An honest bakery review upsets its owner. Adding context then upsets another neighbour who shared the long wait.
01Read the Arabic story
تَقْيِيمٌ صَادِقٌ وَجَارَانِ غَاضِبَانِ
فِي صَبَاحِ السَّبْتِ، اشْتَرَيْتُ خُبْزًا مِنْ مَخْبَزٍ افْتَتَحَهُ جَارِي هِشَامٌ. كَانَ الْخُبْزُ لَذِيذًا، لَكِنَّنِي انْتَظَرْتُ خَمْسًا وَأَرْبَعِينَ دَقِيقَةً رَغْمَ أَنَّنِي طَلَبْتُهُ مُسْبَقًا. كَتَبْتُ تَقْيِيمًا أَمْدَحُ فِيهِ الطَّعْمَ وَأَذْكُرُ فِيهِ مُدَّةَ الِانْتِظَارِ، وَنَصَحْتُ مَنْ يَكُونُ مُسْتَعْجِلًا بِتَجَنُّبِ سَاعَةِ الِازْدِحَامِ. لَمْ أَظُنَّ أَنَّ هَذِهِ الْكَلِمَاتِ سَتَصِلُ إِلَى حَدِيثِ الْجِيرَانِ فِي مَجْمُوعَتِهِمُ الْمَحَلِّيَّةِ.
فِي الْمَسَاءِ، طَرَقَ هِشَامٌ بَابِي. قَالَ إِنَّ تَعْلِيقِي أَخَافَ زَبَائِنَ لَمْ يُجَرِّبُوا مَخْبَزَهُ بَعْدُ، وَإِنَّ أَحَدَ الْعُمَّالِ غَابَ فَجْأَةً يَوْمَ الِافْتِتَاحِ. طَلَبَ مِنِّي حَذْفَ التَّقْيِيمِ حَتَّى يَسْتَقِرَّ الْعَمَلُ. تَفَهَّمْتُ قَلَقَهُ، لَكِنَّنِي سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ وَقْتِ الزَّبُونِ الَّذِي يَعْتَمِدُ عَلَى الْمَوْعِدِ الْمُعْلَنِ. لَمْ يَكُنْ لَدَيْهِ جَوَابٌ سَهْلٌ، وَلَا عِنْدِي.
أَضَفْتُ إِلَى تَقْيِيمِي أَنَّ الزِّيَارَةَ كَانَتْ يَوْمَ الِافْتِتَاحِ، وَنَقَلْتُ تَوْضِيحَ هِشَامٍ بِشَأْنِ غِيَابِ الْعَامِلِ. بَعْدَ سَاعَةٍ، اتَّصَلَتْ بِي جَارَتِي نَادِيَةُ غَاضِبَةً. كَانَتْ قَدِ انْتَظَرَتْ هِيَ أَيْضًا، وَظَنَّتْ أَنَّنِي أُخَفِّفُ الِانْتِقَادَ لِأُرْضِيَ صَاحِبَ الْمَخْبَزِ. قَالَتْ إِنَّ الْعُذْرَ لَا يُعِيدُ الْوَقْتَ الضَّائِعَ. وَجَدْتُ نَفْسِي أَدَافِعُ عَنِ التَّعْلِيقِ أَمَامَ جَارَيْنِ لِسَبَبَيْنِ مُخْتَلِفَيْنِ.
أَعَدْتُ قِرَاءَةَ النَّصِّ، وَفَصَلْتُ بَيْنَ مَا رَأَيْتُهُ وَمَا سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ هِشَامٍ. أَبْقَيْتُ مُدَّةَ الِانْتِظَارِ وَتَارِيخَ الزِّيَارَةِ وَاضِحَيْنِ، وَكَتَبْتُ أَنَّنِي لَا أَعْرِفُ بَعْدُ إِنْ كَانَ التَّأَخُّرُ سَيَتَكَرَّرُ. أَرْسَلْتُ الرَّابِطَ إِلَيْهِمَا دُونَ أَنْ أَطْلُبَ مُوَافَقَتَهُمَا. لَمْ أُرِدْ أَنْ يَتَحَوَّلَ تَقْيِيمُ زِيَارَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ إِلَى وَعْدٍ بِمُسْتَقْبَلِ الْمَخْبَزِ أَوْ حُكْمٍ عَلَى صَاحِبِهِ.
فِي الْأُسْبُوعِ التَّالِي، نَشَرَ هِشَامٌ مَوَاعِيدَ اسْتِلَامٍ أَقَلَّ لِلطَّلَبَاتِ الْمُسْبَقَةِ. شَكَرْتُهُ عَلَى التَّوْضِيحِ، لَكِنَّهُ بَقِيَ رَسْمِيًّا مَعِي. أَمَّا نَادِيَةُ، فَقَرَأَتِ النَّصَّ الْجَدِيدَ وَلَمْ تَرُدَّ. مَرَرْتُ بِالْمَخْبَزِ فَرَأَيْتُ طَابُورًا قَصِيرًا، غَيْرَ أَنَّنِي لَمْ أُغَيِّرِ التَّقْيِيمَ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى. فَمُجَرَّدُ الْمُرُورِ أَمَامَ الْبَابِ لَا يَكْفِي لِأَصِفَ تَجْرِبَةً لَمْ أَعِشْهَا.
Show English translationHide English translation
On Saturday morning, I bought bread from a bakery opened by my neighbour Hisham. The bread was delicious, but I waited forty-five minutes despite having ordered it in advance. I wrote a review praising the taste and stating the waiting time, and advised anyone in a hurry to avoid the busy period. I did not imagine these words would become a topic among the neighbours in their local group.
That evening, Hisham knocked on my door. He said my comment had frightened customers who had not tried his bakery yet, and that one worker had unexpectedly been absent on opening day. He asked me to delete the review until work settled down. I understood his concern, but asked about the time of a customer relying on the advertised collection time. He had no easy answer, and neither did I.
I added that my visit had been on opening day and included Hisham’s explanation about the absent worker. An hour later, my neighbour Nadia called angrily. She had also waited and thought I was softening the criticism to please the bakery owner. She said an excuse did not restore lost time. I found myself defending the comment to two neighbours for two different reasons.
I reread the text and separated what I had seen from what I had heard from Hisham. I kept the waiting time and visit date clear, and wrote that I did not yet know whether the delay would happen again. I sent both neighbours the link without asking for their approval. I did not want a review of one visit to become a promise about the bakery’s future or a judgement of its owner.
The following week, Hisham published fewer collection slots for advance orders. I thanked him for clarifying things, but he remained formal with me. Nadia read the new text and did not reply. I passed the bakery and saw a short queue, yet did not change the review again. Simply passing the door was not enough for me to describe an experience I had not had.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| مُسْبَقًا | in advance |
| بِتَجَنُّبِ | to avoid |
| يَسْتَقِرَّ | settle down |
| الْمُعْلَنِ | advertised |
| تَوْضِيحَ | explanation |
| لِأُرْضِيَ | to please |
| الْعُذْرَ | the excuse |
| أَبْقَيْتُ | I kept |
| رَسْمِيًّا | formal; reserved |
| طَابُورًا | a queue |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Use details from the story to compare viewpoints and support your inferences. Open the English support if needed.
What to remember
- A fair review distinguishes what the writer experienced from an explanation supplied by someone else.
- Adding context can improve accuracy without removing criticism or repairing every relationship.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Purpose Li in Arabic: How to Say “In Order To”
لِأُرْضِيَ صَاحِبَ الْمَخْبَزِ
Read the purpose verb that expresses Nadia’s interpretation of the narrator’s motive.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
لَكِنَّهُ بَقِيَ رَسْمِيًّا مَعِي
See how lakinna with an attached pronoun qualifies an apparently positive exchange.
