Russian Absolute Beginners - Inessa Samkova.avi -

She stood up, walked to the window, and pulled the curtain aside just an inch. Her face went pale.

Then she walked into frame.

She translated: "Help me. I hid the key under the floorboard." Russian Absolute Beginners - Inessa Samkova.avi

The apartment. The floorboard. Two weeks later, Alexei closed his shop. He left a note on the door: "Gone to learn Russian." He used his savings to buy a one-way ticket to St. Petersburg.

Alexei, his heart hammering, used the only Russian he had truly mastered. "Ya khochu tebya ponyat," he began, then stopped. That was the wrong grammar. He tried again. "Ya khochu… vam pomoch." I want to help you. She stood up, walked to the window, and

"Здравствуйте," she said, her voice soft and low. "Hello."

The woman stared. Then she opened the door. She translated: "Help me

But Alexei noticed something odd. Every few seconds, she would glance off-camera, toward the door of the apartment, with a flicker of anxiety. Once, a loud thump sounded from the hallway. She flinched, then forced another smile.