Semina’s Mother told her, one day at breakfast, that her Father was going to take her to The Farm.
The Farm is where her Father grew up and where his parents still live. It is a very beautiful part of her country. Semina especially likes the beautiful glacier that you can see from the farm.
Semina asked her Mother if they were going on the bus? "Yes, he does not want to drive his new car over the rough farm roads", her Mother told her.
Semina smiled to herself, because she knows that her Father does not like to drive his car very far from the city. That is why Semina has to take the bus when she goes to visit him. She also knows that he does not want to spend the money on gasoline.
One day her Father said to her "Semina, you have to save your money and you should not spend it on unnecessary things" Semina had just given him a little present, which he gave back to her and told her to take it back to the store. He then said to her "That is why I don’t spend money on silly things for you" Semina smiled a secret inside smile and though to herself that she had noticed this, and she also knew that he was one of the richest men in her country. Then her Father said "How do you think I became so rich, do you think it is because I buy silly presents for people?" Semina looked at her shoes and said "No, Father" Semina, looked at her shoes, because she was growing fast and she thinks that maybe he thinks shoes are silly. This is probably why he would not give her Mother money to buy new shoes for her, for Christmas.
Semina did not mind that she did not have new shoes for Christmas, that was a good excuse not to go to the Children’s Christmas parties. They always made her uncomfortable because everybody teased her and called her names. The children did not like her because her Mother was going to marry an American. This is very bad, they say.
A few days later Semina and her Father went by bus to The Farm. The bus made many stops and at one stop her Father said, "We are getting off here" Semina looked around and thought, this is not The Farm.
They got off the bus and walked up a long gravel road to a farm house. Her Father called to the house and said "Friend coming". There was a lady in a dirty apron she ran to her Father and gave him a hug and then looked at Semina and said "Is this her?" Her Father said "Yes".
Then they started talking about weather and hay and sheep and horses and the weather again.
Semina stopped paying attention and looked around, wondering if she had ever been here before and also wondering who is this woman?
They went inside the house and there around a big table sat a lot of people of all ages. The man at the head of the table, stood up and shook her Fathers hand and looked at Semina and said "This is her then?"
Semina started feeling uncomfortable not only because people kept asking if this was her and then looking away and continuing their conversation, but also because everything in this house looked dirty and smelled bad.
They were invited to sit down and have dinner. There was some kind of gray soup with gray meat in it and lot of fat, making lots of colors, swimming on the top. Semina had never seen food like this and could not eat. She stirred the soup around and watched as the fat on top took many shapes and colors.
All of a sudden her Father shouted at her, to stop playing with her food and to eat. Semina was so startled that she felt tears in her eyes and she could not see, she was affraid to look up. She was also worried, because maybe this was the farm her Father was taking her too and not The Farm.
Semina felt so sad that she found it hard to smile.