How To Read The Virginiaverse

While writing 'Like Butter on a Summer Day,' I kept thinking back to 'What Dreams May Come.' If what I had posited in that story was true, that could account for premonitions and 'Deja Vous.' After all, time flows both ways with equal relevance in the quantum world, making it possible to remember things that had yet to happen. These facts gave me the idea for 'And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind.' That, and the lyrics to the song by the same title sung by Neil Diamond (actually, he wrote it for Elvis Presley, but I like Neil's version better).

As I wrote the main arc of the Virginiaverse, I wanted to tell Bonnie's story from her PoV. I needed to ensure I had completed enough of the backstory before I dared try it. 'And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind' is part of a three-part story about Bonnie. Unlike my other multipart stories, these three parts will be stand-alone stories with different titles.

'And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind' is the middle story of the trilogy. It explored how Bonnie handled herself after having dreams that she was not long for the world and how she desperately tried to prepare everyone for what was coming. While nothing terrible happened in this story, there was a foreshadowing of what would come. The title is a Neil Diamond song that inspired part of the plot.

The first part of the trilogy, 'If I Never Knew Your Name,' gave background on Bonnie's life in flashbacks. We find out what made Bonnie accept and pursue a lesbian relationship with Virginia even though she had been married and had two children. As much as Bonnie wanted a relationship, she was more concerned about how Virginia accepted her two boys, Matthew and Mark, and vice versa. Through flashbacks, we discover that she actively pursued Virginia once Bonnie realized she could fall in love with another woman. Bonnie was not passive in the seduction leading up to the first date. This story, just like the other two in the trilogy, is titled after a Neil Diamond song that inspired me to write this story as I did.

The third part of the trilogy, 'Done Too Soon,' was the most challenging part to write, and I hope I did it justice. This story covered how Bonnie accepted that she would die and how she handled it through her interactions with her loved ones. Again, I based the title on a Neil Diamond song I had already mentioned in the Afterword of 'Your Silver Night and Golden Days Pt. 05.' I came across a song titled "See the Sun" by Dido that complimented this story perfectly. I put a link to it on my Bio page. It would help if you listened to the song to get you in the mood to read this story.

When Literotica introduced the ability to group stories into 'series,' I took advantage of it. I grouped these three stories into the series "Until It's Time For Me To Go," another Neil Diamond Song title (except I changed 'you' to 'me') to keep the continuity going.

For several months, I started but couldn't finish several stories because I was not on the same page as my Muse. I finally started "Receiving Grace," a story I knew I could complete. It began as a simple motorcycle trip that Kathy and Grace went on in the summer of 1965. However, my Muse had other plans for me. As I got into the story, I wanted to tell Kathy and Grace's life story using the motorcycle trip as the vehicle (pun intended) for the story. It kept growing, and I realized it would be too long to present in one part, so I took it to a cliffhanger and published Part 1, thinking I would cover the rest of the story in Part 2. Boy, I was wrong. I woke up with an ending for the story I had never intended to use. Suddenly, the story grew so large that I needed a third part to keep each part at a reasonable length. So, I ended Part 2 at a breaking point and published it, expecting to finish the third and final part quickly since I had an end in sight.

My Muse had other ideas, and I struggled to get to the ending without going off on side trips and making the story too complex and extensive. After pruning several thousand words and rerouting the story, I finally finished it. Believe me when I say that I was as surprised by how the story developed as I wrote it as you were in reading it.

Part 01 starts by recounting Grace and Kathy's road trip in 1965. At the same time, the events leading up to Kathy's accident, which prevented her from being with Grace while Bonnie was dying, are also revealed. The story ends on a double cliffhanger with the motorcycle trip in 1965 and Kathy's accident in 1992.

Part 02 starts with revealing what happened that caused Grace and Kathy to break up briefly before reuniting. I continued the story of their bike trip back in '65. Also, what's happening with Kathy while Bonnie is dying is revealed. Kathy has to deal with being in the hospital with a severely broken log. We also learn about the beginning of Kathy and Grace's relationship with flashbacks to 1948 after graduating high school.

Part 03 starts with Grace and Kathy reconciling and reuniting after their four-month breakup. They complete the road trip, and we learn how Kathy and Grace get their first place together. We find out the details leading up to their finally getting to live together again after forty-four years. The epilogue (labeled 'Cursum Perficio,' which means 'My journey is complete') covers how their lives end. The quote from the Book of Ruth (Chapter 1 Verse 16) is what Ruth says to Naomi when Naomi decides to return home to Jerusalem. It was fitting since Grace was moving on, and Kathy was determined to go with her.

Now that I had that out of my system, I found that my Muse was back in synch with me, so I decided to get "No More Perfect Kisses" written. This story would introduce the 'Virginiaverse' and describe Virginia and her first love, Sam. I had alluded to the relationship throughout my stories, so it was time to write about it. I wanted to describe Virginia's early life and the events that led her to have an affair with Alex that she broke off abruptly. Later, she would have a relationship with Bonnie, which led to the abrupt and premature end of her Air Force career.

Once I finished "No More Perfect Kisses," I was preparing to write a stand-alone story that would not be in the 'Virginiaverse.' However, my Muse had other ideas. Based on the comments I got from "No More Perfect Kisses," I started thinking about how to explain how Sam and Virginia never met again. I was kicking around several ideas, including killing her off since she would not be participating in the 'Virginiaverse' again. One day, I was listening to the "'70s on 7" station on Sirius XM when I heard the song "Chevy Van" by Sammy Johns. Like a bolt of lightning, the idea for the story "My Chevy Van" hit me, and I started the research needed for this story. As I wrote this story, I decided Sam and Glory would become recurring characters with their own story universe.

To set up the denouement, I wrote another side story I'd roughed out when I heard Bill Withers had died in 2020. I enjoyed his music when I was in high school and college. I envisioned a four-day weekend with one of his songs associated with each day. This story turned out to be the story of Darl and Jack. They owned and ran a motel that catered to people visiting Yosemite Park. While telling their story, we discovered Glory had worked at the motel for a few weeks and left just before Virginia and Bonnie visited to hike up to Half Dome. This visit is alluded to in 'Promises Made and Promises Kept Pt. 01' when Virginia puts the photo of her and Bonnie with Half Dome in the background on her desk.

I've wanted to tell Glory's story for some time, but I've been busy finishing Virginia's story. Before writing 'My Chevy Van,' I had introduced Glory to my readers in 'No More Perfect Kisses.' I plan to write Glory's journey in four movements, like a symphony. 'My Chevy Van' was the first movement, the allegro. This story allowed me to set up the rest of Glory's story. 'A Lovely Day' was written as the scherzo, a light, airy piece that is not about either Sam or Glory. However, Glory makes a cameo appearance as Darl remembers conversations with her. The following two stories will be the Adagio and Finale of the symphony, where we find out how Sam and Glory's story ends.

Since I missed out on the Winter Holiday Contest for 2020 with "A Chance Encounter," I decided to write a story for the 2023 contest. This resulted in the story "A Christmas Visit," which details the events around the first Christmas after Bonnie's death. This story ties "Receiving Grace" and "A Lovely Day" back to "Promises Made and Promises Kept."

As I've said earlier, I still need to finish writing stories in the 'Virginiaverse.' I still have one more main arc story, "Lady of the Lamp," to write. I also have roughed out several side stories I'll write someday (assuming my Muse will let me).

Note that throughout my stories centered on the beach cities in southern California, I keep mentioning that the weather is 72 degrees and sunny. This weather report is a running joke that I use to pay homage to the movie "LA Story" starring Steve Martin, who plays a weatherman. Every weather report is sunny and 72 degrees, so he does wacky things to make the weather report less boring. The filming of this movie took place in the LA area in the late '80s. It portrayed a humorous view of life in the LA area that I experienced while stationed at LAAFB. It is evident from my writings that I enjoyed my time there. If you ever get a chance, watch this movie. It is funny and poignant at the same time. I watch it whenever I get nostalgic about my time there. And yes, whenever there was an earthquake (at least three or four times a year), we would sit around and try to guess the magnitude as we bounced around in our chairs. Whoever got the closest would win the pot we'd all throw a dollar into after an earthquake.

If you want to see some of the locations described in my stories, Google Maps can take you there. You can go to the street view. For example, you can stand at the end of the pier at Manhattan Beach and see a 360-degree view of the Roundhouse and Manhattan Beach from the ocean. You can visit Pollywog Park and many other locations mentioned in my stories. Remember that what you see exists now and may look different from what it did in the late '80s and early '90s. Thus, you can find The Cheesecake Factory, which my characters frequent, but Marie Callender's and Jack's Salad Bar and Grill are no more.

If you are interested in a visual of Virginia, watch the movie 'Contact' starring Jodie Foster as Dr. Jane Arroway. She was always intense, like Jodie Foster portrayed Dr. Jane Arroway's character in the film. She wasn't afraid to confront people when she was right and they were wrong. Add about 6 inches to the length of her hair and make her eyes a couple of shades bluer, and you have Virginia.

Specific Notes on each story:

Main Arc Stories:

No More Perfect Kisses -- I wrote this story from Virginia's PoV. It explored her first Sapphic relationship when she was a college senior. The story also details the events that led up to her living in the dorm her senior year. Also, the events leading up to her first meeting with Alex are detailed. I took the title from the lyrics of the song "Samantha's Song" by Super American.

Lady of the Lamp -- I wrote this story from Judy's PoV. Judy's story starts after her first lesbian affair in college to finding the love of her life, Jon, and marrying him. They love each other very much and have two lovely daughters, Amy and Emily. Judy occasionally has Sapphic thoughts about other women. Still, she never follows through with them. Instead, she took those feelings and focused them on her sexual relationship with Jon. Then, Jon dies, and Judy is devastated. The title is derived from the lyrics to the song "Judy" by Stephen Stills. NOTE: This story still needs to be written and will be published under the Romance category.

Throwin' Pennies in the Bay -- I wrote this story from Alex's PoV and describes her affair with Virginia. Alex reflects on her affair with Judy as she pursues a romantic relationship with Virginia. This story details how difficult it is to be a lesbian while serving in the USAF. The title is derived from the lyrics to the song "Alexis" by James Gang.
Part One is about her seduction of Virginia while reflecting on her affair with Judy in college. NOTE: The book mentioned in this story, 'No Adam for Eve' by John Dexter, was published in the '60s. The author using the pseudonym 'John Dexter' was Marion Zimmer Bradley, who went on to fame as the author of 'The Mists of Avalon.'
Part Two is about the trials and tribulations of the relationship. It ends up with Virginia walking away from Alex. At the same time, Alex reflects on Judy having walked away from her in college.

Your Silver Nights and Golden Days -- I wrote this story from Virginia's PoV and introduced Bonnie. The title is derived from the lyrics to the song "Bonnie" by Supertramp. This story goes into Virginia's relationship with Bonnie, a divorced mother of two boys. This story details the trials and tribulations of being in a lesbian relationship and how it leaves you in legal limbo with the people you love.
Part One is about the seduction that leads up to Bonnie and Virginia getting together and falling in love. NOTE: This was my first submission to Literotica.I went into a lot of tedious detail at the start of the story to introduce the reader to Virginia. Now that I've written 'No More Perfect Kisses,' the details introducing Virginia to the readers are no longer needed in this story. I've edited the beginning to make it flow better.
Part Two concerns Virginia's decision to have a committed relationship with Bonnie.
Part Three goes into the legal limbo that a non-traditional relationship puts you regarding dependants. NOTE: The Dining-In ceremony depicted in this story actually took place. Alex (me) was the one who actually experienced this event during the events depicted in "Tomorrow is Promised Pt. 02." However, I took the liberty of putting it here to show what Virginia had to put up with while being an officer in the USAF. The speaker's name is the actual individual who made that hateful speech.
Part Four goes into the details of how getting caught in a homosexual relationship can destroy your career. We also find out that some individuals in the USAF aren't opposed to homosexuality. The book mentioned in this story: "Managing the Software Process" by Watts S. Humphrey, is an actual book and was the foundation on which he developed the CMM evaluation. Watts did accompany my team when we evaluated TRW, and the reason he gave in the story was real. I enjoyed working with him. He was a great man.
Part Five details Bonnie's death, the fallout from Virginia's actions caused by that death, and Virginia's decision to end her AF career.

If I Never Knew Your Name -- I wrote this story from Bonnie's PoV. It covers a Saturday in October 1985 when Bonnie, Matthew, and Mark meet with Virginia for a date at the pier. This visit to the pier is where Bonnie first meets Cindy and Becky and buys a beaded bracelet for Virginia. This event was described in the side story 'The Gift.' We'll also see several flashbacks to events before and during the events depicted in 'Your Silver Nights and Golden Days.'

I didn't want to rewrite "Your Silver Night and Golden Days Pt. 01" from Bonnie's POV because we already know how that went. I concentrated on the factors that led to the two falling in love. Bonnie's concern about her boys and how Virginia would accept them was a primary driver. The events leading up to Bonnie considering entering a lesbian relationship also needed to be brought out. We discover that Bonnie wasn't just a passive participant in the seduction leading up to their first date.

And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind -- I wrote this story from Bonnie's PoV. It covers an eleven-day span in July 1991 (with several flashbacks to previous events). These activities occur before she gets sick and is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that has been slowly growing throughout her body. Her bouts of nausea are a foreshadowing of things to come. Since pancreatic cancer has no obvious symptoms, it can spread throughout the body before being detected. One symptom is nausea caused by the tumor attacking the bile duct. The symptoms resemble bile stones, so cancer is not always checked for if someone goes to the doctor.

It goes into how she had a premonition before moving to Ohio from California that she would never return to California alive. Her actions from January 1989 until July 1991 resulted from her trying to set things up for that eventuality. She tries not to give away the fact that she thinks she will die soon. Several flashbacks, using hooks and events I've already put in place, in 'Your Silver Night and Golden Days,' 'Tomorrow is Promised Pt. 01,' and 'Saving Grace,' reveal the actions Bonnie takes to prepare her Mom, Virginia, Matthew, and Mark for when she gets sick and dies.

Done Too Soon -- I wrote this story from Bonnie's POV. It covers how Bonnie prepares for her death. She ensures that her Mom and two sons accept her death as part of life and that they will help Virginia move on with her life. She ensures that Virginia accepts her death and encourages her to move on and find someone else to love. Her grace and serenity help everyone accept her death. Interlaced with her story is another story showing her joy at reuniting with her father again. He had died when she was young, and now they are together.

Tomorrow is Promised -- I wrote this story from three different POVs. I designed the three parts to be a literary triptych. While all three stories are temporally parallel, each piece is independent. We also see that a fourth woman, Megan, has a relationship with all three women. It reinforces the connection that Alex has with Virginia and Judy.
Part One -- from Virginia's PoV depicts Virginia ending her AF career and picking up the pieces of her life after Bonnie's death. Because Virginia had been read into so many Top Secret Special Compartmental Access (TS-SCA) programs, her request to resign from her commission took longer than usual. After being de-briefed from the programs, Virginia had to sign multiple Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs). Even 30 years later, she still can't discuss what she did for those programs since the NDAs were for 40 years. Virginia starts a relationship with Megan, but Megan gets an offer she can't refuse, and they part. Then Virginia decides to try to reconcile with Alex.
Part Two -- from Alex's PoV depicts Alex picking up the pieces of her life after Virginia left her. Life for a lesbian in the AF is tough, even if you aren't an active lesbian. Alex meets Megan, and the sexual attraction is there. Still, for the sake of her career, Alex doesn't follow through with a sexual relationship with Megan. We see Alex and Virginia rekindle their relationship. Alex reconciles with Virginia but decides that a relationship isn't in the cards. We also have Alex run into Judy again.
Part Three -- from Judy's PoV depicts Judy picking up the pieces of her life after Jon's death. Judy meets Alex, and they rekindle their relationship. Ultimately, they decide that a relationship isn't in the cards. We also find out that Judy and Megan have worked together. They were aware that they were both amenable to a lesbian relationship but never followed through with it because Judy was married and faithful to Jon. Then we have Judy meeting Virginia, and we discover the connection they feel for each other.