HIDDEN STORIES OF LOVE & ROMANCE 3: The 60 Year Journey
When Anna and Boris married post-WWII, they were the happiest couple in Russia; for three days. And then tragedy struck.
With the war nearing its completion but still raging with bloody viciousness, Boris, who was the secretary of the Young Communist party travelled to the Siberian village where Anna and her family were living after her dad had been exiled for refusing to work in a collective farm. Two opposing political ideologies might seem a non-starter for a harmonious relationship but when Boris visited Anna’s village to make a speech his eyes immediately connected with the pretty young girl standing with her friends and he fell head over heels in love.
Despite the lingering ravages of the most destructive war the world had ever seen (or perhaps in spite of,) a romance blossomed and grew with vigour from out of the darkness and devastation. They dreamed of sharing a life together and building a family.
Their dream got off to a good start when they tied the knot in a small ceremony just after the war had ended, but that dream became a nightmare three days later when Boris, who was not only a Communist Party member but also a soldier in the Red Army, was dispatched to another part of the country.
The couple tearfully said their goodbyes with nothing but hope that they would be with each other again soon.
With Anna’s father still considered an “enemy of the state” their family was sent into deeper exile on the other side of Siberia and were disallowed from leaving a forwarding address.
Boris explained that when he was finally allowed a home visit, he returned only to feel devastated at the disappearance of his wife. He explained, “She was always waiting for me when I came home, but this time there was no sign of her. Nobody knew where they were, or what had happened to Anna.”
Speaking with the New York Daily News, Anna reflected on that heartbreaking time: “I threatened to commit suicide rather than go because I couldn’t live without him,” she said, “but in the end, I was forced to go. It was the most miserable time of my life.”
Anna’s mother vehemently opposed the relationship that her daughter had with Boris and so told her daughter that Boris had moved on and no longer wanted anything to do with her. Anna refused to believe that and became particularly angry and despondent when she found her mother burning all of the letters and poetry that Boris, an avid writer, had given Anna while they had been dating. She was also throwing their wedding photos into the fire.
Anna decided to hang herself with a clothesline wire. Moments after entering into their barn to complete the deadly act she was caught by her mother who slapped her in the face and told her “…not to be so stupid.” Despite the mother’s misguided opposition, Anna is grateful that her life was saved in that moment.
She was persuaded to go out with another man who she would eventually marry.
Over time Boris also remarried. Many years passed and eventually Anna and Boris laid their respective spouses to rest.
In 2007, 6 decades after being kicked out of her home village of Borovlyanka, Anna decided to pay a visit to her old home. As she stood at the gate reminiscing with a mixture of fondness and sadness, she heard a car pull up behind her. She cautiously turned to see an old man with his eyes apprehensively fixed upon her. Apprehension turned to excitement for both of them.
Anna explained, “I thought my eyes were playing games with me. I saw this familiar looking man approaching me, his eyes gazing at me. My heart jumped. I knew it was him. I was crying with joy,” she said.
Credit: Good Times
As the now 80-year-old Boris, who had found his post-war peace as a writer, stepped out of the car and saw Anna standing next to the house where they had been together for the first three days of their marriage and his heart almost leapt out of his chest. “I ran up to her and cried, ‘My darling, I’ve been waiting for you for so long. My wife, my life.’”
Over 60 years after first getting married and then quickly torn apart, Anna and Boris were remarried. It was an exclamation point to a story of romance that despite opposition from all angles would eventually break its way through to a happy ending.
This article was brought to you by Rose Training Australia. Australia’s leading Marriage Celebrant qualifier.
Do you find tales of love to be inspirational?
Have you ever considered a job that places you smack dab in the middle of a world of romance?
Give yourself the gift of a new career (or even just a side hustle) and enrol to become a qualified Marriage Celebrant.
You could be helping couples on one of the most important days of their collective lives.
Talk to one of our welcoming team about whether or not a CHC41015 Certificate IV in Celebrancy is right for you.
You can fill out a contact form here – Contact Us – Rose Training Australia
Call us on – 07 3038 3048
Or email – [email protected]