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Voice 1

Hello. I’m Marina Santee.

Voice 2

And I’m Ruby Jones. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

Imagine meeting the man or woman of your dreams. You get married. But then exile separates you - for over fifty years! Would you still recognise your loved one - after all that time? How would you react when you saw them again? For two people in Russia, these are not imaginary questions! Today we tell their story.

Voice 2

Anna Kozlov looked down the street. She knew it well. It was in the village of Borovlyanka, Siberia. She had lived here as a young girl - many years ago now! It was here that she had lived with her husband, Boris. They married in 1946. Then, they had only three nights together. Boris had to return to serve in the army. As Anna looked at the house, memories came back to her. She was an old woman now. But then, she was just a young woman!

Voice 1

Anna met Boris over 50 years ago. In many people’s opinion, the two were not good together. Boris was in Stalin’s Red Army. But Anna’s family were in trouble with Stalin’s government. Anna’s father was a farmer. He refused to work in one of Stalin’s ‘collective farms.’ Collective farms were supposed to increase production. And they were supposed to work for the whole community. However, farmers often got far less for their work. So, some farmers refused to work on collective farms - like Anna’s father. Eventually, the government forced Anna’s father into exile in another part of the country.

Voice 2

However, when Boris saw Anna, he saw such beauty. The problems of her family did not concern him. And so the two began a loving relationship. Boris was away much of the time, serving in the military. But Anna was always waiting for him, when he returned.

Anna and Boris did not have much money - or time. Boris was always away! But they knew they wanted to marry. And so on one of his trips home, they married. They had only three days together. Then Boris had to leave for the army. He kissed her goodbye.

Voice 1

However, while Boris was away, troubles came to Anna and her family. Like her father, the government forced Anna into exile with her family, to another part of Siberia. The state said they were enemies of the people. Anna knew what leaving meant for her. It meant the end of her relationship. Boris would return - and she would be gone. At first, Anna refused to leave, she remembers;

Voice 3

‘I threatened to kill myself. I could not live without him. But in the end I was forced to go. It was the most unhappy time of my life.’

Voice 1

And so Anna moved away with her family. They built a new life, in a new town. Anna’s mother encouraged her to marry someone else. She told Anna that Boris had married again. She said he had forgotten her. But Anna said;

Voice 3

‘I did not believe it. And I missed him so much. But one day I got home and my mother had burned all his earlier letters and pictures. This included pictures of when we got married.’

Voice 1

Anna’s family organised a meeting between Anna and a man. They wanted her to marry him. But such a thought was not possible for Anna. Boris was the man who had her heart!

Voice 3

‘My mother told me this other man was coming to meet me. She said that I should go out with him. If I was lucky, he would marry me. I started crying. The world turned black for me. I wanted to die. I got a clothes line. I went into the animal barn. I planned to hang myself.

‘My mother came in. She hit me in the face and told me not to be so stupid. She persuaded me to go out with this man, Nefed. And over time, he and my mother persuaded me that this was where my future lay.’

Voice 1

And so, finally Anna gave in. She married Nefed.

Meanwhile, Boris was hunting for Anna. But his search bought only sadness. In the end, he too married. But he never forgot the girl who had his heart, Anna Kozlov.

Voice 1

Years passed and much changed. The two built their own new lives - separate from each other. The Soviet Union fell. And in time, Anna’s husband died. Boris’s wife also died. The future was unsure for both of them. Then, in 2007, something unexpected happened!

Voice 2

Boris decided to return to Borovlyanka, his original home village. He wanted to visit the burial place of his parents. He stepped outside the car slowly. He was now an old man in his eighties! But, he could not believe his eyes. There was Anna! She was alive! They were both there on the same day - at the same time! How was this possible? So many questions needed answering! But these could all wait. There was the woman he had loved all those years ago. There was no time to waste. He moved towards her quickly. Anna remembers:

Voice 3

‘I thought my eyes were playing games with me. I saw this man coming towards me. His eyes were looking at me closely. My heart jumped. I knew it was him. I cried with joy.’

Voice 2

Boris walked towards her. He said,

Voice 4

‘My darling. I have been waiting for you for so long. My wife. My life.’

Voice 2

There, in the village they once shared, the two were united again. More than fifty years had passed! Yet Boris said,

Voice 4

‘I could not take my eyes off her. Yes I had loved other women when we were separated. But she was the true love of my life.’

Voice 2

The two talked for many hours - they had a life time to catch up on. Boris wanted to make sure they did not miss anything else. So he asked Anna to become his wife again. She accepted. And this time, they are not spending any time apart.

Voice 3

‘Since we have found each other again, we have not had a single argument. We have been parted for so long. Who knows how much life is left for us. So we just do not want to lose time on arguing.’