Chapter 2

Having returned to the scene, Vanya again faced difficulties in finding partners. For as long as 14 years he made do with attending events and occasional meetings with one-time or temporary partners. Ivan had already reconciled himself to the thought that he would never find the ideal partner and would never get full pleasure from the scene.

His relationship with Lena remained stable. The spouses still loved each other very much. Tormented by pangs of conscience over his occasional infidelities, Vanya began devoting even more attention to his wife. He started giving her expensive gifts, taking her to good restaurants and fulfilling almost all her wishes. Sometimes Ivan did insanely romantic things that made Lena absolutely delighted. For example, when his wife came home tired, he would prepare her a bath with foam and salts or give her a foot massage. On weekends Vanya often brought his wife breakfast in bed.

Seeing such behavior from her husband, Lena realized that she had done absolutely the right thing by allowing him to practice BDSM and turning a blind eye to his occasional infidelities. ‘It is better to have a husband who cheats occasionally but is happy, loving and caring, than a faithful one who is tormented, neurotic and full of hatred for you’ — Lena thought.

One day, while once again browsing the internet in search of a partner, on one of the sites Ivan came across Lyudmila, a girl five years younger than him. Lyuda was a tall, slim girl with fiery red hair. Ivan decided to write to Lyuda, and she replied. Sympathy quickly arose between them. Vanya set up a meeting with the girl for the nearest weekend. For several days there was a lively correspondence between them. From their conversations Vanya learned that Lyuda was unmarried, lived alone in a two-room apartment and worked at one of the banks. But what surprised Ivan most of all was that he and Lyuda matched almost completely in scene preferences.