An experienced organiser volunteers for a neighbourhood book fair. A neighbour’s question makes him reconsider whether his carefully assigned tasks leave room for anyone else’s ideas.
01Read the Arabic story
قَلَمٌ آخَرُ فِي دَفْتَرِي
قَضَيْتُ خَمْسًا وَعِشْرِينَ سَنَةً أُنَظِّمُ أَنْشِطَةَ مَرْكَزِ الْحَيِّ. بَعْدَ تَقَاعُدِي، بَقِيَ هَاتِفِي يَرِنُّ، لَكِنَّ الْأَسْئِلَةَ صَارَتْ أَقَلَّ. كُنْتُ أَقُولُ لِأُسْرَتِي إِنَّنِي أَسْتَمْتِعُ بِالْوَقْتِ الْحُرِّ، ثُمَّ أَفْتَحُ دَفْتَرَ الْمَوَاعِيدِ لِأَتَأَكَّدَ مِنْ أَنَّ الْغَدَ لَيْسَ فَارِغًا. وَحِينَ اقْتَرَحَ الْجِيرَانُ مَعْرِضًا لِتَبَادُلِ الْكُتُبِ، تَطَوَّعْتُ لِتَنْظِيمِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَطْلُبَ أَحَدٌ ذَلِكَ.
خِلَالَ يَوْمَيْنِ، أَعْدَدْتُ الْجَدْوَلَ وَوَزَّعْتُ الْمَهَامَّ فِي رَسَائِلَ قَصِيرَةٍ. لَمْ أَسْأَلْ أَحَدًا عَنْ وَقْتِهِ الْمُنَاسِبِ، فَقَدْ ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّ الْخُطَّةَ الْوَاضِحَةَ تُرِيحُ الْجَمِيعَ. جَمَعْتُ الْأَوْرَاقَ فِي مِلَفٍّ أَزْرَقَ، وَانْتَظَرْتُ الْمُوَافَقَاتِ. عِنْدَمَا اعْتَذَرَ ثَلَاثَةُ جِيرَانٍ، نَقَلْتُ مَهَامَّهُمْ إِلَى اسْمِي. كَانَتْ عِنْدِي خِبْرَةٌ كَافِيَةٌ، وَلَكِنَّ صَبَاحًا وَاحِدًا لَمْ يَتَّسِعْ لِكُلِّ تِلْكَ الْمَهَامِّ.
زَارَتْنِي أَمَلُ وَرَأَتْ كُتُبًا مُكَدَّسَةً بِجَانِبِ الْمَائِدَةِ. قُلْتُ: «لَا تَقْلَقِي، سَأُرَتِّبُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ». فَسَأَلَتْ: «هَلْ تُرِيدُ مُشَارَكَتَنَا، أَمْ تُرِيدُ أَنْ نَتَّبِعَ خُطَّتَكَ فَقَطْ؟» أَزْعَجَنِي السُّؤَالُ، لِأَنَّنِي حَاوَلْتُ تَسْهِيلَ الْعَمَلِ عَلَيْهِمْ. أَوْضَحَتْ أَنَّهَا تَسْتَطِيعُ الْحُضُورَ مَسَاءً، وَأَنَّ لَدَيْهَا فِكْرَةً لِتَبَادُلِ كُتُبِ الْأَطْفَالِ. قَاطَعْتُهَا لِأَشْرَحَ جَدْوَلِي، ثُمَّ تَوَقَّفْتُ عَنِ الْكَلَامِ.
اِعْتَرَفْتُ بِأَنَّنِي أَفْتَقِدُ شُعُورِي بِأَنَّ الْآخَرِينَ يَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَيَّ. قَالَتْ أَمَلُ إِنَّهَا تَحْتَاجُ إِلَى خِبْرَتِي، لَكِنَّهَا تُرِيدُ أَيْضًا مَكَانًا لِخِبْرَتِهَا. طَلَبْتُ مِنْهَا مُرَاجَعَةَ الْخُطَّةِ مَعِي. نَقَلْنَا الْمَعْرِضَ إِلَى الْمَسَاءِ، وَاخْتَرْتُ فَرْزَ الْكُتُبِ. لَمْ يُنَاسِبِ الْمَوْعِدُ الْجَدِيدُ أَحَدَ الْجِيرَانِ، فَبَقِيَ خَارِجَ الْفَرِيقِ. لَمْ يَكُنْ تَوْزِيعُ الْقَرَارِ حَلًّا يُرْضِي كُلَّ شَخْصٍ.
يَوْمَ الْمَعْرِضِ، وَضَعَتْ أَمَلُ الطَّاوِلَاتِ فِي تَرْتِيبٍ غَيْرِ الَّذِي تَخَيَّلْتُهُ. كِدْتُ أُعِيدُهَا إِلَى مَكَانِهَا الْقَدِيمِ، ثُمَّ رَأَيْتُ أَنَّ الْمَمَرَّ أَوْسَعُ هَكَذَا. بَعْدَ انْصِرَافِ الزُّوَّارِ، فَتَحْتُ دَفْتَرِي وَكَتَبْتُ عُنْوَانَ اللِّقَاءِ الْقَادِمِ. تَرَكْتُ مَوْعِدَهُ فَارِغًا، وَمَدَدْتُ قَلَمًا أَخْضَرَ إِلَى أَمَلَ. بَقِيَ قَلَمِي الْأَزْرَقُ فِي يَدِي، لَكِنِّي لَمْ أَبْدَأْ بِالْكِتَابَةِ هَذِهِ الْمَرَّةَ.
Show English translationHide English translation
I spent twenty-five years organising activities at the neighbourhood centre. After I retired, my phone kept ringing, but the questions became less frequent. I told my family I was enjoying my free time, then opened my appointment book to check that tomorrow was not empty. When the neighbours proposed a book exchange fair, I volunteered to organise it before anyone asked.
Within two days, I prepared the schedule and assigned tasks in short messages. I did not ask anyone what time suited them, assuming that a clear plan would make things easier for everyone. I gathered the papers in a blue folder and waited for approvals. When three neighbours declined, I moved their tasks under my name. I had enough experience, but a single morning could not accommodate all those tasks.
Amal visited and saw books piled beside the table. I said, “Do not worry; I will arrange everything.” She asked, “Do you want our participation, or do you just want us to follow your plan?” The question upset me because I had tried to make the work easier for them. She explained that she could attend in the evening and had an idea for exchanging children’s books. I interrupted to explain my schedule, then stopped speaking.
I admitted that I missed feeling needed by others. Amal said she needed my experience but also wanted room for her own. I asked her to review the plan with me. We moved the fair to the evening, and I chose to sort the books. The new time did not suit one neighbour, who remained outside the team. Sharing decisions was not a solution that pleased everyone.
On the day of the fair, Amal arranged the tables differently from how I had imagined. I almost returned them to their former places, then saw that the aisle was wider this way. After the visitors left, I opened my notebook and wrote the heading for the next meeting. I left its time blank and held out a green pen to Amal. My blue pen remained in my hand, but this time I did not begin writing.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| تَقَاعُدِي | my retirement |
| لِأَتَأَكَّدَ | so that I can make sure |
| وَوَزَّعْتُ الْمَهَامَّ | and I assigned the tasks |
| الْمُوَافَقَاتِ | approvals |
| مُكَدَّسَةً | piled up |
| قَاطَعْتُهَا | I interrupted her |
| أَفْتَقِدُ | I miss |
| فَرْزَ الْكُتُبِ | sorting the books |
| الْمَمَرَّ | the aisle |
| وَمَدَدْتُ | and I held out |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Distinguish facts, motives and supported inferences. Open the English support when needed.
What to remember
- Sharing a task can also mean allowing others to shape its plan; experience and openness can coexist.
- The second pen suggests a changed habit, while the neighbour who cannot attend shows that shared decisions still involve trade-offs.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Lam in Arabic: How to Say “Did Not”
لَمْ أَسْأَلْ أَحَدًا عَنْ وَقْتِهِ الْمُنَاسِبِ
Notice lam with a jussive verb when the narrator describes a question he failed to ask.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
لَكِنَّ الْأَسْئِلَةَ صَارَتْ أَقَلَّ
See how lakinna introduces the contrast between continued calls and fewer questions.
