Sammi and Dusty Read Free Page A

need some help?’
    Sammi nodded, then shook his head, not sure which was right. ‘Her English is not good,’ he told her.
    ‘So do you think you can translate for me?’
    Sammi nodded.
    Kerry looked half at him and half at his mum as she began to speak. ‘City Farm is all about helping people,’ she said. ‘Children are invited to join the Harvest Hope project when they have a problem that’s making it hard for them to cope.’
    She stopped, and looked at Sammi expectantly. He wasn’t sure exactly what she’d said, but he could guess, more or less.
    ‘She’s talking about City Farm,’ he told his mum. ‘She says they try to help people.’
    Sammi’s mum gave a nervous smile.
    ‘You’ve been having trouble fitting in at school, haven’t you, Sammi?’ Kerry carried on. ‘We know it’s not easy, learning a new language and adjusting to a whole new culture. We hope that spending some time on the farm will help you.’
    Sammi shifted from one foot to another, and looked at the ground. ‘She says she hopes I’ll like it here,’ he translated, then decided to change Kerry’s words a bit. ‘It’s a farm with different animals and things to do.’
    Now his mum nodded enthusiastically. ‘Tell her I’m very happy they sent you here,’ she instructed Sammi. ‘And you tell her that you’re from a good family. You were never in trouble before so there’s no reason why you’ll cause problems here.’ She paused, and gave Sammi a steely look. ‘Go on, talk to her nicely. I want you to make a good impression.’
    Sammi turned back to Kerry. ‘My mum says she very happy I come here.’ Then he stopped. There was no way he’d translate the rest.
    Kerry waited, as though she sensed that his mum had said a lot more than that. But Sammi kept his lips shut tight. Kerry hesitated, then reached for a form that she’d filled out. She pointed to a space at the bottom. ‘Your mum needs to sign here to show that she’s agreed you can be here. Then perhaps she’d like to look around the farm with your little sister before leaving?’
    Sammi explained to his mum what to do. ‘She says you and Giti can go and look around if you want,’ he said.
    ‘Oh, good,’ said his mum. ‘Giti will love seeing all the animals.’ She stood up and reached forward to grasp Kerry by both hands, shaking them warmly. Kerry grinned in return. ‘I like this woman,’ Sammi’s mum told him. ‘I can see in her eyes that she’s a good person. Tell her thank you a million times for agreeing to look after you.’
    ‘Let go of her hands, Mum,’ said Sammi.
    ‘Don’t be silly,’ said Mum. ‘Tell her what I said.’
    Sammi turned to Kerry. ‘She says thank you,’ he said. Then he looked at his mum, and spoke in Pashtun. ‘I don’t know why you’re making such a fuss,’ he said. ‘I’ve no idea how this place is going to help me.’
    His mum released Kerry’s hands and sat down again. ‘I don’t like you saying things like that, Sammi,’ she rebuked him. ‘You should be positive about having a new opportunity.’
    Sammi pursed his lips. ‘That’s what you said about school,’ he said.

Chapter Three

    Sammi’s mum took Giti by the hand and led her out of Kerry’s office. ‘Come on, Giti. We have to leave Sammi now. He’s going to be very busy here.’
    Giti broke away from her and ran to give Sammi a big hug. ‘Bye, Sammi,’ she said. ‘I want you to teach me everything you learn when you come home.’
    ‘I will,’ he promised her, though he knew that Giti wouldn’t need teaching. She’d probably learn more from looking around for ten minutes than he’d be able to learn all day.
    Giti skipped off with his mum, and he turned back to Kerry. Now that he was on his own, he felt more tongue-tied than ever.
    ‘I won’t keep you here long,’ said Kerry. ‘Just a quick chat before we get you started on the farm.’
    Sammi waited.
    ‘Can you explain to me what’s been going wrong?’ Kerry asked him gently.