:thank: everyone for your feedback and comments. It's much appreciated.
Ms Southworth, I'm glad that you found JR/SE's conversation about John Ross funny.
Then as for your guess, I won't tell you if it's right or wrong. But I will say this, considering the episode title and graphics it's pretty obvious what's gonna happen this episode...
"Smooth Sailing"...haha, there's actually an episode a lot further ahead that is called that!
Presea, I see where you are coming from. I guess the fact that you don't want kids explains a lot while you think the kids in this story are annoying.
You are right that the kids are little brats though. I mean Rebecca expects Christopher and John Ross to do as she says since she is spoiled rotten and used to getting her way. She can wrap Pam around her little finger. I think why they threw her into the pool though is because they have seen their fathers fight in the pool and they laughed when James threw in Michelle into the pool. That's just the way they are raised. They haven't been told it's wrong to throw someone into the pool and they didn't know she couldn't swim. Naturally they wouldn't have thrown her in if they had known that!
You are right that Christopher is jealous of Rebecca though for all the time she spent with Pam after he left her. Then as for the adults, you are spot on when you say that the kids have partly been neglected and well as for JR you do have a point that he loves kids.
Honkytonkangel, I'm sure that you are right when you say that JR was no better than John Ross at that age. Also you are right that JR doesn't score any points with Sue Ellen when he criticizes her parenting skills. But she does need to talk to Don...
Anyway our next update takes us away from the drama at Southfork for a little while:
Over at Dallas Fort-Worth Airport had the flight from Washington DC just landed and the passengers were now approaching the baggage claim area. A woman with red blond straight hair dressed in a blue green suit jacket with matching long skirt and a white blouse underneath it was walking confidently in high heels, as she held the hand of an eight year old girl with red brown curly hair cut in a page hair do. The little girl was dressed in a black skirt and a white short sleeved blouse with red straps and was walking gracefully in her black sandal shoes. The woman was Donna Culver Krebbs Dowling and the little girl was her daughter Margaret Krebbs Dowling. “Mom have you seen dad yet?” Margaret asked. “I can’t recognize him…”
Donna looked for Ray in the crowd of people standing waiting over by the baggage claim area. Suddenly she spotted him. He was wearing his signature white cowboy hat, black cowboy boots and was dressed in jeans with a belt buckle and a red and blue stripped shirt.
Finally there he is! Donna could feel her heart skip a beat at the familiar sight of him. It had been so long since she’d last seen him and yet he was looking almost exactly the same.
He has a few more grey hairs than I can remember but he’s still looking good, Donna smiled, as she took in the sight of her ex-husband. He was a few years older than she remembered but he was still very handsome in that kind of rough cowboy way that she had found so attractive about him when they’d first met. “Yes there he is,” Donna smiled, before she started to wave at him, “Ray we’re over here!”
Ray’s face lit up in a smile when he spotted his ex-wife and daughter.
Wow! Donna is still looking like such an elegant lady and Margaret…she’s like a little miniature Donna…Ray reflected as he hurried to walk towards them. Margaret smiled when her dad finally stopped in front of them and greeted them, “Hi Donna!” he gave Donna a kiss on the cheek before he looked straight into her blue eyes. “It’s good to see you. You’re looking as lovely as ever.”
“Hi Ray, It’s good to see you too,” Donna looked into his blue eyes a little longer than necessary before she gestured towards the child. “This is Margaret.”
“Hi Margaret,” Ray smiled before he gave his daughter a big hug. “I’m your daddy do you remember me?” Ray asked. “I visited you and Do…your Mama in Washington.”
“Honey it is okay if you don’t remember Ra…your dad hasn’t visited us in years,” Donna said.
“I know mom but of course I remember daddy,” Margaret beamed towards her father and Ray could feel himself getting all emotional when he looked into her innocent blue eyes.
“I’m glad you remember. But your mama’s right it has been too long since I’ve visited you. I mean look at you, you’ve grown so much.”
“Well that’s what normally happens when a child grows from four to eight years old,” Donna stated as a matter of fact and Ray felt embarrassed.
“Four years?” Ray asked. “Has it really been that long since I last visited you?”
“Yes we last saw you in 1991,” Donna informed him with a certain chill in her voice.
“You’re right,” Ray realized. “Look I’m sorry I meant to visit you more often. It’s just that I’ve been living in Europe for a few years so…”
“In Europe!” Margaret eyes lit up. “How exciting daddy, in which country did you live?” Margaret asked. “Was it Germany, Austria, Poland, Sweden, Spain, Greece, Denmark, Great Britain, Finland, Hungary, Italy…”
“Yes Italy it is,” Ray smiled. “Jenna and I’ve got a house in La Spezia.”
“Who’s Jenna?” Margaret asked.
“Your father’s wife,” Donna replied.
Margaret frowned and was just about to ask something when Ray, who didn’t want to talk about Jenna, hurried to switch the subject, “So do you like Geography Margaret?”
“Yes sir. It’s one of my favorite subjects at school.”
“And which are the others?”
“Oh social science, history and English,” Margaret replied. “But I like the other subjects too. I love to learn new things so school is great.”
“Well that’s great,” Ray said before turning to Donna, “Donna why have you never told me that our daughter loves school so much?”
“Oh Ray there’s a lot of things about Margaret that you don’t know,” Donna said.
“Well seems like it. But I can already tell that she’s smart like her mama,” Ray complimented them.
Donna smiled, “Thank you Ray.”
“Dad you can never guess what I like to do in my spare time?”
“Oh I don’t know…but I hope you like to ride horses because that’s what we’re going to do at the ranch,” Ray said.
“I know mommy told me. I think it’s so exciting I have never ridden a horse in my life,” Margaret replied to Ray’s disappointment.
He however tried not to show it as he said, “Well before this summer is out you’re going to ride like you’ve been born in the saddle…”
“I doubt it,” Margaret giggled. “Besides we can’t go riding all the time. I need some time for myself so I can read books.”
“Read books?” Ray echoed.
“Yes dad, I love reading a book that’s my favorite hobby,” Margaret replied before she turned to Donna and asked, “Mom did you remember to bring my reading glasses?”
“Yes sweetheart you don’t have to worry,” Donna tousled Margaret’s hair. “Do you want to show them to your dad?”
“Sure,” Margaret said. “Where are they?”
“In your back pack along with the book you read on the flight,” Donna replied.
“Oh silly me,” Margaret hit herself on the forehead. “You are right. I had my glasses on the flight so of course they are packed!” Margaret then started to look around in her back pack until she found her glasses. She took them out and put them on her nose. The glasses were big and glaring red. “This is my glasses dad, what do you think?”
Ray sighed when he saw them.
This is just great, my daughter looks like a bookworm in those, he reflected as he started to realize that he had more in common with his step-son Lucas, than with his biological child. However he didn’t want to hurt his daughter’s feelings so he just said, “Oh I think you look very intelligent in those,” Ray smiled strained before he turned to Donna. “Are you two all ready to go to Southfork?”
“Almost we’re still waiting for our luggage,” Donna said.
“Oh that’s right, we need to get your bags,” Ray said, as they turned their attention to the transportation band.
Immediately Margaret exclaimed, “Oh look mom there’s my book bag, can you go and get it for me. I can’t wait to show dad my books!”
“I have a better idea, why don’t we go and get your bag together so I can help you carry it,” Ray suggested.
“Thanks dad,” Margaret smiled, as they walked up towards the transportation band and Margaret pointed out a big red suitcase. “That’s the one dad.”
“Okay,” Ray said and picked up the bag, thinking it was a light bag. But it was not as the bag was a lot heavier than he had anticipated and because of the extra weight Ray accidentally dropped the bag on the side of the transportation belt when he tried to lift it.
“Uh-oh,” Margaret said, as the bag hit the belt hard.
“Damn!” Ray cursed as the bag opened and 50 Nancy Drew books fell out on the floor, right in front of his feet
. Shame on dad, he used a bad word Margaret reflected when she heard her father’s foul language, as she had been taught not to curse. However she didn’t say anything out loud about the cursing as she was too upset about her books.
“Oh no all my books!” Margaret exclaimed when she saw the mess her dad had made. She then got down on the floor and frenetically started to collect her books with the help of her mother, while her father just stared at her, unable to even help her, as he was so dumbstruck that he didn’t know what to say or do. He sighed as he realized that his daughter had planned to spend all summer reading instead of spending time with him. At that moment he knew that he had to work harder than he’d thought if he was going to succeed with turning Margaret into a little cowgirl before the summer was over. Yet he promised himself to try, since even if the child in front of him came from another world where politics, dinner parties and cultural activities like reading, going to museums and ballet was the norm. She was still his own flesh and blood and he had missed too much of her upbringing already. In a few years her habits and personality would be fixed and it would be
too late to change anything. So he knew that this summer was really his last chance to influence his daughter’s lifestyle…
But somehow I doubt that it will be smooth sailing for everyone from now on! 
:danc:
Don't leave us hanging, please! 
