A shop owner helps a friend using shared savings. When an unexpected repair exposes the secret loan, returning the money is only part of what her business partner needs.
01Read the Arabic story
قَرْضٌ لَمْ تُوَافِقْ عَلَيْهِ شَرِيكَتِي
أَدِيرُ مَتْجَرَ هَدَايَا مَعَ لَيْلَى، وَنَضَعُ جُزْءًا مِنْ أَرْبَاحِنَا فِي صُنْدُوقٍ لِلنَّفَقَاتِ الْمُفَاجِئَةِ. عِنْدَمَا تَعَطَّلَتْ آلَةُ الْخِيَاطَةِ عِنْدَ صَدِيقَتِي دِيمَا، أَرَتْنِي فَاتُورَةَ الْإِصْلَاحِ وَطَلَبَتْ قَرْضًا صَغِيرًا. قَالَتْ إِنَّهَا سَتُعِيدُ الْمَبْلَغَ بَعْدَ أُسْبُوعٍ. كَانَتْ لَيْلَى غَائِبَةً، فَوَضَعْتُ الْمَالَ فِي ظَرْفٍ وَسَلَّمْتُهُ لِدِيمَا، مُقْنِعَةً نَفْسِي بِأَنَّ الْمَتْجَرَ لَنْ يَحْتَاجَ إِلَيْهِ قَرِيبًا.
لَمْ أُخْبِرْ شَرِيكَتِي بِمَا فَعَلْتُ. تَصَوَّرْتُ أَنَّ شَرْحَ الْأَمْرِ بَعْدَ عَوْدَةِ الْمَالِ سَيَكُونُ أَسْهَلَ. لَكِنَّ بَابَ الْمَتْجَرِ تَعَطَّلَ قَبْلَ نِهَايَةِ الْأُسْبُوعِ، وَطَلَبَ الْعَامِلُ دَفْعَ ثَمَنِ الْقِطَعِ مُقَدَّمًا. فَتَحَتْ لَيْلَى الصُّنْدُوقَ وَقَارَنَتْ مَا فِيهِ بِالدَّفْتَرِ الْمُشْتَرَكِ. عِنْدَئِذٍ اعْتَرَفْتُ، وَأَضَفْتُ بِسُرْعَةٍ أَنَّ دِيمَا لَمْ تَطْلُبْ مُسَاعَدَتِي مِنْ قَبْلُ.
اتَّصَلْتُ بِدِيمَا أَمَامَ لَيْلَى، فَأَخْبَرَتْنِي أَنَّ زَبُونًا أَجَّلَ دَفْعَ حِسَابِهِ الْكَامِلِ، وَأَنَّهَا تَسْتَطِيعُ رَدَّ نِصْفِ الْقَرْضِ فَقَطْ. أَحْسَسْتُ بِالْحَرَجِ وَكَدْتُ أُوَجِّهُ إِلَيْهَا اللَّوْمَ، لَكِنِّي تَذَكَّرْتُ أَنَّنِي وَحْدِي اخْتَرْتُ مَصْدَرَ الْمَالِ. لَمْ تَكُنْ تَعْرِفُ أَنَّهُ مَالٌ مُشْتَرَكٌ. قَبِلْتُ النِّصْفَ، وَقُلْتُ إِنَّنَا سَنَتَّفِقُ لَاحِقًا عَلَى مَوْعِدٍ وَاقِعِيٍّ لِدَفْعِ الْبَاقِي.
قَالَتْ لَيْلَى إِنَّهَا تَفْهَمُ حَاجَةَ دِيمَا، وَرُبَّمَا كَانَتْ سَتُوَافِقُ عَلَى مُسَاعَدَتِهَا. ثُمَّ دَفَعَتِ الدَّفْتَرَ نَحْوِي وَسَأَلَتْ: «إِذَا كُنْتِ تَثِقِينَ بِقَرَارِكِ، فَلِمَاذَا انْتَظَرْتِ؟» لَمْ أَجِدْ جَوَابًا مُرِيحًا. كُنْتُ أَخَافُ رَفْضَهَا، لَا تَأْخِيرَ الْإِصْلَاحِ فَقَطْ. وَاسْتَخْدَمْنَا جُزْءًا مِنْ مُدَّخَرَاتِي الشَّخْصِيَّةِ لِدَفْعِ حِسَابِ الْعَامِلِ؛ فَتَأَجَّلَ شِرَاءُ الْحَاسُوبِ الَّذِي كُنْتُ أُرِيدُهُ.
كَتَبْنَا قَاعِدَةً تَشْتَرِطُ مُوَافَقَتَنَا قَبْلَ إِقْرَاضِ أَيِّ مَبْلَغٍ مِنَ الصُّنْدُوقِ. لَمْ تُطَالِبْنِي لَيْلَى بِقَطْعِ صَدَاقَتِي بِدِيمَا، لَكِنَّهَا طَلَبَتْ مُرَاجَعَةَ الْحِسَابَاتِ مَعًا كُلَّ مَسَاءٍ. بَعْدَ أَيَّامٍ قَلِيلَةٍ، وَصَلَتِ الدَّفْعَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ، فَسَجَّلْنَاهَا فِي الدَّفْتَرِ. أَغْلَقَتْ لَيْلَى الصُّنْدُوقَ، ثُمَّ أَعَادَتْ فَتْحَهُ لِتَعُدَّ الْمَالَ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى. انْتَظَرْتُ بِجَانِبِهَا حَتَّى انْتَهَتْ، مِنْ دُونِ أَنْ أَطْلُبَ مِنْهَا تَصْدِيقِي.
Show English translationHide English translation
I run a gift shop with Layla, and we put some of our profits into a cashbox for unexpected expenses. When my friend Dima’s sewing machine broke down, she showed me the repair invoice and asked for a small loan. She said she would return the amount after a week. Layla was away, so I put the money in an envelope and gave it to Dima, convincing myself that the shop would not need it soon.
I did not tell my business partner what I had done. I imagined that explaining after the money returned would be easier. But the shop door broke before the end of the week, and the repairer requested payment for the parts in advance. Layla opened the cashbox and compared its contents with the shared ledger. Then I admitted what I had done, quickly adding that Dima had never asked for my help before.
I called Dima in front of Layla. She told me that a customer had postponed paying his full bill and that she could return only half the loan. I felt embarrassed and almost blamed her, but remembered that I alone had chosen where the money came from. She had not known it was shared money. I accepted half and said we would later agree on a realistic date for paying the rest.
Layla said she understood Dima’s need and might have agreed to help her. Then she pushed the ledger towards me and asked, “If you were confident in your decision, why did you wait?” I could find no comfortable answer. I had feared her refusal, not just a delay to the repair. We used some of my personal savings to pay the repairer’s bill, so buying the computer I wanted had to wait.
We wrote a rule requiring both our approvals before lending any amount from the cashbox. Layla did not ask me to end my friendship with Dima, but requested that we review the accounts together every evening. A few days later, the second instalment arrived, and we recorded it in the ledger. Layla closed the cashbox, then reopened it to count the money again. I waited beside her until she finished, without asking her to believe me.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| لِلنَّفَقَاتِ الْمُفَاجِئَةِ | for unexpected expenses |
| فَاتُورَةَ الْإِصْلَاحِ | the repair invoice |
| قَرْضًا صَغِيرًا | a small loan |
| مُقَدَّمًا | in advance |
| بِالدَّفْتَرِ الْمُشْتَرَكِ | with the shared ledger |
| بِالْحَرَجِ | embarrassed |
| اللَّوْمَ | blame |
| مَوْعِدٍ وَاقِعِيٍّ | a realistic date |
| مُدَّخَرَاتِي الشَّخْصِيَّةِ | my personal savings |
| الدَّفْعَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ | the second instalment |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Distinguish the reasons offered, the facts revealed and what the ending suggests. Open the English support when needed.
What to remember
- A sincere wish to help does not answer Layla’s question about why she was excluded from the decision.
- The final recount suggests that restored funds and restored trust do not necessarily arrive together.
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 أُخْبِرْ شَرِيكَتِي بِمَا فَعَلْتُ
Read lam with a jussive verb as the narrator admits a past omission.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
لَكِنَّهَا طَلَبَتْ مُرَاجَعَةَ الْحِسَابَاتِ مَعًا كُلَّ مَسَاءٍ
Follow lakinnaha with an attached pronoun as Layla sets a contrasting condition.
