Samer offers an apology before an evening audience. His colleague’s small smile conceals an unexpected problem: everyone has just heard details she shared with him alone.
01Read the Arabic story
اعْتِذَارٌ أَمَامَ الْجَمِيعِ
حَضَرْتُ أُمْسِيَةَ النَّادِي الثَّقَافِيِّ، وَوَضَعْتُ بِطَاقَةَ الْبَرْنَامَجِ عَلَى رُكْبَتَيَّ. قَبْلَ أُسْبُوعٍ، اخْتَلَفْتُ مَعَ سَامِرٍ لِأَنَّنِي غَادَرْتُ تَجْهِيزَ الْقَاعَةِ مُبَكِّرًا. اتَّهَمَنِي بَعَدَمِ الِاهْتِمَامِ، فَشَرَحْتُ لَهُ عَلَى انْفِرَادٍ أَنَّ أُسْرَتِي تَبْحَثُ عَنْ مَسْكَنٍ بَدِيلٍ، وَأَنَّنِي كُنْتُ أُرَافِقُ أُمِّي لِمُعَايَنَةِ شَقَّةٍ. لَمْ يَعْرِفْ أَحَدٌ غَيْرُهُ بِذَلِكَ، وَتَوَقَّعْتُ أَنْ نُكْمِلَ الْحَدِيثَ وَحْدَنَا.
قَبْلَ بَدْءِ الْقِرَاءَاتِ، أَمْسَكَ سَامِرٌ بِالْمِيكْرُوفُونِ وَقَالَ إِنَّهُ يَدِينُ لِي بِاعْتِذَارٍ. ثُمَّ شَرَحَ لِلْحَاضِرِينَ سَبَبَ مُغَادَرَتِي، وَاعْتَرَفَ بِأَنَّهُ حَكَمَ عَلَيَّ بِسُرْعَةٍ. رَأَيْتُ وُجُوهَ النَّاسِ تَلْتَفِتُ نَحْوِي، فَابْتَسَمْتُ ابْتِسَامَةً صَغِيرَةً وَنَظَرْتُ إِلَى الْبِطَاقَةِ. صَفَّقَ بَعْضُهُمْ، فَعَادَ سَامِرٌ إِلَى مَقْعَدِهِ مُرْتَاحًا. أَمَّا أَنَا فَلَمْ أَسْمَعْ جَيِّدًا أَوَّلَ نَصٍّ قُرِئَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ.
فِي الِاسْتِرَاحَةِ، عَرَضَتْ عَلَيَّ زَمِيلَةٌ رَقْمَ صَاحِبِ شَقَّةٍ، وَسَأَلَ آخَرُ عَنْ قِيمَةِ الْإِيجَارِ الَّتِي نَسْتَطِيعُ دَفْعَهَا. كَانَ الْعَرْضُ لَطِيفًا، لَكِنَّنِي لَمْ أَخْتَرْ أَنْ أَجْعَلَ مَسْكَنَنَا مَوْضُوعَ الْأُمْسِيَةِ. شَكَرْتُهُمَا بِاخْتِصَارٍ وَخَرَجْتُ إِلَى الْمَمَرِّ. تَبِعَنِي سَامِرٌ وَسَأَلَنِي لِمَاذَا بَدَوْتُ مُنْزَعِجَةً. قَالَ إِنَّهُ ظَنَّ أَنَّ الِاعْتِذَارَ أَمَامَ الْجَمِيعِ سَيُثْبِتُ أَنَّهُ جَادٌّ.
قُلْتُ إِنَّ اعْتِرَافَهُ بِخَطَئِهِ مُهِمٌّ لِي، لَكِنَّ الْجُمْهُورَ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَعْرِفُ بِخِلَافِنَا أَصْلًا. سَأَلْتُهُ إِنْ كَانَ سَيُحِبُّ أَنْ يَشْرَحَ شَخْصٌ آخَرُ ظُرُوفَ أُسْرَتِهِ دُونَ اسْتِئْذَانٍ. صَمَتَ، ثُمَّ اقْتَرَحَ تَوْضِيحًا جَدِيدًا بِالْمِيكْرُوفُونِ. رَفَضْتُ؛ لَمْ أُرِدْ مَزِيدًا مِنَ الْأَنْظَارِ. طَلَبْتُ مِنْهُ أَنْ يَسْأَلَنِي قَبْلَ أَنْ يَتَحَدَّثَ بِاسْمِي، حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ يَقْصِدُ مُسَاعَدَتِي.
فِي الْيَوْمِ التَّالِي، تَرَكَ لِي وَرَقَةً مَطْوِيَّةً عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ، اعْتَذَرَ فِيهَا عَنْ ذِكْرِ تَفَاصِيلَ لَمْ أَسْمَحْ بِنَشْرِهَا. سَأَلَنِي كَيْفَ أُفَضِّلُ أَنْ يَرُدَّ إِذَا سَأَلَهُ أَحَدٌ عَنِّي. كَتَبْتُ أَنَّهُ يَسْتَطِيعُ إِحَالَةَ السُّؤَالِ إِلَيَّ. فِي الِاجْتِمَاعِ الْمُقْبِلِ، اخْتَرْتُ مَقْعَدًا قَرِيبًا مِنَ الْبَابِ. رَأَيْتُ سَامِرًا يَرْفَعُ يَدَهُ لِيَتَكَلَّمَ، فَقَبَضْتُ عَلَى الْبِطَاقَةِ بِقُوَّةٍ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ عَنِ الْمَوْعِدِ.
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I attended the cultural club’s evening event and placed the programme card on my knees. A week earlier, I had disagreed with Samer because I had left the hall preparations early. He accused me of not caring, so I explained privately that my family was looking for another home and that I had accompanied my mother to view a flat. Nobody else knew about this, and I expected us to continue the conversation alone.
Before the readings began, Samer took the microphone and said he owed me an apology. Then he explained to those present why I had left and admitted that he had judged me too quickly. I saw people’s faces turn towards me, so I gave a small smile and looked at the card. Some applauded, and Samer returned to his seat relieved. As for me, I barely heard the first piece read afterwards.
During the break, a colleague offered me a flat owner’s number, and another asked what rent we could afford. The offer was kind, but I had not chosen to make our housing the subject of the evening. I thanked them briefly and went into the corridor. Samer followed me and asked why I seemed upset. He said he had thought apologising in front of everyone would prove he was serious.
I said his admission of his mistake mattered to me, but the audience had not known about our disagreement in the first place. I asked whether he would like someone else to explain his family’s circumstances without permission. He fell silent, then proposed another clarification over the microphone. I refused; I did not want more attention. I asked him to consult me before speaking on my behalf, even when he intended to help.
The following day, he left me a folded note on the table, apologising for mentioning details I had not permitted him to share. He asked how I would prefer him to respond if anyone asked about me. I wrote that he could refer the question to me. At the next meeting, I chose a seat near the door. I saw Samer raise his hand to speak and gripped the card tightly before he asked about the schedule.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| عَلَى انْفِرَادٍ | in private |
| لِمُعَايَنَةِ شَقَّةٍ | to view a flat |
| مَزِيدًا مِنَ الْأَنْظَارِ | more attention |
| يَدِينُ لِي بِاعْتِذَارٍ | owes me an apology |
| قِيمَةِ الْإِيجَارِ | the amount of rent |
| مُنْزَعِجَةً | upset |
| دُونَ اسْتِئْذَانٍ | without asking permission |
| بِاسْمِي | on my behalf |
| وَرَقَةً مَطْوِيَّةً | a folded note |
| إِحَالَةَ السُّؤَالِ إِلَيَّ | referring the question to me |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Separate the speaker’s intention from the recipient’s experience, and use the final gesture to support your inference.
What to remember
- An apology can acknowledge a mistake while creating another problem through its audience and level of detail.
- The private note changes how Samer seeks permission, but the narrator’s final reaction suggests that reassurance takes longer.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّنِي غَادَرْتُ تَجْهِيزَ الْقَاعَةِ مُبَكِّرًا
Follow liannani as the narrator explains the event behind the disagreement.
Arabic Relative Pronouns: Joining Ideas with Alladhi and Allati
قِيمَةِ الْإِيجَارِ الَّتِي نَسْتَطِيعُ دَفْعَهَا
Use allati to connect the rent amount with what the family can pay.
