A sister thinks her nearby brother exaggerates the effort of helping their mother. His notebook reveals the waiting hours hidden behind her online orders.
01Read the Arabic story
الْخِلَافُ مِنْ وِجْهَةِ نَظَرِ أَخِي
كَانَ خِلَافِي مَعَ أَخِي نَبِيلٍ يَتَكَرَّرُ كُلَّمَا رَفَضَ طَلَبًا يَتَعَلَّقُ بِبَيْتِ أُمِّنَا. كُنْتُ أَسْكُنُ فِي مَدِينَةٍ أُخْرَى وَأُرْسِلُ نَصِيبِي مِنَ الْمَصَارِيفِ بِانْتِظَامٍ. أَمَّا هُوَ فَيَسْكُنُ قَرِيبًا مِنْهَا، وَلِذَلِكَ اعْتَقَدْتُ أَنَّ زِيَارَةً قَصِيرَةً لَنْ تُكَلِّفَهُ الْكَثِيرَ. وَحِينَ رَفَضَ انْتِظَارَ طَلَبِيَّةٍ جَدِيدَةٍ، اتَّهَمْتُهُ بِأَنَّهُ يُبَالِغُ فِي وَصْفِ تَعَبِهِ.
فِي زِيَارَتِي التَّالِيَةِ، وَجَدْتُهُ أَمَامَ صُنْدُوقٍ فِيهِ رَفٌّ لِلْمَطْبَخِ. فَتَحَ دَفْتَرًا صَغِيرًا وَأَرَانِي مَوَاعِيدَ إِصْلَاحٍ وَتَسْلِيمٍ خِلَالَ الشَّهْرِ. كُنْتُ أَنَا مَنْ طَلَبَ بَعْضَ هَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءِ، لَكِنَّنِي لَمْ أَرَ السَّاعَاتِ الَّتِي قَضَاهَا يَنْتَظِرُهَا. قَالَ إِنَّ وَقْتَ التَّسْلِيمِ يَمْتَدُّ أَحْيَانًا مِنَ التَّاسِعَةِ إِلَى الْخَامِسَةِ، وَلَا يَعْنِي أَنَّ الْعَامِلَ سَيَصِلُ فِي أَوَّلِهِ.
ذَكَّرَنِي بِأَنَّهُ يَعْمَلُ لَيْلًا فِي بَعْضِ الْأَسَابِيعِ. لَمْ تَكُنْ هَذِهِ مَعْلُومَةً جَدِيدَةً، وَلَكِنَّنِي كُنْتُ أَعُدُّ نَهَارَهُ وَقْتًا فَارِغًا. وَاعْتَرَفَ بِأَنَّهُ كَانَ يُوَافِقُ عَلَى الطَّلَبَاتِ ثُمَّ يَغْضَبُ دُونَ أَنْ يَشْرَحَ السَّبَبَ. قُلْتُ إِنَّ بُعْدِي يَجْعَلُ الْمُشَارَكَةَ أَصْعَبَ، فَأَجَابَ أَنَّهُ لَا يَطْلُبُ حُضُورِي كُلَّ يَوْمٍ، بَلْ سُؤَالَهُ قَبْلَ تَحْدِيدِ الْمَوَاعِيدِ.
جَلَسْنَا مَعَ أُمِّنَا، وَفَتَحْنَا تَقْوِيمَ الشَّهْرِ الْقَادِمِ. عَرَضْتُ أَنْ أُرَتِّبَ التَّسْلِيمَ فِي أَيَّامِ زِيَارَتِي، وَأَنْ أَبْحَثَ عَنْ مَوَاعِيدَ أَدَقَّ فِي بَقِيَّةِ الْأَيَّامِ. بَعْضُ الْخِيَارَاتِ كَانَ أَغْلَى، وَلَمْ نَتَّفِقْ بَعْدُ عَلَى تَوْزِيعِ الزِّيَادَةِ. قَالَتْ أُمِّي إِنَّهَا تَطْلُبُ مِنْ نَبِيلٍ لِأَنَّهُ الْأَقْرَبُ، ثُمَّ سَأَلَتْهُ عَنْ مَوْعِدِ عَمَلِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُضِيفَ طَلَبًا.
فِي الصَّبَاحِ، بَقِيتُ لِأَسْتَقْبِلَ عَامِلَ تَرْكِيبِ الرَّفِّ، وَخَرَجَ نَبِيلٌ لِعَمَلِهِ. وَضَعَ الْمِفْتَاحَ الْإِضَافِيَّ بِجَانِبِ الدَّفْتَرِ، وَاكْتَفَى بِالْإِشَارَةِ إِلَى رَقْمِ الْعَامِلِ. لَمْ يَعُدْ إِلَى الْبَابِ لِيُكَرِّرَ التَّعْلِيمَاتِ. انْتَظَرْتُ سَاعَتَيْنِ، وَأَدْرَكْتُ أَنَّ قُرْبَ الْبَيْتِ لَا يُقَصِّرُ مُدَّةَ الِانْتِظَارِ. لَمْ نَحْسِمْ كُلَّ خِلَافَاتِنَا، لَكِنَّنِي لَمْ أَعُدْ أَقِيسُ مُسَاهَمَةَ أَخِي بِعَدَدِ الطَّلَبَاتِ الَّتِي يَقْبَلُهَا.
Show English translationHide English translation
My disagreement with my brother Nabil recurred whenever he refused a request concerning our mother’s home. I lived in another city and regularly sent my share of the expenses. He lived near her, so I thought a short visit would not cost him much. When he refused to wait for a new order, I accused him of exaggerating his tiredness.
On my next visit, I found him in front of a box containing a kitchen shelf. He opened a small notebook and showed me repair and delivery appointments during the month. I had ordered some of these things myself, but had not seen the hours he spent waiting for them. He said that the delivery window sometimes ran from nine to five, which did not mean the worker would arrive at its beginning.
He reminded me that he worked nights during some weeks. This was not new information, but I had treated his daytime as free time. He admitted that he had been agreeing to requests and then getting angry without explaining why. I said that living far away made participating harder. He replied that he was not asking me to be there every day, but to ask him before setting appointments.
We sat with our mother and opened next month’s calendar. I offered to arrange deliveries on the days I visited and to look for more precise appointments on other days. Some options cost more, and we had not yet agreed on dividing the increase. Our mother said she asked Nabil because he was closest, then asked about his work hours before adding a request.
In the morning, I stayed to receive the worker who would install the shelf, and Nabil left for work. He put the spare key beside the notebook and simply pointed to the worker’s number. He did not return to the door to repeat the instructions. I waited two hours and realised that living near the house did not shorten the wait. We had not resolved all our disagreements, but I no longer measured my brother’s contribution by the number of requests he accepted.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| نَصِيبِي | my share |
| بِانْتِظَامٍ | regularly |
| طَلَبِيَّةٍ | an order for goods |
| يُبَالِغُ | he exaggerates |
| دَفْتَرًا صَغِيرًا | a small notebook |
| مَوَاعِيدَ أَدَقَّ | more precise appointments |
| تَوْزِيعِ الزِّيَادَةِ | dividing the extra cost |
| الْمِفْتَاحَ الْإِضَافِيَّ | the spare key |
| نَحْسِمْ | we resolve |
| مُسَاهَمَةَ أَخِي | my brother’s contribution |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Use the story to distinguish evidence from assumptions. Open the English support if you need help with a question.
What to remember
- Distance and money show only part of a family member’s contribution; waiting and lost rest also matter.
- Consulting someone before committing their time can begin a fairer arrangement without resolving every cost.
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 يَعُدْ إِلَى الْبَابِ
See how lam marks the instructions Nabil did not repeat.
Anna in Arabic: I Know That and I Think That
اعْتَقَدْتُ أَنَّ زِيَارَةً قَصِيرَةً
Follow the belief the sister initially held about a short visit.
