Post by melindajo2000 on Apr 21, 2010 11:13:14 GMT -6
"Cliff, let me in, I would really like to talk to you,” Pam announced as she banged on the door to his condo.
It was two a.m. Afton was there, and answered so that Cliff could finish his reward for the night, and come home to a celebratory dinner of chicken chow mein. He had finally won the oil baron’s ball baron of the year award, and he wasn’t going to let anyone or anything spoil it. Anything that his sister had to say could just wait until the morning. Tonight was his and his alone. Even Afton had the good sense to keep her troubles to herself. Why did he want to be bothered by girl troubles when, even after that little tiff at the ball, he still came home a winner? Cliff Barnes- a winner- he definitely liked the sounds of that.
“Should I let her in?” Afton asked.
“No, whatever it is it can wait until tomorrow.”
“She sounds like she really needs you. I’m letting her in.” Afton went over and let in Pam.
Pam looked like she had been crying. If she hadn’t, then she had been very very shaken. Cliff picked up the car keys. “I’ll give you two some time…”
“Oh no you don’t, Cliff Barnes!” Afton warned her boyfriend. “You’re not going anywhere. I’ll be upstairs but you’re going to stay here and talk to your sister. Pam, call me if you need me.”
“You’re welcome to stay.”
Afton looked at the situation and knew that it would be best for the siblings to be alone. Give them some space and some time, and if Cliff screws up too badly she knew that she could always run back downstairs to sooth things over.
“Pam…did you see me up there…I won! I won it for Daddy. I did the Barnes name proud didn’t I?” Cliff started. “Do you want me to go get the trophy?”
Pam sighed. “No Cliff, I do not want you to go get your trophy. I want you to sit down and talk to me.”
“It’s really no bother,” a grinning Cliff stood up and showed it to her. As he turned around, he could see the pained look on her face. Suddenly he knew that the trophy could wait. His accomplishments could wait. Something was troubling his little sister. He was not the best at reading people, but even he could see that his sister was hurting. What could he do? Part of him really didn’t want to get dragged down into her funk. This was his night! His night to celebrate, to have fun, to party a bit. Why waste it on something that Afton could easily do?
“Cliff, I need you,” Pam whispered.
Cliff sat the trophy down. “What was that?”
“I said you could go on.”
“No, you didn’t. You said you needed me. And I’m going to be here for you. The rest of this stuff can wait. You’re my sister and I’ve got to look out for you, the way you do for me. How many times have I come crawling over to you needing your ear to bend? Wanna cup of coffee?”
Pam nodded.
“Do you want to tell me about it or should I guess….was it anything to do with seeing Bobby and Jenna at the ball tonight?”
Pam nodded. “And don’t start on the Ewings, please, not tonight. I can’t deal with your rants about them. Please just for tonight can’t you just be my brother?”
Cliff sipped his coffee, decaff of course. “ Okay, if that’s what you need, that’s what I'll be. But if that husband of yours so much as hurt you tonight I’ll clean his clocks the way I did his brother’s….”
Pam laughed in spite of herself. “Ex-husband. We are divorced. That’s what makes the way I feel tonight so confusing. I shouldn’t even feel like this. I was fine until I ran into Jenna in the restroom. She made a point of letting me know that I didn’t want Bobby any more, and that if I was so happy with Mark why should it bother me that she was with Bobby? And the thing was, she was absolutely right. I couldn’t argue with her. I am happy with Mark. I did ask for the divorce. But why do I feel like this? Why did it feel like my heart had been torn out from me when I saw him in the room with Jenna Wade?”
Cliff looked around, praying that Afton would come down. He wasn’t good at this kind of talk. “Pam, let’s face it. You still love him. If you didn’t, you could care less who he walks in the room with. But that doesn’t mean you can’t love two guys at the same time. You are happy with Mark, he treats you and Christopher well. The feelings you have for Bobby will fade away, I promise. That’s something all divorced couples go through at first. You learn to live with those feelings. Don’t shut Mark out just because of a few crappy feelings. Does Mark know about these feelings?”
Pam nodded.
“And that’s why you’re here tonight,” Cliff deduced. “Well if he loves you the way he says he does, he’ll be patient. Make him be patient. You know how to get guys to do what you want them to do. I know, as your brother, from personal experience what I’m talking about!”
Pam laughed then walked over to hug Cliff. Sometimes, most of the time he was a real pain but sometimes he could really surprise you. He was all right.
“Do you want to go upstairs and lie down with Afton? I could take the couch,” Cliff offered.
“No thank you. I’d rather be alone.”
“Good, I didn’t really want to give up my bed anyways!” Cliff laughed, although both he and Pam knew he was telling the truth.
After Pam settled in for the night, she got to thinking about her brother and Mark and Bobby, and even Jenna. They all knew how to push her buttons. Maybe Cliff was right- she might be all right in the morning after a good night’s sleep. She laughed, it was normally her playing mama bear to her brother. It was nice to know there was someone who had her back. She could wake up and face the world a little easier in the morning, no matter what happened next.
It was two a.m. Afton was there, and answered so that Cliff could finish his reward for the night, and come home to a celebratory dinner of chicken chow mein. He had finally won the oil baron’s ball baron of the year award, and he wasn’t going to let anyone or anything spoil it. Anything that his sister had to say could just wait until the morning. Tonight was his and his alone. Even Afton had the good sense to keep her troubles to herself. Why did he want to be bothered by girl troubles when, even after that little tiff at the ball, he still came home a winner? Cliff Barnes- a winner- he definitely liked the sounds of that.
“Should I let her in?” Afton asked.
“No, whatever it is it can wait until tomorrow.”
“She sounds like she really needs you. I’m letting her in.” Afton went over and let in Pam.
Pam looked like she had been crying. If she hadn’t, then she had been very very shaken. Cliff picked up the car keys. “I’ll give you two some time…”
“Oh no you don’t, Cliff Barnes!” Afton warned her boyfriend. “You’re not going anywhere. I’ll be upstairs but you’re going to stay here and talk to your sister. Pam, call me if you need me.”
“You’re welcome to stay.”
Afton looked at the situation and knew that it would be best for the siblings to be alone. Give them some space and some time, and if Cliff screws up too badly she knew that she could always run back downstairs to sooth things over.
“Pam…did you see me up there…I won! I won it for Daddy. I did the Barnes name proud didn’t I?” Cliff started. “Do you want me to go get the trophy?”
Pam sighed. “No Cliff, I do not want you to go get your trophy. I want you to sit down and talk to me.”
“It’s really no bother,” a grinning Cliff stood up and showed it to her. As he turned around, he could see the pained look on her face. Suddenly he knew that the trophy could wait. His accomplishments could wait. Something was troubling his little sister. He was not the best at reading people, but even he could see that his sister was hurting. What could he do? Part of him really didn’t want to get dragged down into her funk. This was his night! His night to celebrate, to have fun, to party a bit. Why waste it on something that Afton could easily do?
“Cliff, I need you,” Pam whispered.
Cliff sat the trophy down. “What was that?”
“I said you could go on.”
“No, you didn’t. You said you needed me. And I’m going to be here for you. The rest of this stuff can wait. You’re my sister and I’ve got to look out for you, the way you do for me. How many times have I come crawling over to you needing your ear to bend? Wanna cup of coffee?”
Pam nodded.
“Do you want to tell me about it or should I guess….was it anything to do with seeing Bobby and Jenna at the ball tonight?”
Pam nodded. “And don’t start on the Ewings, please, not tonight. I can’t deal with your rants about them. Please just for tonight can’t you just be my brother?”
Cliff sipped his coffee, decaff of course. “ Okay, if that’s what you need, that’s what I'll be. But if that husband of yours so much as hurt you tonight I’ll clean his clocks the way I did his brother’s….”
Pam laughed in spite of herself. “Ex-husband. We are divorced. That’s what makes the way I feel tonight so confusing. I shouldn’t even feel like this. I was fine until I ran into Jenna in the restroom. She made a point of letting me know that I didn’t want Bobby any more, and that if I was so happy with Mark why should it bother me that she was with Bobby? And the thing was, she was absolutely right. I couldn’t argue with her. I am happy with Mark. I did ask for the divorce. But why do I feel like this? Why did it feel like my heart had been torn out from me when I saw him in the room with Jenna Wade?”
Cliff looked around, praying that Afton would come down. He wasn’t good at this kind of talk. “Pam, let’s face it. You still love him. If you didn’t, you could care less who he walks in the room with. But that doesn’t mean you can’t love two guys at the same time. You are happy with Mark, he treats you and Christopher well. The feelings you have for Bobby will fade away, I promise. That’s something all divorced couples go through at first. You learn to live with those feelings. Don’t shut Mark out just because of a few crappy feelings. Does Mark know about these feelings?”
Pam nodded.
“And that’s why you’re here tonight,” Cliff deduced. “Well if he loves you the way he says he does, he’ll be patient. Make him be patient. You know how to get guys to do what you want them to do. I know, as your brother, from personal experience what I’m talking about!”
Pam laughed then walked over to hug Cliff. Sometimes, most of the time he was a real pain but sometimes he could really surprise you. He was all right.
“Do you want to go upstairs and lie down with Afton? I could take the couch,” Cliff offered.
“No thank you. I’d rather be alone.”
“Good, I didn’t really want to give up my bed anyways!” Cliff laughed, although both he and Pam knew he was telling the truth.
After Pam settled in for the night, she got to thinking about her brother and Mark and Bobby, and even Jenna. They all knew how to push her buttons. Maybe Cliff was right- she might be all right in the morning after a good night’s sleep. She laughed, it was normally her playing mama bear to her brother. It was nice to know there was someone who had her back. She could wake up and face the world a little easier in the morning, no matter what happened next.
