushes him back away, “And you, watch your temper.”
“Ain’t no one gonna talk about my mom like that.”
“Things are heated up. People gonna say things they shouldn’t. You’re just gonna have to rein it in.”
“Hell if I do.”
“Listen to me boy. I’ll kick your ass right on over the county line, you hear me. This is my house. Ain’t no fighting going to happen in my house!”
Lucy takes Christopher into the house.
“I’m not taking that from him.”
“Just let it go.”
“No. I’m not lettin’ it go.”
“Listen. He just went from being Bobby Ewing’s only son to finding out he’s got a brother. That ain’t gonna be easy for him. Especially as he’s adopted. So you’re gonna have to give him time.”
“I ain’t gotta do shit.”
John Ross shoves him backwards into the pool.
Mateo walks up to find Lucas treading water.
John Ross says, “That oughta cool you down.”
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