Cooking aromas caused David and Karl to end their meeting, and they entered the kitchen to find Georg grilling fresh cervelat under Rachel's guidance while Maria and Bethia watched and chatted. Rachel turned to greet the men as they entered. "We'll soon have George domesticated. Lunch should be another six or seven minutes."

David glanced at his watch and shook his head. "Twelve fifty already. Time seems to have flown by. Thank you for starting."

A few minutes later, while they all sat around the kitchen table enjoying the hot sausages in split bread rolls, David spoke as he dabbed more mustard from a small spoon. "Almost a year ago, I first had these, and I'm still amazed by the flavours, Tante. So many changes since then."

"We were still in Germany then, weren't we?" Bethia looked at the roll in her hand as she smiled. "We had these shortly after you had arrived, and I still warm as I picture your enjoyment."

David finished savouring a bite. "These are better than I remember."

"I'm now accustomed to the new smoker and the subtle differences made by the damper settings. I've more range available than with the old one."

"Georg was telling me that the house still hasn't sold."

"No, and the women who are renting it have fallen into arrears as they try to make the deli business profitable again."

David tilted his head. "Who are the women?"

"Two widows and a prisoner's wife. All three were regular customers before the war. Prosperous ones. Now they're struggling to feed their children."

After examining the details, the group carried on discussing the effects the war had on those not involved in the fighting. Both David and Karl talked about the pre-war German economy, outlining its dependence on importing raw materials and food.

"Their main income came from applying innovation, clever engineering and skilled labour to add value. The products from this were exported to the world, and the country was among the most prosperous." David shrugged. "The key word here is was. They no longer are."

Karl shook his head. "No, they certainly aren't. The British naval blockade severely limits their access to not only materials for offensive purposes but also to food. Their industries have turned from making products for export at a tidy profit to producing munitions to send to France free of charge. And meanwhile, the people starve."

David added, "But not everywhere. In January and February, we saw relative prosperity in the area around Mannheim. Their auto industry is centred there, and it has now turned to producing vehicles for the Army and engines for the aircraft factories. There are huge chemical plants producing materials for explosives and poisonous gasses, and those not actively fighting are employed in war production."

"But that's only in the industrial heartland," Karl countered. "Away from there is massive idleness as markets for crafts and services have collapsed. The people had been told that France would quickly surrender and that the lives of all Germans would be even better. Now, more than a year and a half later, the same old message does little but embitter the people, yet the stories in the newspapers remain essentially the same."

"Yesterday, I received a report of the assault on Verdun." David winced. "The Germans have suffered over ninety thousand casualties in the two months since they began, yet they continue to pour men into the way of the French artillery."

"Does the public know this," Maria asked.

"Seems very few know the scope. The newspapers are allowed to report only bits and pieces of it, and they are forced to publish propaganda stories masking the extent of the horror. Besides, the people are too focused on their own diminished circumstances to see the big picture."

<><><>

After lunch, David and Maria went up to their suite to share some time alone. As they lay in an intimate cuddle under the duvet, Maria paused the gentle shifting of her hips and nodded. "That's a fine idea. Be quicker than the trains, what with waiting for connections."

"And more convenient."

"Is it as easy to drive as the lorry?"

"Easier. And far more relaxing. The steering wheel doesn't transmit every bump in the road, so there is no need to fight it." David enjoyed Maria's purring moan as he gave her a slow, deep thrust. "We should finish here so you can be in Bern before dark."

A pleasant while later, as they washed each other in the shower, David said, "And following the Rhein downstream to Koblenz, then the Aar upstream is the easiest route."

"I remember it from December and January. The snow will be gone now, though, won't it?"

"It should be. Was there snow in Bern when you left?"

"None. And only patches far up the hillsides as we descended the valley. Turn around. Let me wash Willy." She knelt and retracted his foreskin to wash his head. "I hope for Tante's sake that Karl isn't Jewish."

David chuckled. "I was curious myself, and I fished. He was raised as a Catholic, so his penis wouldn't have been mutilated."

"How did you fish? I'm always amazed by the information you dig out of people."

"I found an appropriate spot in our conversation to mention attending Catholic school, and he volunteered the rest." David moaned. "If you continue washing it like that, we'll have to go back to the bed."

She stroked more vigorously. "I'm fine with that."

He trembled as he cradled the sides of her head, gently guiding her to her feet and into a hug and kiss.

As they were drying each other a while later, Maria asked, "Do the Swiss have group showers like the Canadian and British Army?"

David grimaced as he nodded. "Yes, and it was impossible not to be seen again. Seems the whole school is now calling me Horseman."

"I'm still having difficulty finding research data on size, and the reports that I have found are conflicting. Two say these don't come this large." She gave it a twirl and giggled. "But I can't accept that. The third report stated that one in three thousand reaches fifteen centimetres dangling, the bulk being between seven and nine." 

"That seems to be right." He held up his thumb. "Most I see are about this size, though I've not concentrated on searching."

"It would help me if you did." She shrugged. "I don't have the access you do."

"Yes, I suppose with everyone now staring at mine, I can be less fleeting in my looking."

"But it should need only a quick survey. A large one would be obvious, wouldn't it? As would a very small one. A casual scan would spot any outstanding ones."

"True."

"And you told me you've never seen another close to your size."

"Until recently."

"There's another on your course?"

David shook his head as he paused to think. Would Rick mind? Likely not. This is for research. Besides, he's proud of his. "No, in February. Rick is also like this. I saw him when we shared a room in Mannheim." David blushed. "And he said he had seen two others approaching six inches, both of them on syph parade."

"Siff parade?"

"Also called a short arm inspection. An Army health inspection to check for syphilis and gonorrhoea. The men are lined up, and they drop their trousers while a team of medics inspect for signs. He'd be a good source for your research – he spent time as a medical assistant."

Maria nodded. "Anecdotal, undocumented, but it would be a valuable perspective. But at least you now know you're not a freak. Maybe if the others saw you weren't so shy about it and so sensitive, they'd have a different attitude. Have you considered that maybe they taunt you because they see you're embarrassed by it?"

"Hmm. Not thought of it that way."

"You should examine that. Be proud of it, not embarrassed by it. It's part of you."

"But it's not who I am."

"That's from Sister Clemencia. That's how she regarded you. Nothing but a penis to fuck herself with. Tell me, did she ever pay attention to your mind? To your feelings? To your soul?"

David trembled and then burst into deep sobs as he crumpled to the floor, curling up to hug his calves.

Maria sunk to her knees and stroked his back. "It's alright, David. You need to do this. You need to get rid of it. You've been holding it in for far too long." She curled her body around his and held tight.