A supplier’s new warehouse impresses Salma less than his honest refusal of an oversized order. Her colleague still remembers the overtime.
01Read the Arabic story
فُرْصَةٌ أُخْرَى لِمُوَرِّدٍ خَذَلَنَا
وَصَلَتْ رِسَالَةُ هِشَامٍ إِلَى سَلْمَى قَبْلَ مَوْسِمِ الْحَلْوَى بِأُسْبُوعَيْنِ. كَانَ يُوَرِّدُ الْعُلَبَ إِلَى مَحَلِّهَا، حَتَّى تَأَخَّرَتْ شُحْنَتَانِ فَاضْطُرَّ الْعَامِلُونَ إِلَى تَغْلِيفِ الطَّلَبَاتِ لَيْلًا. أَرْفَقَ بِرِسَالَتِهِ صُوَرَ مَخْزَنٍ جَدِيدٍ وَجَدْوَلَ تَوْصِيلٍ. لَمْ يَطْلُبْ طَلَبِيَّةً كَبِيرَةً؛ طَلَبَ أَنْ تَزُورَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَرْفُضَ. قَرَأَتْ سَلْمَى الرِّسَالَةَ لِزَمِيلَتِهَا أَمِينَةَ، فَقَالَتْ: الْمَخْزَنُ لَا يُعِيدُ لَنَا تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةَ.
فِي الْمَخْزَنِ، رَأَتْ سَلْمَى عُلَبًا مُرَتَّبَةً بِحَسَبِ الْحَجْمِ، وَقَابَلَتْ مَسْؤُولَ التَّوْصِيلِ الَّذِي عَيَّنَهُ هِشَامٌ. شَرَحَ هِشَامٌ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقْبَلُ طَلَبَاتٍ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا يَسْتَطِيعُ تَنْفِيذَهُ، خَوْفًا مِنْ فَقْدِ الزَّبَائِنِ. هَذِهِ الْمَرَّةَ لَمْ يَتَّهِمِ الطَّرِيقَ أَوِ السَّائِقَ. وَعِنْدَمَا سَأَلَتْهُ عَنْ كَمِّيَّةٍ كَبِيرَةٍ، رَاجَعَ سِجِلَّهُ وَقَالَ إِنَّهُ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَى تَسْلِيمِهَا كَامِلَةً فِي الْمَوْعِدِ.
عَادَتْ سَلْمَى بِعَرْضٍ لِخَمْسِينَ عُلْبَةً عَادِيَّةً فَقَطْ. أَبْقَتِ الْعُلَبَ الْمَطْبُوعَةَ لِطَلَبَاتِ الْأَفْرَاحِ عِنْدَ الْمُوَرِّدِ الْآخَرِ، لِأَنَّ تَأْخِيرَهَا سَيُؤْذِي زَبَائِنَ يَنْتَظِرُونَ مُنَاسَبَاتٍ لَا تَتَأَجَّلُ. وَتَرَكَتْ فِي الْمَحَلِّ مَخْزُونًا يَكْفِي أُسْبُوعًا. سَأَلَتْهَا أَمِينَةُ لِمَاذَا تُرِيدُ الْعَوْدَةَ إِلَى مُشْكِلَةٍ انْتَهَتْ. أَجَابَتْ أَنَّ اعْتِرَافَهُ بِحُدُودِ قُدْرَتِهِ يَسْتَحِقُّ الِانْتِبَاهَ، وَلَكِنَّهُ لَا يَكْفِي وَحْدَهُ.
اعْتَرَفَتْ سَلْمَى أَيْضًا أَنَّهَا رَفَضَتْ سَابِقًا تَحْذِيرَ أَمِينَةَ مِنَ الِاعْتِمَادِ عَلَيْهِ وَحْدَهُ. لِذَلِكَ جَعَلَتْ فَحْصَ الْمَوْعِدِ وَالْكَمِّيَّةِ مَسْؤُولِيَّةً مُشْتَرَكَةً، وَلَمْ تَعِدْ هِشَامًا بِطَلَبَاتٍ أُخْرَى. قَبِلَ هِشَامٌ الْكَمِّيَّةَ الصَّغِيرَةَ، مَعَ أَنَّ رِبْحَهَا مَحْدُودٌ. قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَفْهَمُ حَذَرَهُمَا. أَمَّا أَمِينَةُ فَكَتَبَتِ الْمَوْعِدَ فِي الدَّفْتَرِ، دُونَ أَنْ تَسْحَبَ اعْتِرَاضَهَا كُلَّهُ.
وَصَلَتِ الْعُلَبُ فِي الْوَقْتِ الْمُتَّفَقِ عَلَيْهِ. عَدَّتْهَا أَمِينَةُ، وَوَقَّعَتِ الْإِيصَالَ، ثُمَّ أَعَادَتْ سُؤَالَهَا عَنِ الْمُوَرِّدِ الْآخَرِ. أَكَّدَتْ سَلْمَى أَنَّ طَلَبَ الْعُلَبِ الْمَطْبُوعَةِ بَاقٍ. وَضَعَتِ الْإِيصَالَ الْجَدِيدَ بِجَانِبِ وَرَقَةِ سَاعَاتِ الْعَمَلِ الْإِضَافِيِّ مِنَ الْمَوْسِمِ السَّابِقِ. لَمْ تَكْتُبْ طَلَبِيَّةً ثَانِيَةً بَعْدُ، وَلَمْ تُخْفِ الْوَرَقَةَ الْقَدِيمَةَ عِنْدَمَا جَاءَ هِشَامٌ يَسْأَلُ إِنْ كَانَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ قَدْ وَصَلَ.
Show English translationHide English translation
Hisham’s letter reached Salma two weeks before the busy season for sweets. He had supplied boxes to her shop until two shipments arrived late, forcing the staff to package orders at night. He enclosed pictures of a new warehouse and a delivery schedule. He did not ask for a large order; he asked her to visit before refusing. Salma read the letter to her colleague Amina, who said, “The warehouse does not give us that night back.”
At the warehouse, Salma saw boxes arranged by size and met the delivery coordinator Hisham had appointed. Hisham explained that he used to accept more orders than he could fulfil, afraid of losing customers. This time, he did not blame the road or the driver. When she asked about a large quantity, he checked his records and said he could not deliver all of it by the deadline.
Salma returned with a quote for just fifty plain boxes. She kept the printed boxes for wedding orders with the other supplier because delays would hurt customers awaiting occasions that could not be postponed. She also kept a week’s stock at the shop. Amina asked why she wanted to return to a problem that was over. Salma answered that his acknowledgement of his limits deserved attention, but was not enough on its own.
Salma also admitted that she had previously rejected Amina’s warning against relying on him alone. She therefore made checking the deadline and quantity a shared responsibility and did not promise Hisham further orders. Hisham accepted the small quantity despite its limited profit. He said he understood their caution. Amina wrote the deadline in the notebook without withdrawing all her objections.
The boxes arrived at the agreed time. Amina counted them, signed the receipt, then repeated her question about the other supplier. Salma confirmed that the printed-box order still stood. She put the new receipt beside the record of overtime hours from the previous season. She had not yet written a second order, and she did not hide the old record when Hisham came to ask whether everything had arrived.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| يُوَرِّدُ الْعُلَبَ | supplies the boxes |
| شُحْنَتَانِ | two shipments |
| بِحَسَبِ الْحَجْمِ | according to size |
| تَنْفِيذَهُ | fulfilling it |
| بِعَرْضٍ | with a quote |
| مَخْزُونًا | stock; a supply in reserve |
| الِاعْتِمَادِ عَلَيْهِ وَحْدَهُ | relying on him alone |
| مَسْؤُولِيَّةً مُشْتَرَكَةً | a shared responsibility |
| حَذَرَهُمَا | the two women’s caution |
| الْإِيصَالَ | the receipt |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Distinguish facts, motives and supported inferences using the Arabic text. Open the English support when needed.
What to remember
- Hisham’s acknowledgement of his limits matters, but Salma also keeps reserve stock and the other supplier.
- Amina shares the checks while retaining her reservations; one timely delivery does not erase the earlier cost.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّ تَأْخِيرَهَا سَيُؤْذِي زَبَائِنَ
Use lianna to connect Salma’s retained wedding order with the harm a delay would cause.
Arabic Prepositions with Pronouns: To Me, On Me and With Us
الِاعْتِمَادِ عَلَيْهِ وَحْدَهُ
Identify the supplier as the person referred to by the attached pronoun in alayhi.
