The tailor’s shop is empty, but its plants remain green in the heat. Reem notices a watering can and a trail of drops that lead her to a quiet act of kindness.
01Read the Arabic story
مَنْ سَقَى النَّبَاتَاتِ أَمَامَ الْمَحَلِّ الْخَالِي؟
أُغْلِقَ مَحَلُّ الْخِيَاطَةِ فِي شَارِعِ رِيمٍ بَعْدَ أَنْ انْتَقَلَ صَاحِبُهُ إِلَى مَدِينَةٍ أُخْرَى. بَقِيَتْ أَمَامَ الْبَابِ ثَلَاثَةُ أُصُصٍ كَبِيرَةٍ فِيهَا نَبَاتَاتٌ خَضْرَاءُ. كَانَ الْجَوُّ حَارًّا، وَلَمْ يَنْزِلِ الْمَطَرُ مُنْذُ أَيَّامٍ. وَمَعَ ذَلِكَ، لَاحَظَتْ رِيمٌ كُلَّ صَبَاحٍ أَنَّ التُّرَابَ رَطْبٌ. تَسَاءَلَتْ مَنْ يَسْقِي النَّبَاتَاتِ عِنْدَمَا يَكُونُ الشَّارِعُ هَادِئًا.
ظَنَّتْ رِيمٌ أَنَّ حَارِسَ الْبِنَايَةِ يَعْتَنِي بِهَا، لِأَنَّهَا رَأَتْ إِبْرِيقَ السَّقْيِ الْأَخْضَرَ قُرْبَ غُرْفَتِهِ. سَأَلَتْهُ، فَقَالَ: «الْإِبْرِيقُ لِي، لَكِنَّنِي لَا أَسْقِيهَا. يَسْتَعِيرُهُ شَخْصٌ كُلَّ صَبَاحٍ، وَيُعِيدُهُ نَظِيفًا». لَمْ تُرِدْ رِيمٌ أَنْ تُزْعِجَ أَحَدًا بِأَسْئِلَةٍ كَثِيرَةٍ. كَانَتْ تَأْمُلُ فَقَطْ أَنْ تَعْرِفَ إِنْ كَانَتِ النَّبَاتَاتُ تَحْتَاجُ إِلَى مُسَاعَدَتِهَا.
فِي الْيَوْمِ التَّالِي، خَرَجَتْ لِشِرَاءِ الْخُبْزِ أَبْكَرَ مِنَ الْمُعْتَادِ. رَأَتْ قَطَرَاتِ مَاءٍ عَلَى الرَّصِيفِ بَيْنَ غُرْفَةِ الْحَارِسِ وَالْمَحَلِّ. وَعِنْدَ الْبَابِ وَجَدَتْ زِيَادًا، الشَّابَّ الَّذِي يُوَزِّعُ الصُّحُفَ، يَحْمِلُ الْإِبْرِيقَ. وَقَفَتْ دَرَّاجَتُهُ بِجَانِبِهِ، وَفَوْقَهَا حَقِيبَةُ الصُّحُفِ. اِنْتَظَرَتْ حَتَّى انْتَهَى مِنْ سَقْيِ آخِرِ نَبَاتٍ، ثُمَّ حَيَّتْهُ وَسَأَلَتْهُ عَنْ سَبَبِ اهْتِمَامِهِ.
قَالَ زِيَادٌ: «فِي الشِّتَاءِ الْمَاضِي، كُنْتُ أَنْتَظِرُ الْحَافِلَةَ هُنَا بَعْدَ تَوْزِيعِ الصُّحُفِ. كَانَ الْخَيَّاطُ يَسْمَحُ لِي بِالْوُقُوفِ تَحْتَ الْمِظَلَّةِ عِنْدَمَا يَشْتَدُّ الْمَطَرُ. وَقَبْلَ رَحِيلِهِ، سَأَلْتُهُ إِنْ كُنْتُ أَسْتَطِيعُ الْعِنَايَةَ بِالنَّبَاتَاتِ، فَوَافَقَ. هِيَ تَجْعَلُ هَذَا الْمَكَانَ أَجْمَلَ، وَأَنَا أَمُرُّ مِنْ هُنَا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ».
شَكَرَتْهُ رِيمٌ، وَاقْتَرَحَتْ أَنْ تَسْقِيَ النَّبَاتَاتِ يَوْمَ رَاحَتِهِ. اِبْتَسَمَ وَأَخْبَرَهَا أَنَّهُ يَرْتَاحُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ. اِتَّفَقَا عَلَى ذَلِكَ، وَسَأَلَا الْحَارِسَ إِنْ كَانَ يُمْكِنُهَا اسْتِعَارَةُ الْإِبْرِيقِ أَيْضًا، فَوَافَقَ. فِي صَبَاحِ الْجُمُعَةِ، حَمَلَتْهُ رِيمٌ إِلَى الْمَحَلِّ. وَهِيَ تَسْقِي النَّبَاتَاتِ، لَاحَظَتْ أَنَّ بُرْعُمًا صَغِيرًا قَدْ تَفَتَّحَ عَلَى أَحَدِ الْأَغْصَانِ.
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The tailor’s shop in Reem’s street closed after its owner moved to another city. Three large pots containing green plants remained in front of the door. The weather was hot, and no rain had fallen for days. Even so, Reem noticed each morning that the soil was damp. She wondered who watered the plants while the street was quiet.
Reem thought that the building caretaker looked after them because she had seen the green watering can near his room. She asked him, and he said, “The can is mine, but I don’t water them. Someone borrows it every morning and returns it clean.” Reem did not want to bother anyone with lots of questions. She only hoped to find out whether the plants needed her help.
The following day, she went out to buy bread earlier than usual. She saw drops of water on the pavement between the caretaker’s room and the shop. At the door, she found Ziyad, the young man who delivered newspapers, holding the can. His bicycle stood beside him, with the newspaper bag on it. She waited until he finished watering the last plant, then greeted him and asked why he cared for them.
Ziyad said, “Last winter, I used to wait for the bus here after delivering the newspapers. The tailor let me stand under the awning when the rain grew heavy. Before he left, I asked whether I could look after the plants, and he agreed. They make this place more beautiful, and I pass here every day.”
Reem thanked him and suggested watering the plants on his day off. He smiled and told her that Friday was his rest day. They agreed on that, and asked the caretaker whether she could borrow the can too. He agreed. On Friday morning, Reem carried it to the shop. As she watered the plants, she noticed that a small bud had opened on one of the branches.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| أُصُصٍ | plant pots |
| رَطْبٌ | damp |
| إِبْرِيقَ السَّقْيِ | the watering can |
| يَسْتَعِيرُهُ | he borrows it |
| أَبْكَرَ مِنَ الْمُعْتَادِ | earlier than usual |
| قَطَرَاتِ مَاءٍ | drops of water |
| الرَّصِيفِ | the pavement |
| الْمِظَلَّةِ | the awning |
| يَوْمَ رَاحَتِهِ | on his day off |
| بُرْعُمًا صَغِيرًا | a small bud |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Look back at the Arabic story when you need a clue. Open the English support if you need help understanding a question.
What to remember
- The caretaker owns the watering can, but another person uses it; a clue does not always support the first explanation.
- Ziyad’s memory of shelter from the rain supports an inference of appreciation, while Reem’s offer turns curiosity into shared care.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Time and Place Adverbs: Before, After, In Front and Behind
أَمَامَ الْبَابِ
Use a place expression to locate the plants relative to the shop entrance.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّهَا رَأَتْ إِبْرِيقَ السَّقْيِ الْأَخْضَرَ قُرْبَ غُرْفَتِهِ
Follow the reason for Reem’s initial guess about the caretaker.
Kana in Arabic: Was and Were
كَانَ الْجَوُّ حَارًّا
Recognise the past weather description that makes the damp soil surprising.
