A ferry delay threatens an island book exhibition visit. The organiser must choose before a refund deadline, explain the losses and face a promise made too confidently.
01Read the Arabic story
إِلْغَاءُ الرِّحْلَةِ الَّتِي دَفَعَ الْجَمِيعُ رُسُومَهَا
عِنْدَمَا دَفَعَ الْمُشَارِكُونَ بَقِيَّةَ رُسُومِ الرِّحْلَةِ، كَتَبْتُ فِي الْمَجْمُوعَةِ أَنَّ زِيَارَتَنَا لِمَعْرِضِ الْكُتُبِ فِي الْجَزِيرَةِ أَصْبَحَتْ مُؤَكَّدَةً. حَجَزْتُ الْحَافِلَةَ وَتَذَاكِرَ الْعَبَّارَةِ، وَأَغْلَقْتُ قَائِمَةَ الْأَسْمَاءِ. لَكِنْ فِي مَسَاءِ الْيَوْمِ السَّابِقِ، أَبْلَغَتْنِي شَرِكَةُ النَّقْلِ بِأَنَّ أَعْمَالًا فِي الْمَرْسَى قَدْ تُؤَخِّرُ الْعَبَّارَةَ. سَأَلْتُ عَنْ مَوْعِدٍ بَدِيلٍ، فَلَمْ أَحْصُلْ عَلَى إِجَابَةٍ مُحَدَّدَةٍ.
اقْتَرَحَ زَمِيلِي أَنْ نَذْهَبَ وَنَنْتَظِرَ هُنَاكَ، فَالْجَمِيعُ دَفَعَ وَاسْتَعَدَّ. وَرَأَتْ مُشَارِكَةٌ أَنَّ انْتِظَارَ سَاعَتَيْنِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ ضَيَاعِ الْيَوْمِ كُلِّهِ. كُنْتُ أَفْهَمُهُمَا، خَاصَّةً أَنَّ بَعْضَ الْأُسَرِ رَتَّبَتْ إِجَازَاتِهَا لِهَذِهِ الزِّيَارَةِ. وَكَانَ مَعَنَا أَطْفَالٌ يَنْتَظِرُونَ لِقَاءَ كَاتِبٍ يُحِبُّونَهُ، فَلَمْ تَكُنِ الرِّحْلَةُ مُجَرَّدَ نُزْهَةٍ عِنْدَ أُسَرِهِمْ. إِلَّا أَنَّ الشَّرِكَةَ لَمْ تَقُلْ إِنَّ التَّأْخِيرَ سَيَقْتَصِرُ عَلَى سَاعَتَيْنِ، وَكَانَ الْمَعْرِضُ سَيُغْلِقُ فِي الْعَصْرِ.
قَبْلَ مَوْعِدِ إِلْغَاءِ الْحَافِلَةِ، اتَّصَلْتُ بِالشَّرِكَةِ مَرَّةً أَخِيرَةً. بَقِيَ الرَّدُّ نَفْسَهُ، فَأَلْغَيْتُ الرِّحْلَةَ لِأَنَّنَا لَا نَمْلِكُ مَوْعِدًا يُمْكِنُ بِنَاءُ الْبَرْنَامَجِ عَلَيْهِ. شَرَحْتُ مَا نَعْرِفُهُ وَمَا نَجْهَلُهُ، وَأَعْلَنْتُ أَنَّ رُسُومَ الْعَبَّارَةِ سَتُعَادُ كَامِلَةً، بَيْنَمَا سَنَخْسَرُ نِصْفَ عَرْبُونِ الْحَافِلَةِ. لَمْ يَجْعَلْ هَذَا الشَّرْحُ الْخَبَرَ مَقْبُولًا لَدَى الْجَمِيعِ.
كَتَبَ رَجُلٌ أَنَّنِي وَعَدْتُهُمْ بِرِحْلَةٍ مُؤَكَّدَةٍ، لَا بِاحْتِمَالٍ. كِدْتُ أَرُدُّ بِأَنَّ الشَّرِكَةَ هِيَ السَّبَبُ، ثُمَّ قَرَأْتُ إِعْلَانِي الْقَدِيمَ. اعْتَذَرْتُ عَنِ الْجَزْمِ الْمُبَكِّرِ، وَأَرْسَلْتُ كَشْفًا بِالْمَبَالِغِ الْمَدْفُوعَةِ وَالْمَبَالِغِ الْقَابِلَةِ لِلِاسْتِرْدَادِ. اقْتَرَحْنَا زِيَارَةَ مَعْرِضٍ مَحَلِّيٍّ فِي مَوْعِدٍ آخَرَ، لَكِنَّ إِحْدَى الْأُمَّهَاتِ قَالَتْ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَنْ يُعَوِّضَ الْإِجَازَةَ الَّتِي أَخَذَتْهَا.
فِي الْيَوْمِ التَّالِي، أَبْحَرَتِ الْعَبَّارَةُ ظُهْرًا. أَضَفْتُ هَذِهِ الْمَعْلُومَةَ إِلَى الرِّسَالَةِ الَّتِي شَرَحْتُ فِيهَا الْإِلْغَاءَ، مَعَ ذِكْرِ وَقْتِ وُصُولِهَا إِلَيَّ. أَجَابَ زَمِيلِي أَنَّنَا رُبَّمَا كُنَّا سَنَلْحَقُ بِالْمَعْرِضِ. لَمْ أُنْكِرْ ذَلِكَ، وَلَمْ أَتَظَاهَرْ بِأَنَّنِي كُنْتُ أَعْرِفُ مَوْعِدَ الْإِبْحَارِ مُسْبَقًا. رَاجَعْتُ طَلَبَاتِ الِاسْتِرْدَادِ، وَتَرَكْتُ اعْتِرَاضَهُ ظَاهِرًا تَحْتَ إِعْلَانِي.
Show English translationHide English translation
When the participants paid the remaining trip fees, I wrote in the group that our visit to the island book exhibition was confirmed. I booked the coach and ferry tickets and closed the list of names. But the evening before, the transport company told me that work at the landing place might delay the ferry. I asked for an alternative time and received no definite answer.
My colleague suggested going and waiting there: everyone had paid and prepared. One participant thought waiting two hours was better than losing the whole day. I understood them, especially since some families had arranged time off for this visit. Children were joining us who hoped to meet a writer they loved, so the trip was more than an outing for their families. However, the company had not said the delay would be limited to two hours, and the exhibition would close in the afternoon.
Before the coach cancellation deadline, I called the company one last time. Its answer remained unchanged, so I cancelled the trip because we had no time on which to base the programme. I explained what we knew and did not know, announcing that the ferry fees would be refunded in full, while we would lose half the coach deposit. This explanation did not make the news acceptable to everyone.
A man wrote that I had promised a confirmed trip, not a possibility. I almost replied that the company was responsible, then read my old announcement. I apologised for expressing certainty too early and sent a statement of amounts paid and amounts eligible for refund. We suggested visiting a local exhibition another time, but one mother said that would not compensate for the leave she had taken.
The next day, the ferry sailed at noon. I added this information to the message explaining the cancellation, stating when it had reached me. My colleague replied that we might have reached the exhibition in time. I did not deny that, nor pretend I had known the sailing time beforehand. I reviewed the refund requests and left his objection visible beneath my announcement.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| الْمَرْسَى | the landing place |
| إِجَابَةٍ مُحَدَّدَةٍ | a definite answer |
| سَيَقْتَصِرُ عَلَى | would be limited to |
| مَوْعِدِ إِلْغَاءِ الْحَافِلَةِ | the coach cancellation deadline |
| نِصْفَ عَرْبُونِ الْحَافِلَةِ | half the coach deposit |
| الْجَزْمِ الْمُبَكِّرِ | premature certainty |
| كَشْفًا | a statement of amounts |
| لَنْ يُعَوِّضَ | would not compensate for |
| مُسْبَقًا | beforehand |
| طَلَبَاتِ الِاسْتِرْدَادِ | refund requests |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Use the Arabic text to distinguish facts, motives and supported inferences. Open the English support when needed.
What to remember
- The decision uses the information available before the deadline; the later sailing time does not erase that earlier uncertainty.
- Money, time off and confidence in an organiser are different costs, so a partial refund cannot address every objection.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّنَا لَا نَمْلِكُ مَوْعِدًا
Identify the reason clause that explains the organiser’s cancellation.
Arabic Relative Pronouns: Joining Ideas with Alladhi and Allati
الرِّسَالَةِ الَّتِي شَرَحْتُ فِيهَا الْإِلْغَاءَ
Follow allati and the pronoun referring back to the message it describes.
