After their coitus, Ingrid decided to examine the state of her behind. She sauntered over to the closet door that bore a full-length mirror. She gasped at witnessing the bruises. It was not a pretty sight. Or then again from a BDSM perspective perhaps it was a pretty sight, maybe even a masterpiece! She wasn't too surprised since she had caned Talmann and seen the effects of her beating on him. In fact, her bruising was similar except more pronounced. Some of the raised welts particularly those located on her buttocks displayed open sores that had bled. With the passage of time all that blood had clotted which provided for a sickening mess indeed.
While Ingrid was inspecting her bruises, Talmann had made a phone call. When he was done, Ingrid commented, "You sure did a number on my bummy, Alexander. I don't think I'll ever be able to sit down again. And as a pianist that is a truly devastating blow. Pun intended by the way. As for my bruises on my thighs, I guess I can't wear a mini skirt if I wish to avoid embarrassment and swimming is out of the question."
He replied in earnest, "I have a terrific balm with me, and I'll give you a full jar of it. It is extremely effective in soothing the pain. It so good that you should become comfortable enough to be able to sit down and play a full-length concerto, even as early as tonight. Certainly, by tomorrow you should not be physically hampered at all from any physical activity. As for your bruises, being young as you are you, they will heal fast. All your marks on your body should disappear within two weeks."
"Well that certainly is good to know and a relief."
Changing the tenor of the conversation Talmann observed, "Well Ingrid I've had a marvelous time, far better than I had expected when I set this date up. I think you also had a good time."
"Oh yes. I would say I expected this would be an incredibly special event for me, and I wasn't disappointed."
Talmann chuckled at Ingrid's laconic response. He suspected there was much more she would be able to say but felt the need to be more guarded for the time being. So, he said, "I suggest we take a shower and then I can apply the balm on you to make you more comfortable. After that I'd like to take you out to an early dinner. I've cleared my schedule to allow for the time. I know I implied our date would be over by five o'clock, but I can promise you that I can get you home at least by seven assuming you don't reside outside the city. That way you need not change any plans you might have made for this evening."
Ingrid replied, "I was planning to go to a party with my flat mate, but we weren't expecting to get there before ten, so your dinner idea is very appealing. Actually, I do live fairly close by, so why don't we stop there first. That way I can change and of course get some underwear, since the lack of the same seemed to have been an issue between us today."
"I don't think we need to bother. Your dress is appropriate attire for where I'm taking you. As I recall in the DC Tower elevator the other day, the fact you were not wearing a bra was not evident until you took your top off. As for the lack of panties just don't bend down. I'll endeavor to avoid situations for you where you might be in such jeopardy. So, you should be just fine."
"OK then!"
The subsequent proceedings then unfolded as Talmann had outlined. After their shower and application of the soothing pain ointment, they drove in his vehicle to the restaurant, named Café Lola. Since it was a changeover time between lunch and dinner, they were initially seated at the bar for appetizers before they would be directed to their dinner table. During this time, he advised, "This restaurant is absolutely unknown to tourists, and so it is highly regarded and patronized solely by local residents."
Detecting a disdain for foreigners implicit in his statement, Ingrid innocently asked, "Do you Austrians not like tourists then coming to your land?"
Feeling the need to be concise which required a thoughtful reply, Talmann responded, "Oh no! Of course not! We Austrian love tourists. It is a major industry for our nation, that provides lots of revenue for businesses, and of course for the government. That being the case all the major restaurants in Vienna are naturally mindful of the necessity to cater to the palate desires of tourists who make up a substantial share of their overall patronage.
"Now a typical tourist might protest that they genuinely desire to experience native culture especially foods; it being the defining reason for them to visit a foreign land in the first place. However, experience tells us that if a dish is absolutely foreign, pun intended by the way, to their regular diet, a tourist will balk. That in return has an unhappy ripple effect when the tourist returns to his homeland.
"He will inevitably bad mouth the restaurant to his friends, relatives and acquaintances. Bad news travels faster than good news especially by word of mouth. The next thing that happens the restaurant has a minor downturn in customers and will not know the reason why. Now a restaurant here in Vienna, may claim they are serving authentic Austrian cuisine, but in reality, they serve dishes that by trial and error have shown not to offend tourists but be acceptable to local citizens as well."
Ingrid was intrigued, so she asked, "Is this really true? Do you have facts to back up your assertions? Or are you just making it all up to make conversation?"
"My! My! What cynicism from such a young lady as yourself. Now it's true I don't have facts to back me up, as it's just my theory how things are. Let me give you an example to demonstrate how I've devolved my thinking.
"In my capacity as foreign minister for Austria, I've had occasion to frequently travel to various other countries. I've been to the United States twice and have dined in various restaurants in Washington. On a couple of occasions in different restaurants I happened to have ordered wiener schnitzel, which as you may know is a traditional Austrian dish. I can honestly say that the difference between the dishes I was served there to the dish served here is like the difference between night and day."
Ingrid disagreed, "I suggest your example proves the opposite to what you contend. Obviously, the dish served in Washington caters to the palate of a typical American who surely outnumbers any errant Austrian tourist who may happen to wonder in the establishment. And since you admit that the wiener schnitzel served here is quite different, it follows that the restaurants in Vienna are following the Washington example by catering to their local citizenry as opposed to their tourist patrons."
Talmann clarified, "By 'here' I meant this very restaurant, the Café Lola only. The wiener schnitzel dishes presented in most major restaurants in Vienna which rely on substantial tourist traffic are not dissimilar to what I was served in Washington. The Café Lola on the contrary makes no compromises. The dishes served here replicate the dishes that are served at an elaborate dinner party hosted by any prominent Viennese household. That's why I took you here rather than stay at the hotel.
Ingrid smiled and replied, "Oh! Well in that case I guess I'll have you order wiener schnitzel for me."
Once they were seated, their ensuing dinner proved to be a very joyous occasion. It was also highly informative for each of them considering their disparate backgrounds. As they had concluded an intense BDSM activity, there was no awkwardness in their conversation, nor was there any reticence to revealing any perceived frailties. Given that he was a prominent member of the Austrian government, and she was a budding classical music super star, meant they were in an equal status footing. This had the effect of eliminating any condescending dialogue between them, and instead their conversation was laced with respectful mutual admiration.
The only discordant note in their nascent relationship was their age disparity and personal circumstances in life. She learned that he was forty-nine years old, married for twenty-four years and was father to two children; a son twenty-three years old and a daughter aged twenty. Both Ingrid and Talmann were pragmatic individuals who realized that such differences alone, plus the added fact that after a year they'd be residing an ocean apart meant they were not destined to have a torrid love affair that would excite the imagination of the romantic poets. Their main philosophy guiding their actions was rooted in the inescapable condition of human life; that we are all destined to die. Thus, life is meant to be lived to the fullest. This in turns means that even an ephemeral pleasure should be cherished.
The two of them exchanged anecdotes of themselves not for the purpose of puffing themselves up, but to enlighten the other of who they are and what they are about. Ingrid though was most energetic in describing her satisfaction with her academic year in Vienna. She summarized her joy as follows:
"As I told you Alexander, my academic music education consists of my freshman year at Ohio State University, (Music Department) in Columbus. My next two years are here at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (MDW) and my final year is slated to be back in Columbus. I've successfully completed my first year at OSU and I'm almost finished my first year at MDW.
"Now since the music department at OSU is not well regarded in the United States never mind worldwide, they are very pleased to have me as a bone fide student. So, I'm treated like a goddess both by the faculty and fellow students alike. It is actually hard for me not to develop a swelled head. But here the MDW is regarded as one of the finest music schools in the entire planet if not the finest. with a long history. It boasts of a stellar roster of alumni and faculty. The current faculty includes some of the finest musicians extant. So at least at the beginning, there was virtually no deference accorded to me, as I was treated like any other student.