And The Grass Wont Pay No Mind

This is the second part of a three-part series. Each part is a stand-alone story with a unique title. Part 1 is titled 'If I Never Knew Your Name.' Part 3 is titled 'Done Too Soon.'

Although this is a stand-alone story, it wouldn't hurt to read 'Your Silver Nights and Golden Days Pts. 01 - 04' to get the back story on the characters in this story. Reading 'Saving Grace' wouldn't hurt either.

The following events took place in the late 1980s to the early 1990s, before the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy was implemented in the military. To be an active lesbian was risking your career, even more so if you are an officer.

© 2021 Candy_Kane54

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July 1991

I was so excited. Mom was flying in today from LAX to visit us, and I was so looking forward to seeing her. Yes, I called her almost every day, but it's not the same as talking to her face-to-face. This time, her visit would be crucial. I needed Mom to be here to watch the boys while Virginia and I took a week off to spend some much-needed quality time together. Virginia didn't know anything about it because I wanted to surprise her with it. I had spent the last two weeks planning and setting things up for our 'getaway.'

As I got the boys ready to go to the airport with me, I went over my plan in my head. The first part of my plan was getting Mom to come out to visit for a couple of weeks. The only thing I felt terrible about with this part of my plan was Kathy wouldn't be coming with her, so they would be apart as long as Mom stayed here. I never really understood Kathy's phobia about flying. The one time she did come to visit with Mom, they had driven cross-country to do it. At least that time, Mom had put her foot down and insisted they drive her car and not Kathy's motorcycle to do it. Not that Grace was averse to riding on Kathy's bike. In fact, she loved it. However, a cross-country trip with little to no luggage would not be a lot of fun. Mom had once told me they had gone on road trips up and down the west coast with just their toothbrushes and basic necessities at the drop of a hat when they were younger.

I knew Mom and Kathy were deeply in love with each other. I think I had known it since I was a teenager, but it had never really registered with me until I had hooked up with Virginia. Once we were together, it was Virginia who opened my eyes about Mom being in a relationship with Kathy. Once she pointed that out to me, all of the little things I had observed throughout my life started coming together. That explained how she had quickly figured out I was in a relationship with Virginia and had not opposed it.

We had never mentioned it to her or to the boys. It was evident Mom didn't want me or the boys to know she was in a lesbian relationship with Kathy. Mom did this, even though the boys knew I was in a lesbian relationship with Virginia. However, Mom finally decided to reveal her relationship with Kathy to Virginia and me. She chose the night before we left to move to Ohio to disclose it to us.

April 1989

It had been a busy month, culminating with the movers coming and packing up all of our belongings except for the ones we had packed into our new minivan. We were going to spend the night with Mom before heading out in the morning for our cross-country trip to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) for Virginia's new assignment. We had found a lovely three-bedroom ranch in Beavercreek, OH, to lease for the four years we would be there for Virginia's new assignment.

This would be the first time the boys and I would be living more than twenty miles away from Mom, and I was a little nervous about not having that lifeline to hold onto. Virginia reassured me we could have Mom come and visit as often as she wanted to. In fact, we were planning to set up the third bedroom for her to use whenever she came to visit.

There were a lot of things needing to be done before we were ready to move. Luckily, Virginia was used to moving from one place to another, so she knew what needed to be done to get things ready to go. I hated taking the boys out of school before the end of the school year, but they were both nearly straight 'A' students, so missing two weeks of classes wouldn't hurt them. We had already got everything set up to transfer the boys to their new school in Beavercreek.

I'll admit the enormity of the cross-country move weighed on me, but when Virginia pulled me in for a hug and then kissed me, I knew everything would be alright. I teared up, thrilled at the love Virginia had for me and I had for her. When we broke, Virginia cupped my face in her hands and locked eyes with me. I could see the love she had for me in her eyes, and I knew she could see the love I had for her in my eyes. I was thrilled, as I always am, when she said, "I love you."

As I always did, I answered, "I love you more."

As she always did, Virginia replied, "Not possible."

I never argued with Virginia, although I was pretty sure I did love her more. Still, I thrilled at Virginia's declaration of love every time, knowing she meant it with every fiber of her being.

Finally, the movers were finished and left. I started tearing up, thinking about all of the beautiful memories we had made here. Virginia took me in her arms and rained little kisses all over my face as I gently sobbed. Virginia said, "I love you," repeatedly until I stopped crying and kissed her back. I loved the fact Virginia was okay with me being so emotional at times, never scolding me for being a crybaby. I always wished I could keep my emotions in check as Virginia did, but I also knew the price she paid for bottling them up. We locked up the empty condo and left to head over to the realtor's office to drop off the keys and for Virginia to finish signing the paperwork.

Once we were done with the realtor, we headed over to Mom's place. Mom was fixing dinner for us and had told us Kathy was coming over too. When we arrived, Mom hugged me and then hugged Virginia. We went in to sit down in the kitchen. Mom was busy cooking dinner and refused our offer to help, so I grabbed a couple of Dos Equis out of the refrigerator and handed one to Virginia before sitting down myself. We chatted with Mom, going over our plans for the next two weeks while the boys watched TV.

When Kathy arrived, everyone except Mom lined up to hug her. Once the hugs were done, the boys went back to watching TV while Kathy joined us in the kitchen. Virginia and I started setting up the table for dinner. We finished just as Mom declared dinner was ready. She had fixed pot roast with baby carrots and small potatoes, her specialty. I've always loved Mom's cooking, and Virginia loved it too. I went to get the boys ready for dinner while Mom plated our food. We had a great dinner, and the conversations were wide-ranging.

After dinner, the boys went back into the living room to watch TV while the rest of us sat around the kitchen table talking. Finally, it was time for the boys to go to bed. Virginia and I tucked them in, and we both hugged them before going back out into the living room. Mom would let Virginia and I sleep in her bed tonight while she slept on the couch. I know Virginia didn't like putting Mom out, but Mom always gets her way, so we agreed to her sleeping arrangements.

Finally, it was time for us to go to bed. Mom said, "Before you go to bed, there's something Kathy and I want to share with you." Mom looked up at Kathy with a look I recognized as one Virginia always shared with me in a tender moment. She then turned back to us and said, "Kathy and I are in a lesbian relationship. We've been together since 1948, except for when I was married to your father. I've never wanted it to affect your life, so I've never told you about it. Now that you're leaving, I don't want you worrying I'll be back here all by myself."

With that said, Mom and Kathy hugged and kissed, not holding anything back. Virginia and I exchanged a look since we had already figured out they were in a relationship. We didn't say anything. We jumped up and acted surprised as we came over to Mom and Kathy to hug them. When I hugged Mom, I said, "I'm so happy for you, Mom. I'm glad you have Kathy to lean on."

Mom hugged me back hard and asked, "You're not mad at me for hiding this from you?"

"No, Mom," I said, kissing her on her cheek. "You did it to protect the boys and me, and I really appreciate it."

Then I went over to Kathy and hugged her. I looked up at her and said, "I'm glad you're here to help my mom while I'm gone."

"I am, too, sweetie," Kathy said. "I wanted to tell you years ago, but your Mom is just so stubborn."

I looked over at Mom before I looked back at Kathy and said, "That's where I got my stubbornness from, I guess."

Kathy chuckled as she cupped my cheek with her right hand. She said, "You are your mother's daughter, that's for sure."

I teared up before I said, "Yes. I'm so proud of Mom and how she's lived her life. I hope I've done as well with mine."

"I'm sure you will," Kathy replied as we separated.

Virginia also hugged both Mom and Kathy, congratulating them on their decision to tell us about their relationship.

Once all the hugs were made, Virginia and I went into the bedroom and got ready for bed. We quietly spooned, Virginia bringing me to a mind-numbing orgasm before we switched, and I returned the favor. We fell asleep, but not before I lifted up a silent prayer to God, thanking him for the gift of Virginia's love.

We must have switched positions during the night because when I woke up, Virginia had her arm over my ribs, her left hand cradling my right breast. I could hear her even breathing, which told me she was still sleeping. I didn't want to wake her just yet, so I lay there, her body up against mine. My eyes burned from the unshed tears I had promised myself I wouldn't release, not wanting Virginia to worry about me.

Soon, I heard Virginia's breathing speed up, and I knew she was waking up. I felt her hand tighten on my breast, and my nipple responded by hardening, that familiar ache making my heart flutter and my breath catch. Before anything more could happen, I spun around and wrapped my arms around Virginia as her arms went around me. "Good morning, love," I said. "We'd better get going. It's going to be a long day."

I loved hearing the low moan of disappointment coming out of Virginia's mouth. I gave her a small smile before I leaned in to kiss her. Virginia's low moan turned to one of approval, and my moan joined hers as the kiss continued. Before it got too intense, I broke it and asked, "Wash my back?"

Virginia smiled and said, "As long as you wash mine."

With that, we jumped out of bed and headed into the bathroom. We took turns peeing while the shower warmed up. We quickly showered but still managed to enjoy it. We dressed and headed out to the kitchen, where Mom was already fixing breakfast for the boys.

Virginia and I each gave Mom a quick hug before we sat down to eat. Mom handed us each a plate, and we dug in, enjoying one last home-cooked meal since we would be mainly eating fast food for the next two weeks. We all quickly ate and got ready to go. I teared up a bit when I hugged Mom. She kissed my cheek and told me she loved me and was so happy for me. I kissed her cheek and told her how much I loved her.

After one final round of hugs, we got in the minivan to leave. As we pulled away, starting our trek to Ohio, I teared up again as I looked back and watched Mom waving at us. Virginia reached over and patted my thigh and said, "It's okay, sweetie. We'll be back one day."

I didn't want to upset Virginia, so I agreed with her. I dashed the tears out of my eyes and smiled at Virginia to let her think I was okay. I didn't tell her I knew I would never see this place again.

July 1991

I headed out on I-675 North to get on I-70 West to go to Dayton International Airport to pick up Mom. The boys were excited about seeing their grandmother again. They had an animated discussion about who would be the first to spot her when she got off the plane. I couldn't wait to tell Mom my plans for the next week.

Virginia was coming back home tomorrow from her week-long Temporary DutY assignment (TDY) to the General Dynamics facility in Ft. Worth, TX. Having Mom here to visit would be the first surprise I had for Virginia. At the thought of surprising Virginia, my heart fluttered as I thought about how much I loved her.

Virginia has been going TDY nearly every week for the last four months. Even when she's not traveling, Virginia put in ten to twelve-hour days trying to do her job. What was frustrating was the secrecy and Virginia not being able to tell me what she was doing. Not that I'm smart enough to help her when Virginia is struggling with anything. I know the long hours and hard work stress her, so I do my best to relax Virginia when she's home.

I really love that when Virginia comes home, she is totally at home with us and is not thinking about work. She rarely brings her work home with her, and she always asks me first before she does. It's incredible how Virginia can separate her work from her life with us. That's why I don't worry about the time she spends away traveling during the week because she's home on the weekends, spending her time with the boys, making sure they know she's there for them. While traveling, Virginia always talks to the boys every night to tell them she hasn't forgotten them. When Virginia's not traveling, I have the nights with her, and that's all I really need. Virginia never fails to make it known she loves me with every fiber of her being. I smiled as I thought about how thoroughly Virginia assures me she loves me.

As we passed the Colonel Glenn Highway exit before getting onto I-70 West, I looked over and spotted the Wright State University campus. I had just finished up my sophomore year at Wright State last month working on my Bachelor's degree in Nursing. I'll be starting my junior year next month and was looking forward to it. I've really enjoyed going back to school. It was something I had always wanted to do but never had the time or means to afford it until I got together with Virginia.

Virginia's faith in me has made it so easy to go back to school after all of those years. I just can't believe how patient she was with me whenever I ran into something I didn't understand. Virginia was so intelligent. She always took the time to sit down with me and go over the material to make sure I understood it. Virginia never talks down to me when she's trying to explain something to me. Once I've grasped the concept, Virginia always left it to me to do the work, knowing I would only understand it by doing the work myself. My grades are near the top for my classes. Thanks to Virginia, my GPA was high enough I'm now on the Dean's list each semester. Each report card was a treasure as I saw my progress and how well I've done in my classes.

I wouldn't be doing this except for Virginia. Ever since I met her, my life has changed for the better. All of those years working as a waitress, and other menial jobs, were behind me now. Virginia's belief in me has made me want to better myself to prove her confidence in me was not misplaced. Yes, I'm now busier than ever, but I'm also enjoying life more than ever.

August 1989

I was really nervous before taking my first class since attending high school. I had been a good student in high school, but at the time, I had never had any plans to go to college. Mom had seemed to get by working as a waitress or secretary, and she had never gone to college. I figured if it was good enough for her, it was good enough for me. I partied as I worked at many menial jobs, making enough to get by, living from paycheck to paycheck. Of course, once I got pregnant with Matthew and married Gary, I didn't have much time for partying. Then I got pregnant with Mark and couldn't work either.

When Gary walked out on the boys and me, it was hard going back to work and getting all of the hours I needed to make enough money to get by. Things were lean, but Mom was always there to help when I needed it, either by watching the boys for me or helping me make it to the next paycheck. I know many times, Mom offered to watch the boys just so she could feed them, wanting to help me without actually admitting she was. I hated relying on her, and I only did it when I was desperate, but I had no better option.

I tried to find someone to replace Gary, but none of the guys I found to date me were interested in the boys. That always turned out to be a deal-breaker, so I ended up alone and frustrated. I had heard stories about women who would abandon their children just to be with a man, but that was something I could never conceive of doing. I loved my boys. They were so precious to me.

I certainly never entertained the thought of prostitution to make more money. That was one line I wouldn't cross. I worked as many jobs as I could get, some of them in places I would never go to myself. However, I did dress revealingly to try to get better tips. I had to put up with the hands all over my body, smiling brightly no matter how much I hated it, to get extra tip money. A lot of nights after I got home, I'd go straight to the shower to get the imagined filth off of my body. I then went to bed on the couch and cried, thinking about what I had had to do to get enough tip money to feed my boys and pay the rent.

Beavercreek was only fifteen minutes away from Wright State University. I had time to get the boys off to school and Virginia off to work before I needed to head out to my first day of classes. After I pulled into the parking lot of Wright State University and found a spot to park, I was momentarily overwhelmed by what I was about to do. I looked at myself in the rear-view mirror and chastised myself. "You can do this!" I said to myself. I steeled myself, not wanting Virginia to think less of me, and got out of the minivan. I headed into the Boonshoft School of Medicine building with my book bag slung over my shoulder. I looked around at the other students filing in, and I was relieved to see I wasn't the only older adult here to attend classes.

I found my classroom and went in, finding most of the students were seated in the back of the room. I chose a seat near the front so I could see and hear the teacher better. I was nervous, but I was excited at the same time. When the teacher came in, I noticed she was about my age, so my nervousness disappeared. She was wearing scrubs and looked competent. She introduced herself as Stephanie Waycross, a licensed practical nurse. She went on to explain what was required for the biology class.

Stephanie then started discussing the subject, and I really enjoyed it. My fear was once she began discussing the material, it would all be incomprehensible to me. Fortunately, when I had bought my school books, Virginia had sat down with me and went through them with me, giving me a précis of what was in the books. Because of that, I was able to grasp what Stephanie was talking about. I made sure to take good notes if I needed to ask Virginia any questions about what we covered today.

This was one of several pre-requisite courses I needed to complete to get into the nursing program, so my first year would be busy. I had four other classes on that first day, and I was exhausted once I left to go home but pleased I had actually enjoyed the lessons. Virginia surprised me by being there when I got home, knowing my first day would be the hardest. She wanted me to see she totally supported my effort to improve myself.