A radio guest sounds like a former neighbour. As the interview unfolds, a listener begins to question both the need for a name and the certainty of recognition.
01Read the Arabic story
صَوْتٌ مَأْلُوفٌ فِي الْإِذَاعَةِ
كُنْتُ أُعِدُّ الْعَشَاءَ حِينَ بَدَأَتْ مُقَابَلَةٌ إِذَاعِيَّةٌ عَنْ بَدْءِ حَيَاةٍ مِهْنِيَّةٍ جَدِيدَةٍ بَعْدَ إِغْلَاقِ مَشْرُوعٍ. تَوَقَّفَ الضَّيْفُ قَلِيلًا قَبْلَ كُلِّ إِجَابَةٍ، ثُمَّ ضَحِكَ ضَحْكَةً قَصِيرَةً أَعْرِفُهَا. بَدَا لِي أَنَّهُ جَارِي السَّابِقُ الَّذِي كَانَ يُصْلِحُ الدَّرَّاجَاتِ. رَفَعْتُ الصَّوْتَ، وَانْتَظَرْتُ أَنْ يَذْكُرَ الْمُذِيعُ اسْمَهُ، لَكِنَّهُ قَالَ إِنَّ الضَّيْفَ فَضَّلَ عَدَمَ إِعْلَانِهِ.
كَانَ جَارِي قَدْ أَغْلَقَ وَرْشَتَهُ وَرَحَلَ قَبْلَ عَامَيْنِ. يَوْمَهَا تَنَاقَلَ النَّاسُ تَفْسِيرَاتٍ كَثِيرَةً، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَدَيَّ مَا يُؤَكِّدُ أَيًّا مِنْهَا. ظَنَنْتُ أَوَّلًا أَنَّ الْمُتَحَدِّثَ يُخْفِي اسْمَهُ خَجَلًا مِنَ الْفَشَلِ. غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ تَحَدَّثَ بِصَرَاحَةٍ عَنْ سُوءِ تَقْدِيرِهِ لِلتَّكَالِيفِ وَعَنْ وُعُودٍ قَطَعَهَا لِلزَّبَائِنِ وَلَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ تَنْفِيذَهَا. لَمْ يَجْعَلْ نَفْسَهُ ضَحِيَّةً لِلظُّرُوفِ وَحْدَهَا.
سَأَلَهُ الْمُذِيعُ إِنْ كَانَ إِخْفَاءُ الِاسْمِ يَنْسَجِمُ مَعَ هَذِهِ الصَّرَاحَةِ. أَجَابَ: «قِصَّتِي لَيْسَتْ لِي وَحْدِي. عَمِلَ مَعِي أَشْخَاصٌ يَبْحَثُونَ الْآنَ عَنْ فُرَصٍ جَدِيدَةٍ، وَلَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَفْرِضَ عَلَيْهِمْ الْعَوْدَةَ إِلَى ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتِ». ثُمَّ رَفَضَ ذِكْرَ مَوْقِعِ الْوَرْشَةِ، مَعَ أَنَّهُ وَاصَلَ شَرْحَ الْأَخْطَاءِ الَّتِي يَتَحَمَّلُ هُوَ مَسْؤُولِيَّتَهَا دُونَ غَيْرِهِ.
تَذَكَّرْتُ الْعَامِلَ الشَّابَّ الَّذِي كَانَ يَفْتَحُ وَرْشَةَ جَارِي كُلَّ صَبَاحٍ. لَمْ أَعُدْ أَسْمَعُ الْمُقَابَلَةَ كَأَنَّهَا لُغْزٌ عَلَيَّ حَلُّهُ. فَالِاسْمُ الَّذِي يُشْبِعُ فُضُولِي قَدْ يَجْلِبُ لِآخَرِينَ أَسْئِلَةً لَمْ يَخْتَارُوهَا. مَعَ ذَلِكَ، لَمْ يَكُنْ تَشَابُهُ الصَّوْتِ دَلِيلًا قَاطِعًا عَلَى الْهُوِيَّةِ، وَكَانَ مِنَ السَّهْلِ أَنْ أَجْمَعَ التَّفَاصِيلَ بِطَرِيقَةٍ تُؤَيِّدُ تَوَقُّعِي الْأَوَّلَ.
بَعْدَ الْبَرْنَامَجِ، كَتَبْتُ رِسَالَةً إِلَى جَارِي أَقُولُ فِيهَا إِنَّنِي سُرِرْتُ بِسَمَاعِ صَوْتِهِ. ثُمَّ شَطَبْتُ هَذِهِ الْجُمْلَةَ، وَأَعَدْتُ الْوَرَقَةَ إِلَى الظَّرْفِ دُونَ إِرْسَالِهَا. فِي الْيَوْمِ التَّالِي، سَأَلَنِي صَدِيقٌ عَنِ الْمُقَابَلَةِ. تَحَدَّثْتُ عَنِ الْفَرْقِ بَيْنَ تَحَمُّلِ مَسْؤُولِيَّةِ الْخَطَأِ وَكَشْفِ حَيَاةِ الْآخَرِينَ، وَلَمْ أَقْتَرِحْ اسْمًا. بَقِيَ الصَّوْتُ مَأْلُوفًا، وَبَقِيَ الْبَابُ مَفْتُوحًا لِاحْتِمَالٍ آخَرَ.
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I was preparing dinner when a radio interview began about starting a new working life after closing a business. The guest paused briefly before each answer, then gave a short laugh I recognised. He seemed to be my former neighbour, who used to repair bicycles. I turned up the volume and waited for the presenter to mention his name, but he said the guest preferred not to announce it.
My neighbour had closed his workshop and left two years earlier. People had circulated many explanations then, and I had nothing to confirm any of them. At first, I thought the speaker was hiding his name out of shame at his failure. Yet he spoke frankly about miscalculating costs and making promises to customers that he could not fulfil. He did not portray himself solely as a victim of circumstances.
The presenter asked whether withholding his name was consistent with such frankness. He answered, “My story is not mine alone. People worked with me who are now looking for new opportunities, and I do not want to force them to return to that time.” He then refused to mention the workshop’s location, although he continued explaining the mistakes for which he alone was responsible.
I remembered the young worker who used to open my neighbour’s workshop every morning. I no longer listened to the interview as a puzzle I had to solve. The name that satisfied my curiosity might bring others questions they had not chosen. Even so, a similar voice was not conclusive evidence of identity, and it would be easy to put details together in a way that supported my initial expectation.
After the programme, I wrote a letter to my neighbour saying I was pleased to hear his voice. Then I crossed out that sentence and put the paper back in the envelope without sending it. The next day, a friend asked me about the interview. I spoke about the difference between accepting responsibility for a mistake and exposing other people’s lives, and suggested no name. The voice remained familiar, and another possibility remained open.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| إِذَاعِيَّةٌ | on the radio |
| تَنَاقَلَ | circulated / passed around |
| بِصَرَاحَةٍ | frankly |
| تَنْفِيذَهَا | fulfilling them |
| يَنْسَجِمُ | is consistent |
| فُضُولِي | my curiosity |
| قَاطِعًا | conclusive |
| الْهُوِيَّةِ | identity |
| شَطَبْتُ | I crossed out |
| الظَّرْفِ | the envelope |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Compare evidence, assumptions and viewpoints. Open the English support if you need help with a question.
What to remember
- Speaking honestly about a failure need not expose everyone involved.
- A familiar voice can prompt a strong impression without establishing identity.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Relative Pronouns: Joining Ideas with Alladhi and Allati
جَارِي السَّابِقُ الَّذِي كَانَ يُصْلِحُ الدَّرَّاجَاتِ
Follow the relative clause identifying the narrator’s former neighbour.
Lam in Arabic: How to Say “Did Not”
وَلَمْ أَقْتَرِحْ اسْمًا
Read the negative action that shows the narrator’s restraint after the interview.
