A stationery shop owner sells a thriving business to her experienced colleague. Explaining her decision proves difficult, and stepping aside requires more than handing over a key.
01Read the Arabic story
وَدَاعُ مَشْرُوعٍ نَاجِحٍ
فِي الْأُسْبُوعِ الَّذِي أَعْلَنْتُ فِيهِ رَحِيلِي، حَقَّقَ مَتْجَرُ الْقِرْطَاسِيَّةِ أَفْضَلَ مَبِيعَاتِهِ. وَضَعَ أَخِي دَفْتَرَ الطَّلَبَاتِ أَمَامِي وَسَأَلَنِي إِنْ كُنْتُ قَدْ قَرَأْتُ الْأَرْقَامَ. كُنْتُ أَعْرِفُهَا جَيِّدًا؛ فَقَدْ بَنَيْتُ هَذَا الْعَمَلَ خِلَالَ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ عَامًا. لَكِنَّنِي كُنْتُ أَعْرِفُ أَيْضًا عَدَدَ الْمَرَّاتِ الَّتِي أَجَّلْتُ فِيهَا زِيَارَةَ صَدِيقَةٍ لِمُرَاجَعَةِ طَلَبٍ صَغِيرٍ.
لَمْ أُرِدْ إِغْلَاقَ الْمَتْجَرِ. اتَّفَقْتُ عَلَى بَيْعِهِ لِلُبْنَى، الَّتِي أَدَارَتْهُ مَعِي سَنَوَاتٍ وَرَغِبَتْ فِي امْتِلَاكِهِ. أَخْبَرْنَا الْمُوَظَّفِينَ مَعًا، وَشَرَحَتْ لُبْنَى خُطَطَهَا. لَمْ يَسْأَلْ أَحَدٌ عَنْ أَحْلَامِي؛ سَأَلُوا عَنْ سَاعَاتِ عَمَلِهِمْ وَطَلَبَاتِ الزَّبَائِنِ الْقَدِيمَةِ. تَضَايَقْتُ لَحْظَةً، ثُمَّ أَدْرَكْتُ أَنَّ قَرَارِي الشَّخْصِيَّ سَيُغَيِّرُ جُزْءًا مِنْ حَيَاتِهِمْ أَيْضًا، وَلَوْ بَقِيَتِ اللَّافِتَةُ نَفْسُهَا.
قَالَ أَخِي إِنَّنِي سَأَنْدَمُ حِينَ أَرَى الْمَتْجَرَ يَكْبُرُ مِنْ دُونِي. لَمْ أَسْتَطِعْ أَنْ أَعِدَهُ بِعَكْسِ ذَلِكَ. شَرَحْتُ أَنَّنِي لَا أَكْرَهُ الْعَمَلَ، وَلَا أَمْلِكُ مَشْرُوعًا أَكْثَرَ إِثَارَةً أُخْفِيهِ عَنْهُ. أُرِيدُ أَيَّامًا لَا يَتَحَدَّدُ فِيهَا مَوْعِدُ غَدَائِي بِوُصُولِ صُنْدُوقٍ. رَأَى فِي ذَلِكَ رَاحَةً مُؤَقَّتَةً، وَاقْتَرَحَ إِجَازَةً طَوِيلَةً. بَقِينَا مُخْتَلِفَيْنِ حَتَّى نِهَايَةِ الْحَدِيثِ.
خِلَالَ أَيَّامِ التَّسْلِيمِ، كُنْتُ أُجِيبُ عَنْ أَسْئِلَةٍ وُجِّهَتْ إِلَى لُبْنَى. نَبَّهَتْنِي إِلَى ذَلِكَ دُونَ غَضَبٍ، فَاعْتَذَرْتُ. كَانَتْ تَحْتَاجُ إِلَى مَعْرِفَتِي بِالْمَتْجَرِ، لَا إِلَى مُوَافَقَتِي عَلَى كُلِّ تَفْصِيلٍ. وَعِنْدَمَا غَيَّرَتْ مَكَانَ الدَّفَاتِرِ، كِدْتُ أُعِيدُهَا إِلَى الرَّفِّ الْقَدِيمِ. بَدَلًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ، كَتَبْتُ لَهَا أَسْمَاءَ الْمَوَادِّ الَّتِي يَطْلُبُهَا الْمُدَرِّسُونَ عَادَةً قَبْلَ بَدْءِ الدِّرَاسَةِ.
فِي آخِرِ مَسَاءٍ، سَلَّمْتُ لُبْنَى الْمِفْتَاحَ النُّحَاسِيَّ وَاشْتَرَيْتُ دَفْتَرًا أَزْرَقَ صَغِيرًا. ضَحِكَتْ وَعَرَضَتْ أَنْ تُهْدِيَنِي إِيَّاهُ، لَكِنَّنِي أَصْرَرْتُ عَلَى الدَّفْعِ. خَارِجَ الْبَابِ، مَدَدْتُ يَدِي إِلَى هَاتِفِي لِأَتَأَكَّدَ مِنْ طَلَبَاتِ الْغَدِ، ثُمَّ أَعَدْتُهُ إِلَى الْحَقِيبَةِ. لَمْ تَكُنْ عِنْدِي خُطَّةٌ لِلصَّبَاحِ. فَتَحْتُ الدَّفْتَرَ وَكَتَبْتُ اسْمِي عَلَى صَفْحَتِهِ الْأُولَى، وَتَرَكْتُ بَقِيَّتَهَا فَارِغَةً.
Show English translationHide English translation
In the week I announced my departure, the stationery shop achieved its best sales. My brother put the order ledger in front of me and asked whether I had read the figures. I knew them well: I had built this business over twelve years. But I also knew how often I had postponed visiting a friend to review a small order.
I did not want to close the shop. I agreed to sell it to Lubna, who had managed it with me for years and wanted to own it. We told the employees together, and Lubna explained her plans. Nobody asked about my dreams; they asked about their working hours and old customer orders. I felt upset for a moment, then realised that my personal decision would change part of their lives too, even if the sign remained the same.
My brother said I would regret it when I saw the shop grow without me. I could not promise him otherwise. I explained that I did not hate the work and had no more exciting project that I was hiding from him. I wanted days when the arrival of a box did not determine my lunchtime. He saw that as a temporary need for rest and suggested a long holiday. We were still disagreeing when the conversation ended.
During the handover days, I kept answering questions addressed to Lubna. She drew my attention to this without anger, and I apologised. She needed my knowledge of the shop, not my approval of every detail. When she moved the notebooks, I almost returned them to the old shelf. Instead, I wrote down for her the names of the supplies teachers usually order before the school year begins.
On the last evening, I handed Lubna the brass key and bought a small blue notebook. She laughed and offered to give it to me as a gift, but I insisted on paying. Outside the door, I reached for my phone to check tomorrow’s orders, then put it back in my bag. I had no plan for the morning. I opened the notebook and wrote my name on its first page, leaving the rest of the page blank.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| مَتْجَرُ الْقِرْطَاسِيَّةِ | the stationery shop |
| دَفْتَرَ الطَّلَبَاتِ | the order ledger |
| الْأَرْقَامَ | the figures; numbers |
| فِي امْتِلَاكِهِ | in owning it |
| اللَّافِتَةُ | the sign |
| أُخْفِيهِ | I hide it |
| رَاحَةً مُؤَقَّتَةً | temporary rest |
| أَيَّامِ التَّسْلِيمِ | the handover days |
| مُوَافَقَتِي | my approval |
| الْمِفْتَاحَ النُّحَاسِيَّ | the brass key |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Use the Arabic text to distinguish facts, motives and supported inferences. Open the English support when needed.
What to remember
- The same decision looks different to the owner, her brother and the employees because each has something different at stake.
- Choosing to leave does not erase attachment. The phone, the notebooks and the handover reveal how slowly a familiar role changes.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Relative Pronouns: Joining Ideas with Alladhi and Allati
فِي الْأُسْبُوعِ الَّذِي أَعْلَنْتُ فِيهِ رَحِيلِي
Use alladhi to connect a particular week with the announcement made during it.
Lam in Arabic: How to Say “Did Not”
لَمْ أُرِدْ إِغْلَاقَ الْمَتْجَرِ
Notice lam with a jussive verb as the narrator rules out closing the shop.
